Healthy Snacks

Synopsis of a thread:

Fresh fruits or vegetables especially carrots or bananas were mentioned by many.
Carrots are great for dogs suffering intestinal problems like IBS.
Baby carrots can be used in training a dog as an incentive reward.

About butcher bones:
From Jean:
Butcher bones from the meat counter should be boiled (to get rid of bacteria/food poisoning) and cooled before giving to your dog.

Bijou responds:
Our vet recommends raw bones to help clean teeth. My dogs love them and they have really cleaned up my 15 yo Bichons teeth. I usually buy the Nature's Variety beef bones or go to a co-op and get free-range raw bones in their freezer section and give them a raw bone once a week in their crates. It's their special treat and they clean them up. We feed them Nature's Variety raw too for their meals but they don't get the benefit of the bones because it's ground.

From Beau:
Our vet told us never to feed any dog any kind of bone because they will splinter and sometimes cause intestinal punctures or blockages

CraZaboutdogs writes:
I will try the boiled bones but I heard that cooked chicken, turkey and other bird bones can be fatal to a dog, so never give them as chew toys. These bones are hollow, and when chewed they splinter into sharp fragments which can then pierce your dog´s intestinal lining. This can be very difficult to treat. Bones and Raw Food advocates say that poultry bones are safe if given raw, as they do not splinter readily. I heard that at http://www.dog.lifetips.com

There was much chatter on this thread that the Bichons seem to like to go and hide and eat their food/snacks, or take it into another room and eat it.