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Is Rawhide Safe for Your Dog?
By Anthony Holloway
Rawhide is sold in just about every pet store – often in many different varieties. It’s a staple in most households with pets. Yet many blogs, organizations, and veterinarians warn that rawhide could not only be dangerous, it could actually be lethal. Here’s what you need to know before you give your dog rawhide.
What is rawhide? According to Pet Planet, a franchise that prides itself on being well-versed in canine health, rawhide is the tough inner layer of bull, cow, water buffalo and horse hides. It is essentially a byproduct of the meat industry.
What are the dangers of rawhide? First of all, rawhide is not considered a food item. Thus, it is not covered by any labeling, processing, or content laws, and it may contain chemical preservatives. According to Associated Content, imported rawhide chews often contain toxins including arsenic, lead, titanium oxide, formaldehyde, chromium salts, mercury, cadmium and bromine. Even with the use of these highly questionable preservatives, the FDA reports that Salmonella has been detected in some of the imported chews. In the US and Canada, refrigerated trucks provide safer transport and the hides are generally only treated with hydrogen peroxide and a water rinse.
In addition to the chemical risk, rawhide can swell up to four times its original size in your dog’s stomach and cause life-threatening blockages. And dogs can chew off and swallow large pieces of rawhide which can get stuck in their esophagus, stomach, or intestines. This almost always requires surgical removal. In the terrible light of realizing too late, many dog lovers have posted warnings and alternatives on their websites, like The Northeastern Boxer Rescue who lost a gorgeous dog named Maxwell because of a blockage caused by a rawhide chew.
The worst tragedies are the ones that can be prevented. If you must give your dog rawhide, make sure it was made in America. Choose one of the higher end brands and make sure it compliments your dog’s proportions and habits. For safety, monitor the chewing. Throw away the small, chewed down pieces.
Alternatives to rawhide: Or better yet, consider alternatives to rawhide like beef chews or rubber toys like the Kong (a delicacy when stuffed with peanut butter) or even the ingenious Antlerz, a chew made of deer antlers. They are long lasting, rich in minerals, and will not splinter during digestion.
Chewing is a very natural behavior for dogs. It helps keep the tartar from collecting on their teeth (preventing periodontal disease and dragon breath) and gives them immense satisfaction. There’s no need to take that away.
Do, however, chewse (you must have seen that coming!) wisely.
Brought to you by Pawfun Blog.
Tags: Anthony Holloway, Ask the Pet Nutritionist, K9Cuisine, Pawfun, Pawfun Blog, Pet Health, Pet Safety, Rawhide Dangers, Rawhide Safety
March 25, 2009
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7 Comments
My late darling Yellow Lab, Sammy, got deathly, deathly sick one time from a rawhide bone that must have been treated with poisons. Poor dog was sicker than, well, a dog. Never gave him another one, ever.
Benny gets Bully Sticks and frozen RAW marrow bones. he has gorgeous white teeth as a result.
For the last 13 years our Aussie has loved rawhide bones, and they havn’t given us any problems. Believe it or not, the only type of treat that’s ever harmed her was a raw frozen marrow bone! She broke her bottom left canine on the thing when she was 11. Now we only give her rawhide (American made), because its one of the few things we feel safe about her chewing on.
I have worked as a sales associate at a pet supply store for quite some time and we have an entire rack dedicated to rawhide…I personally think it shouldn’t even been sold. Dogs are not capable of limiting or monitoring themselves and all it takes is one big chunk to either choke them or sit in their stomach and expand. I NEVER recommend rawhide to any of our customers and I would never feed it to my dog or anyone else’s dog.
I am sitting here sorting through websites about rawhides, my beautiful bichon maltese has eaten rawhides forever without any problem until recently….choking, yellow bile, lethargic. After what i’ve read about the ingredients these rawhides are off my list and will invest in more Kongs. I hope everyone takes notice and does not feed their dog these awful toxic rawhides.
i recently got a new puppy and she loves rawhide’s they haven’t given her a problem yet in fact she loves them although now i will be more cautious thx
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When I took my new puppy to the vet for her checkup nearly 4 years ago, my vet warned me about rawhide. The horror stories of dogs dying of intestinal blockage kept me from every buying them for her. And I grew up with a dog that had one all the time.
I once saw a dog choke on a piece of rawhide after it tried to swallow a piece that was too big. Luckily the owner was there to pull it out!
If you love your dog, don’t give it rawhide. Our vet suggested bully sticks as an alternative, which is what we use. It’s not hide, but an organ, which digest easily.