rawhide: good or bad?

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Archived Message

rawhide: good or bad?
by Linda
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
rawhide: good or bad? I have always heard that rawhide is bad for your pet. However, my friend always gives her pom a rawhide bone. He looks like he's having such a good time gnawing away on his bone. But when hes done with it, it looks like a limp rag and i've always commetted to my friend if shes ever worried about it getting stuck in his tummy or intestines. What i wonder is about the ground up rawhide. Is it okay to give it to my baby without worrying about whether he's going to be harmed by the rawhide? I saw some in a catalog and would like to try them but i don't want to get any until i read what ya'll have to say about it. Linda

DISCUSSION:

Linda, I have avoided rawhide like the plague! Once upon a time I gave some to a pup & within no time it was being torn off in chunks and so on, something in my mind clicked and it dawned on me that this could be trouble. My vet said "no more". Now they have the compressed stuff & frankly I don't much trust it either. My Yorkie only chewed on a Gumabone, period. I gave Phoebe a wide assortment of toys to begin with and the Nylabone was in the garbage in four days - she was tearing off chunks. Same thing with a couple of her rubber toys. Now I have her on a regular Nylabone and that's been a big hit! She also loves her knotted rope. Someone else posted a suggestion for giving carrots as treats & that went over pretty well, she mostly made a mess with it, but had a ball doing it and I didn't have to worry about it getting clogged in her intestines.
Leslie R

My vet said not to give them rawhide. I gave him a rawhide bone, he chewed it some but later it just layed on the floor so I threw it away. You can get whats called a "Roarhide" that is completely edible. Also there are other edible bones you can get them that have different flavors made by Nylabone.
Libby & Buster

My vet told me that ALL rawhide has the ability to be harmful to little dogs. He suggested that there are many other things that they may like to chew on. I give Fergie and Bacci carrot bones and they just love them. I hope that this helps you. Yavonda, Fergie and Bacci
Yavonda

Linda, I always give Bailey Rawhide to chew on. I do try to stick with the donut shape or the thick bone with knots at the end and in the beginning was very careful to watch her while chewing to see just how much was actually being eaten. She's a pretty good chewer and has yet to actually finish a bone - usually she just goes to one than the other for awhile and moves on to something else after. My opinion would be to try one and just watch your baby - they do love them and as long as they don't swallow any large pieces, I see no harm. Oh, also don't get any of the long thin sticks especially for a puppy because they run with them in their mouths and could accidently choke.
Robin D.

I don't know if rawhide is good or not for a dog. I do know I would never give our dogs any rawhide ever again. We had a bad experience several years ago when the rawhide became like gum and I believe our Maltese would have choked to death if I wasn't there to get the lodged piece out of her throat. As much as they enjoyed them, there are other "treats" that are much safer and better for them.
Bev B

Hi Linda. Regular rawhide is such a pain because you should keep checking to make sure they're not close to tearing off a piece that can get stuck in their throat and make them choke. They also get so icky and yucky (those are technical terms...). I just bought a whole bunch of new stuff by Nylabone. (They hate the regular stuff Nylabone puts out - looks like plastic.) Anyway, I just now unwrapped some "chooz" and they're both loving it. They also love the carrot bones and the Roarhide which is little pieces ground up and somehow compacted together into a bone. Hope this helps.
Marie

With rawhide thre is a definite danger of choking and intestinal blockage (it isn't easily digested). These are serious problems often requiring hospitalization and surgery, and I've seen quite a few dogs that required surgery because of it. On the other hand, I haven't seen as many as I thought I would considering the number of people who give it to their dogs. I know at least 3 different dogs that have been given rawhide their entire lives, and never had a single incident from it (one lived to 16 years). So why its probably not as bad as some make it out to be, my question is why risk it? There are plenty of alternatives that your dog may like just as much. If your dog has never had it, he/she wont miss it.
Aimee

My vet also says, no rawhide. Nylabones are really the best. My Maltese started out on the softer ones but has graduated to the hard ones. That is his number one chew toy.
April B.

I don't use rawhide either. But I do give Taffy the cow hooves, what is everyones opinion on these? They seem to last forever and Taffy loves her hoofy. Where does one get carrot bones? I have never seen one!
Robin K.

Hello! I gave my Ellii rawhide bones when she was little and it took one time of her almost choking to death for me to pitch the whole bag. I now give her hooves. She LOVES them. I think perhaps they are smoked or something because after she chews on them for a while they smell pretty strong, and so does her breath! PU !!! But she loves them, they help with her teeth, and seem safe. Good luck and God Bless!
Jeannie

Robin, I think it was on another post we were discussing hooves and I said I had heard it was bad for their jaws (like ice cubes). I've since spoken to the person who told me this and have learned it's not the jaw but the TEETH that suffer with the hooves. They supposedly grind/wear their teeth down because they are so hard. Also, it is only bad if that is all they chew. (It's the ice cubes that are bad for the jaw.) She couldn't remember where she read it, but she haunts the same pet publications, etc. that I do (Dog Fancy, etc.). Just wanted to set the record straight. I would also be interested if anyone else has heard anything like this.
Marie

Thanks Marie! I found the other post right after posting on this one, figures! I did find the carrot bones in the Cherrybrook catalog and now have a whole list made out of things. Once they get here I am throwing the hoof away. I can see how it might be too hard on her teeth. Thanks again!
Robin K.