by Sharon
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:Are rawhide chews safe? Should I take it away when it gets small? I'm not going to give Buster one till I find out if they're safe. Thanks
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Rawhide chews
by Sharon
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
Are rawhide chews safe? Should I take it away when it gets small? I'm not going to give Buster one till I find out if they're safe.
Thanks
DISCUSSION:
I don't think rawhide chews are safe for Maltese. We had a horrible experience just once with them. If I wasn't home I believe my dog would have choked to death.
My Maltese gets only Hills T/D, Pedigree Dentabones, Booda Velvets (he can chew both of those up and enjoys them), Nylabones (which are boring), and rope toys. Please be careful!
Bev
Bev is right. The nylon bones are best. I would get the hard Nylabones. Only tiny shavings come off and pass through easily. My Maltese is an active chewer and this is what I get for him.
April B
By all means take those rawhide chews away, they areally dangerous. I give Tasha "hooves" also pig ears, but I watch her with that. Nylabone is excellent, but Tasha's favorite is the hooves.
Dottie & Tasha
Ditto Bev and April. Rawhide bones are not safe for our furbabies. You should get the hard Nylabones. Or, there are edible Nylabones that come in different flavors. My Buster loves those. But even then I only give them to him when I can supervise him. When it gets down to very little I take it away so he doesn't swallow it whole.
Libby & Buster
Please don't give rawhide to your baby. I don't think they're safe for any breed not just the Maltese. My Golden Retriever almost choked to death 3 years ago. Luckily I was there and able to pull the piece out of his throat. My brother-in-law's small mix breed had to have surgery as they gave her lots of rawhide chews and they settled in her stomach and clumped together.
It was terrible, luckily the vet was able to safe her life. I think Nylabones or for the younger puppies Gumabones are your safest bet.
Claudia
Thank you all so much. I will avoid the rawhide chews and find something safer.
Sharon
Our vet recommends all rawhide bones, pieces, etc. go in the trashcan. They are unsafe for any breed of dog! Nylabones and gumabones are good and are just as much fun for the babies.
Marcia
Absolutely no rawhide for my Kash, unless under total supervision. When he was about 6 months old, he nearly choked to death on a small piece of chewie. If I hadn't been here, he would have died. I have a little medical background, so was able to pull the piece out with a hemostat. Also, had to give him the Heimlich maneuver to get the darm thing out. Now they scare me to death. I have to be very careful of him with ALL of his toys. But I didn't know, because my last Malt was just fine with rawhide, but he was MUCH bigger. Caution on everything! C & K
Cindy & Kashi
Wow, this was an education! My Angel adores the rawhide sticks and I've been giving them to him for over a year about once a week. I consider myself now extremely fortunate that he's never once choked on them...but he demolishes them. They're going into the trash as soon as I get home. (I'll be considerate, though, I won't let him see me doing it!)
siobhan
My! My! I always thought they were safe *if* you supervised their use. I've tried Nylabone for three dogs now and they just stick their noses up and ignore them! I'd probably feel the same way...who wants to chew on plastic (or nylon)? Seems to me this in itself could be harmful. Thank heaven for the carrot bones. Looks like that's the future chew for Sassy and Benji.
MaryM
I just wanted to add an experience I had last month. A couple brought in their young boston terrier, begging me to do what I could to save their dog. The poor fellow had a piece of swollen rawhide stuck in his throat and he had choked to death long before presented at my clinic! They did not kill the dog on purpose but they could have prevented his death by not provididng him with rawhides.
Dr.Mark
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Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.