# Pig ears/sickness?



## HARLEYSMOM83 (Jan 21, 2010)

Has anyone ever given their puppy pig ears and they have gotten sick and threw up? I thought my puppy had too many treats they other day but then this afternoon a while after eating his pig ear he got sick again. We have been giving them to him and he hasn't had a problem so i am wondering maybe he can't take them now?


----------



## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Rawhide makes Harper sick!


----------



## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

How old is your puppy? what shots has he completed? What exposure to the outside world has? What other food does he eat? is he showing any other signs of illness such as lethargy, lack of appatite, pale gums, running a temperature or the like? 

Pig ears are very tough and brittle. Those are like eating little shards of plastic going down. There is a good chance that it finally irritated his trachea enough to cause a reaction, or there could be another underlying medical condition you might be missing.


----------



## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Pig ears are laden with chemicals. Ugh. Find a healthier choice of chews.


----------



## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't give my dogs pig ears or raw hide. A lot of dogs don't tolerate pork very well. I've only had one that could eat pork but I never give him pig ears, just pork rib bones.


----------



## HARLEYSMOM83 (Jan 21, 2010)

Thank you everyone for the comments. I haven't given puppy any more pig ears and he seems better. I didn't think that even a pig ear had "hide" in it. I always new not to give rawhide and we have been trying to feed him only natural items. I didn't even give thought to the fact pig ears are still "hide". Thanks again...


----------



## Pai (Apr 23, 2008)

Some pig ears are also really greasy; that can also be a cause of tummy upset.


----------



## tonisaysss (Jan 18, 2010)

i used to give my dogs pig ears until they loved them so much and began resource guarding; well, and until i learned more about them. stick to RMBs, bully sticks, and pig hooves (my dogs favorite). hides and ears (so i've heard) can cause blockage which isn't pretty.

my pup left a pig ear in my car and i noticed it began growing HAIR (actually follicles, not mold out of the pores) because it was warm. gross.


----------



## DeniseV (Nov 8, 2009)

tonisaysss said:


> my pup left a pig ear in my car and i noticed it began growing HAIR (actually follicles, not mold out of the pores) because it was warm. gross.


OMG......SNASTY!!!!!!!


----------



## crzy_brunette77 (May 19, 2009)

That soooo tempts me to stick a pig ear outside and watch for hair growth!

Sam got pig ears for Christmas from a friend. He didn't like them (although he liked burying them in the snow!) and I had heard they aren't great for dogs, so I would just stay away.


----------



## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Instead of pig ears, you could get some bully sticks... They last really long... and.. um, don't sprout hair if left in the heat.

Toni, ewwwwwwww. That was a really gross mental image. Now I need to start imagining something less gross before I go to bed. Lol.


----------



## bklantz (Feb 14, 2010)

My parents dog would always have pig ears as her special treat and she never got sick - she always wasnt a puppy either so I don't know if that makes a difference.

I give my puppy the rawhide chips or rolls and she likes those and has never gotten sick. I've heard a lot that rawhides are bad for dogs and asked my vet about it and he said in the 37 years hes been doing practice he hasn't ever seen a dog have a problem that was caused solely by rawhides - hes also the most reputable vet in my town also so I trust him.


----------



## DeniseV (Nov 8, 2009)

lucidity said:


> Instead of pig ears, you could get some bully sticks... They last really long... and.. um, don't sprout hair if left in the heat.


I agree 100% about bully sticks. My pug LOVES them! And they last awhile. She is a heavy duty chewer and the bully sticks last a long time. Her previous chewy sticks, the Torro chewies, would last one day, maybe two. But she started going through them in record time. These bully sticks are great....they last and last. And as they chew them, they don't have huge hunks hanging off...the sort of get smaller gradually.

I will admit that I hate knowing WHAT bully sticks actually are (Yuck) but she loves them, they are safe as opposed to rawhide (digestable, doesn't break off into huge chunks that could cause bowel obstructions) and overall, are a great chew stick.

I have a pug, who by nature, is a lap dog. She loves to chew her chew sticks on my lap. EWWWWWW. So what I did, was, insert the bully stick into her Kong (she has two different Kong shapes...I stuck it in the bone shaped one, so the bully stick sticks out both ends but is securly inserted in the bone. Hard to describe, but each end of the Kong bone has an opening for treats, with little grippy things to keep the treat in place). Anyway, this has been a lifesaver, because I can hold one end of the Kong, without having to touch the bully stick, she can stay on my lap, and chew away.

I am so glad to have asked about the bully sticks here, and am thrilled she likes them. Previously she was using the Torro chewy sticks, which she also loved, but with the fear of rawride and obstruction, I am glad to have found something that is safer for her.

The bully sticks, after she chews it for a good stretch, will start to get little strands that hang off. Not major ones; just stringy pieces. I just trim them with scissors so she doesn't ingest them. But honestly, if she did, they are not big enough to cause a problem, I don;t think. I am just a nervous nelly.

Anyway, I had to chime in about the bully sticks. In fact, she is on her last one now. She goes for her grooming/nails tomorrow so I will be getting more bullies. This is one thing I will never stop buying!

Denise


----------



## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

I can't give Roxxy anything that she can't finish in a short period of time. This is the only thing she will resource guard. She won't really chew on them and it defeats the purpose of giving them to her. So they don't get them. Wish I could...would make things very simple for me.


----------



## DeniseV (Nov 8, 2009)

alphadoginthehouse said:


> I can't give Roxxy anything that she can't finish in a short period of time. This is the only thing she will resource guard. She won't really chew on them and it defeats the purpose of giving them to her. So they don't get them. Wish I could...would make things very simple for me.


Have you tried Bully sticks? My dog was the same way....until we tried these.

It looks like you have little ones. I have a toy breed, too; a pug. The bully sticks are great. Like I said, try the bone shaped Kong. On each end they have openings, with little grippy things. You stck the bully in one end and it fits nice and secure. The pup can hold the Kong between paws and gnaw at the bully without it dislodging. 

It is a great invention; both the bullies and the Kong bone. I am SO glad we found them. Bella, my pug, would go thorugh rawhide and get huge pieces hnaging off....i was petrified she would choke. Then I read about how bad rawhide was anyway. These Bullies are a lifesaver.

What they actually are makes me want to hurl, but hey, she likes them.

And it is hysterical when you read the ingredient label; Steer Pizzle. LMAO. That is a classy way of calling them what they really are. 

Denise


----------

