Quote:
Originally Posted by Engel
About the loofah, yes it's hard when fully mature, perfect for sponges and rodent chews but what if you harvested it while it was a younger fruit? Should be softer so shouldn't wear the teeth down as much. Might help clean them too
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I'd always stick with things that are known to be safe for the dogs, and keep it age appropriate too(also consider sourcing, quality control, etc). Antlers for example make excellent chews when untreated and in their raw state, but they're at least somewhat risky for younger dogs.
There are safe chew options for dogs without resorting to loofah. I wouldn't even risk less mature loofah for them, since there's still the chance it could wear down teeth. There are a wide enough variety of all natural chew options for dogs including ones with dental benefits that I can't really justify that very serious risk!
This doesn't mean loofah is in any way harmful to rodents or other pets where loofah is actually appropriate. Loofah can be beneficial to hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, many birds, and even more pets. Dogs are not on that list nor do they need to be on that list. Wearing their teeth down is pretty serious and can eventually lead to potential irreparable damage that ends up requiring tooth removal - something we want to avoid at all costs for dogs since those teeth will never grow back!