Question on Tums

[Brittany]

The chin's teeth aren't as orange as usual. Then tend to fluctuate every now and then, but I thought a little tums this week couldn't hurt. I've never given tums before, I've read treatment is 1/4 a day for a week. My question is are flavored ones ok or should I get regular?

 

[Whimsy]

If I'm not mistaken, the "regular" flavor is minty.
I use the fruit flavored kind myself.

 

[tunes]

I would use cuttlebones instead. There's no sugar involved and the chins love them. You can buy them in the bird section and they break easily so that you can give a little piece at a time.

 

[shubbles]

I've heard that the normal colored ones are fine.

 

[AZChins]

The only thing about cuddlebones that I would worry about is the sharp shell part that can be on them. They're find except for if that shell is there I would worry about it cutting the gums of the chin.

Now, I could definitely be wrong, I haven't used them in at least 10 years...maybe more. I heard a story about a chin lacerating its gums and bleeding to death or needing extensive vet treatment so I stopped using them completely.

But, really, I could be wrong, it may be just fine? I never had a problem with them here so I can't say for sure.

 

[Whimsy]

Ok, I'm going to stick my neck out on this one, but to me giving small pieces of cuttlebone is like giving small hard pieces of carrot to a teething baby. I see many different potential hazards there.
I give cuttlebone whole and the chins scrape off the chalky part and leave behind the entire shell part. Breaking it actually makes the shell sharp. Leaving the cuttlebone intact is actually safer.

 

[AZChins]

That's good to know. Thanks!

 

[tunes]

I would not give a chin an entire cuttlebone. Talk about calcium overload. I would be really worried that that would cause issues with stones forming from so much given at once.

I've not had any trouble with the cuttlebone and I've been using it on and off for quite a while. It's not an every day thing here because I rarely have a calcium issue though. I wonder if there are different types of cuttlebone. I usually get mine from an online bird supplier and it breaks up easily and doesn't appear to be sharp.

If there was an issue with it being sharp, I would really find it hard to believe that it would be any more sharp than a splintered piece of wood or a broken popsickle stick that I see people give their chins all the time, especially doing so much damage as to cause bleeding to death?

You can also get a calcium powder on line. I just know I use TUMS for heartburn and they are sickening sweet. One bite of a TUMS isn't going to do anything if you need calcium, you're going to have to give it every day for at least a week, and to me that's just too much sugar.

 

[AZChins]

That's just something that someone told me so I stopped using them...not that I used them that much in the first place. I'm glad to hear that it doesn't cause a problem!

 

[RDZCRanch]

I would choose cuttlebone over Tums any day. And I would never give a whole cuttlebone...definitely agreeing with Peggy! You have to break off pieces and if you're worried about sharp edges (does not make sense to me) you can use scissors to cut the cuttlebone and it comes out with very straight edges. I just break my cuttlebone by hand and it works wonderfully for my pregnant and nursing mothers that need a little extra help.

I believe there are different ways that cuttlebone is prepared though. Definitely try to get it from a feed store or like Peggy, online. Cuttlebone from PetSmart and Petco tends to have a thicker harder "shell" that makes it very difficult to break. Still not convinced it would harm your chin but they are thinner, more expensive, and harder to break .

A chin would not be able to bleed out from its gums or a cut in its mouth. The mouth has a very large number of blood vessels and because of this has an amazing ability to heal and heal fast. Not to mention the mouth is such a small area that it would be very difficult to have any life threatening wounds occur there.

Also...if cuttlebone were bad...you'd here it from the UK very fast. The last I talked to anyone over there they strongly recommended cuttlebone for calcium. Not to knock on the US but the UK is much more health conscious about their chins than we are.

 

[Anna]

I was reading these posts, what exactly would Tums or a cuttlebone do for a chin?

 

[tunes]

It's to give them calcium if their teeth should happen to lose their yellow/orange coloring.

 

[WEFA_in_Me]

Just checking a question I have, too much calcium would cause what or is it not possible to have too much?

 

[ticklechin]

Too much calcium can cause bladder stones and it can actually cause symptoms similar to deficiency. Calcium should not be supplemented unless medically necessary and it should not be given daily when used or the body will not absorb it. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins D and A need to be ingested in the right ratios for good teeth and bone health.

 

[Claire D]

I actually use Osetocare Liquid if I want to supplement any chins with pale teeth. I use it very sparingly but it does have the benefits of having vitamin D3, Magnesium & Zinc to aid absorption.

 

[menagerie]

I actually use Osetocare Liquid if I want to supplement any chins with pale teeth. I use it very sparingly but it does have the benefits of having vitamin D3, Magnesium & Zinc to aid absorption.

I use Osteocare too. :thumbsup: