I always gave my big boy, Count Basie, raw soup bones, or knuckle bones. Since he spent a lot of time indoors, it was necessary for him to have a "chew rug", so that it wasn't a bloody mess (figuratively and literally). These bones lasted him at least 3 days.
My boys now, spoiled, yes indeed. However, giving them treats has become mostly a thing of the past (other than baked canned prescription food). Without the right diet, Obi ends up having surgery. He develops oxalate crystals that gather in his bladder, and then travel up to block his urethra. Once they have developed, they are only resolved by surgical removal.
Alas, the days of making the raw diet (which they adore), have ended. There is research out there that shows that a low oxalate raw diet will prevent, and even dissolve (something vets say is not possible) the crystals, but the diet is difficult to achieve, and it reads like a science formula. So, both boys (Lhasas) are now on the low oxalate prescription diet.
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