# Rawhide



## Aberdeen (Mar 20, 2007)

I am wondering what people's opinions are on rawhide bones. Our 8 month old lab puppy is addicted to them. She can go through a whole bone in a matter of a couple hours. I had heard a lot of things about rawhide being bad for dogs because it can't be digested in their stomachs. I talked to our vet about this and was told that it is not true. She told us that Abby can gnaw on rawhide as much as she wants we just have to be sure to watch her with as she could choke if she bit off too big of a chunk. 
I have talked to a lot of people about this since and have received mixed advice. Some say it is perfectly safe and some say it is unhealthy. 
I hate to take away her bones because she loves them so much and it keeps her occupied. I have tried Nylabones (thinking she would love them because she loves to chew on my plastic hangers) but she has barely touched them since we brought them home 2 months ago.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

I personally have never fed them to my dogs, have you seen what they look like all wet and slimy? They swell up, apparently as I have been led to believe, the dogs could swallow a big piece and it could swell and become lodged in their intestines. ( I could be off a bit there, I am not trying to say Im an expert at this subject by all means)
However, just from the thought of that, I have never had any intention on giving them to my dogs. The way I see it, good Ol' raw bones are far more "natural" for dogs to be chewing on


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## MagicToller (Jan 4, 2007)

Why not read a little into Raw Bones as apposed to Rawhides? To keep my dogs entertained on rainy days, they get recreational bones like Knuckles or Oxtail to grind on and clean their teeth, instead of the usual Meaty Bones of their diets.

http://www.rawdogranch.com/recbones.htm


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## 3212 (Feb 4, 2007)

I feed Bridgette rawhide chews (small ones and only the _very_ thin pieces), but I will never feed her the bones again. The last time she had a rawhide bone I saw her stand up and throw up the entire middle section of the bone. I just thank god she did throw it up as it would have never passed the other way and could have easily burst or clogged her intestines. I know a lot of people don't like to give rawhide at all, but I like the chews and she gets them every once in a while. She is ALWAYS supervised when she has them...meaning I am always in the same room as her and she's in my sight.


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## Captbob (Feb 2, 2007)

They can cause problems plugging up the dog's digestive tract. A book I read likened feeding your dog rawhide, to you eating one of your leather shoes...


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

My dog had severe ear infections and that was one of the things I eliminated on the recommendation of my vet---it has been 5 1/2 months and so far no ear infections......


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

i personally know 3 dogs that have died from impactions caused by rawhide and others who have needed surgery.... i dont feed it at all, never will.... too scary as far as I am concerned the stuff should be taken off the market.


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## 3212 (Feb 4, 2007)

I am so wishy washy about it know to be honest. I was terrified of rawhide bones after what happened to Bridge, but I always thought the chews were no problem...but seriously after all the threads about rawhide I am thinking of stopping it too. I am always watching her when she chews it, but if she ever makes a weird noise I jump up so fast now...I think she gets a little freaked out by this lol. I will probably be finding some alternative bones for her.


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## Wimble Woof (Jan 16, 2007)

Captbob said:


> They can cause problems plugging up the dog's digestive tract. A book I read likened feeding your dog rawhide, to you eating one of your leather shoes...


Yummy!

But it makes a lot of sence.


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

I just started my dog on lamb raw meaty bones by nature's variety. I give it to him about an hour after he eats dinner and let him have for about an hour--I then rinse it off and put it in a baggy in the fridge--this bone, which was 2.99 lasted me three days--he loved chewing on it and from what I understand it is the best natural toothbrush for their teeth. Maybe it is pricey but if it saves me gum planing and scaling while the dog is under anesthesia, it is well worth the money. I figure I would give him a bone every other week.....


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## Gracie Doodle (Mar 13, 2007)

I try and stay away from raw hides. I give my dog a hard rubber toy that he can chew on but not eat or even get piece from. There are a few Kong toys that he likes to chew on. He won't chew on Nylabones either, to hard.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

If your dog is "eating" a rawhide bone in a couple of hours I think it could lead to gi problems. If you insist on continuing to give rawhide I would suggest getting a size or two bigger than usual so that he has to "gnaw" on it and won't "eat" the whole thing in a short period of time. If it lasts him a couple of days to a week I waould say that could be more reasonable.

Personally, I go for raw bones from a butcher or ask the meat guy in your grocery store. Obviously, if you have a pet store that carries raw meaty bones, then go there. By far my gang's favorite treat is when I go to the butcher shop, ask for a shank bone (the long bone of a leg), have them cut it lengthwise so the marrow is right out there, and freeze it before they get to gnaw on it. I used to have the butcher cut the shanks crosswise (they'll look like donuts after the dogs get the marrow out of the center) but one of my dogs got one stuck on her jaw. She had put her lower jaw thru the center of the bone and it got stuck on there. We had a heck of a time getting it off. If you develop a relationship with a butcher store or guy at the grocery store, they will often put things aside for you in their travels of cutting meat every day and store it in the freezer, if you let them know how often you will be in. The butchers around here have gotten smart and all charge for bones now, meaty or not. But it's a small price to pay for my dogs' health. If you know someone who has their own livestock you could ask to have some bones saved for you when they have their animals butchered. Or if you know some one who hunts. Be sure to be kind to these friends and reciprocate the gesture in some way so that they are happy to continue supplying your needs. (I used to work in a medical lab, have seen lots of parasites in my career, so I freeze all meaty bones for 30 days before feeding them to my dogs, some say parasites don't affect dogs...your call) 

Otherwise my dogs like hard rubber chew toys that I smear peanut butter on and freeze in baggies. I stuff kongs with everything from apple slices, kibble, hot dog chunks, biscuits just a hair too big to get out of the hole (you have to squeeze the toy to elongate the hole to get the biscuit in, hours of fun for the dog!), treats of any sort...I use peanut butter, canned dog food, liverwurst, or yogurt as the glue and freeze them. It's not as messy and it takes them longer to get everything cleaned out. You can run the kongs thru the dishwasher between uses. I keep a couple of sets of kongs around so that we always have some in the freezer. There are some new toys at our pet store recently that look like tires, treads and all. I could see getting some of those and smearing the treads with peanut butter and something inside the tire as well to keep them busy. My dogs don't like the hard nylabones but I buy a size or two bigger (one of mine is an aggressive chewer) of the blue nubbly ones and the golden puppy bones. However, those may be too soft for your dog, depending on the breed and size. Rope toys are popular with my crowd too. I also smear those with peanut butter, liverwurst, or canned dog food for a yummier treat. I really work it into the crevices so it lasts a while. those can be run thru the wash machine when they get a little icky.

In any case, be sure to supervise your dog with any chew products.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Rawhide is loaded with chemicals, and is potentially lethal to your dog. It is not digestible, and, are you right there watching every knawing moment, to ensure that your dog hasn't bitten off a hunk that could cause an intestinal blockage, resulting in death, even with emergency surgery? The rawhide isn't seen on x-ray. I have had friends whose dogs have suffered agonizing hours in pain, then went through surgery (over $2,500), and ended up not making it. It's just not worth it. 

Give your dog raw bones to chew, but supervise them as well. Beef knuckle bones, or have the butcher cut shank bones to size for you. They are a healthy alternative to chemically laden and disgusting rawhide. 





Aberdeen said:


> I am wondering what people's opinions are on rawhide bones. Our 8 month old lab puppy is addicted to them. She can go through a whole bone in a matter of a couple hours. I had heard a lot of things about rawhide being bad for dogs because it can't be digested in their stomachs. I talked to our vet about this and was told that it is not true. She told us that Abby can gnaw on rawhide as much as she wants we just have to be sure to watch her with as she could choke if she bit off too big of a chunk.
> I have talked to a lot of people about this since and have received mixed advice. Some say it is perfectly safe and some say it is unhealthy.
> I hate to take away her bones because she loves them so much and it keeps her occupied. I have tried Nylabones (thinking she would love them because she loves to chew on my plastic hangers) but she has barely touched them since we brought them home 2 months ago.


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