# The Truth about Rawhide?



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Ok.....I already know that rawhide unsupervised is a major choking hazard, not properly chewed it can be dangerous and lodged in the dogs throat/intestines causing a life threatening if not FATAL blockage.... and according to most.....it is NOT able to be digested. What the tarnation? I have a package of treats.....munchy sticks....I won't say the brand because I am not sure if I am allowed to....but it states "Harvard Medical School study**confirms rawhide is fully digestible and safe for all dogs"........yet it states......"For supervised consumption only. Select a chew slightly larger than your pets mouth. Discard chunks or fragments." The actual ingredients are as follows....Rawhide, chicken, pork, water, corn sugar, salt, potassium sorbate ( a preservative), FD&C Red 40

I always read ingredients on all foods I purchase for my dogs. I just had to buy this to post my findings for all to see and debate. What is the real truth?

The ** are for.......as published in the JAVMA, Vol 197, July 15, 1990; Lage, A. et al

Having a few days off from training.....I thought maybe this could be of good research/debate? There is sooooo much of this stuff on the market and always staring you in the face at the stores! I am just so curious about what others know that I am not aware of? I have been giving my dogs rawhide, supervised, for years. Should anyone or everyone stop?


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I only use Wholesome Hide (I think that's the name) rawhide, an article in the Whole Dog Journal directed me to them


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I'm sure it can be a choking hazard, especially for puppies. But I do believe it's digestible. My dogs eat theirs quite enthusiastically, and I've never seen rawhide fragments in their poop (I don't give rawhide often but they love it). I don't see why cow skin wouldn't be digestible. If skin weren't digestible, people couldn't eat KFC or pork rinds.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

I agree it can be digested. I think the main danger beyond just choking is that it expands a bit when it gets wet. So a piece that isn't a choking hazard in size could still be a blockage hazard because it gets bigger in the dog's stomach. The type of chews that are like ground up rawhide with other stuff...I'd imagine those would be fully digestible and safe because they are unlikely to expand at all. I do give rawhide because Sydney isn't a huge chewer and I just keep an eye on her when she chews them. I get the unbleached sticks that are about the size and thickness of a pencil. I take it away when it gets too small for her to hold and chew at the same time and I use it to trade up for other good treats and things to work on her resource guarding. She typically gets one rawhide stick daily with no problems.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

You are going to find a lot of people on these forums who will tell you rawhide is one of the worst things you can give your dog. No they aren't the best chewing option but for many of us, it is an affordable and convenient way to give your dog something to chew. I can't afford to give my dogs bully sticks all the time.

Is it digestible? Well digestion relies on more than just stomach acid. Food needs to be chewed before it can be digested. Lots of things are digestible if chewed properly and not so much when not chewed (corn for example...). Rawhide is digestible if chewed. Problem is dogs tend to swallow large chunks that haven't been chewed or barely chewed at all. That's where you run into choking/obstruction issues. 

As long as you are monitoring your dog's chewing habits there aren't any real dangers in feeding rawhide.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Bleach people! Like real Freakin bleach.

Not a hope in hell I will give my dog something bleached.

Yuk! 

I would be quite happy if they were never sold again.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

katielou said:


> Bleach people! Like real Freakin bleach.
> 
> Not a hope in hell I will give my dog something bleached.
> 
> ...


You can get unbleached rawhide, and it's actually widely available unbleached. You can get it at freakin' Wal-Mart. I would be sad if it was never sold again because I can't afford more premium chews. I just can't. So I'm mighty glad one individual's biased opinion doesn't determine what I can buy for my dog with my own hard-earned money.

Conversely, I would be quite happy if bully sticks were sold for an even slightly reasonable price. I mean, come on. They're basically a waste product.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

kafkabeetle said:


> Y
> 
> Conversely, I would be quite happy if bully sticks were sold for an even slightly reasonable price. I mean, come on. They're basically a waste product.


Thats why i make my own!
Actually most of my treats.

I have never seen unbleached rawhide where i am.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

katielou said:


> Thats why i make my own!
> Actually most of my treats.
> 
> I have never seen unbleached rawhide where i am.


I can't afford a dehydrator, either. I've wanted one for myself for a long time and I just can't manage it. 

Where do you buy bull penis??


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

kafkabeetle said:


> I can't afford a dehydrator, either. I've wanted one for myself for a long time and I just can't manage it.
> 
> Where do you buy bull penis??


I get them free from the butcher or also the local fred meyer sometimes has them

I just got a dehydrator from CL for $5 so i can use it just for bully sticks.

The homemade ones seem much more resilient too.


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## Nargle (Oct 1, 2007)

I have nothing against rawhides. Unbleached rawhide without nasty preservatives and artificial colors and such DO exist and aren't too difficult to find if you want to give your dog a healthier alternative to the regular rawhides. And all food is a choking hazard if not chewed properly. So keep an eye on your dog and make sure they aren't prone to swallowing large chunks, and you'll be fine, just like with any other chew. 

And just remember it's not really anyone else's business what you do or do not feed to your dog, it's YOUR dog! :biggrin1:


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## dantero (Feb 2, 2011)

katielou said:


> Bleach people! Like real Freakin bleach.
> 
> Not a hope in hell I will give my dog something bleached.


It's not the health hazard you may think it is. They sell clean/bleached tripe in my grocery store all the time for human consumption, and if you look online they are recipes for how to clean and bleach it yourself. http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Beef-Tripe


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

dantero said:


> It's not the health hazard you may think it is. They sell clean/bleached tripe in my grocery store all the time for human consumption, and if you look online they are recipes for how to clean and bleach it yourself. http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-Beef-Tripe


Lots of other food products are bleached as well. White flour is the biggest one that comes to mind.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

kafkabeetle said:


> Lots of other food products are bleached as well. White flour is the biggest one that comes to mind.


Exactly why i don't eat that crap or feed it to my animals.


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## kafkabeetle (Dec 4, 2009)

katielou said:


> Exactly why i don't eat that crap or feed it to my animals.


Well, sure. I'm not arguing that it's super healthy. But average people DO eat white bread etc and I'm trying to give a balanced overview of what's safe and unsafe about rawhide instead of just my opinion. So no, the bleaching process for rawhide is not hazardous in itself.


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

kafkabeetle said:


> Well, sure. I'm not arguing that it's super healthy. But average people DO eat white bread etc and I'm trying to give a balanced overview of what's safe and unsafe about rawhide instead of just my opinion. So no, the bleaching process for rawhide is not hazardous in itself.


We actually don't know what it causes. In humans it has been linked to all kinds of issues.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

kafkabeetle said:


> I can't afford a dehydrator, either. I've wanted one for myself for a long time and I just can't manage it.
> 
> Where do you buy bull penis??


 I was told that if you take organ meat and bake it at 200 degrees on a cookie sheet for about three hours it is similar to dehydrating. I am going to try it soon just to see. I am going to use beef liver. I was also told to put raw apple and cinnamon in the oven afterward because the liver stinks up your house. I will do this when I can open the windows. I am very curious if it works. Livers and gizzards and hearts are within reasonable price ranges for me.

I find that maybe if this works could be an option for some yummy treats for my dogs instead of rawhide. Like someone said it is all about what you as an individual care to feed your dog. I was just curious as to whether or not it was actually able to be digested. Personally I would like to be able to find something healthier AND affordable.....and maybe an unbleached rawhide chew only now and then. Yes I feel that some of the more expensive treats and chews need to come down in price. Some of those really expensive hard chewing treats have caused dental issues such as broken teeth from what I have heard ? It sure would be nice if we could all afford better foods for our fine friends! Thanks for the opinions everybody. I greatly appreciate it.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

Abbylynn said:


> I was told that if you take organ meat and bake it at 200 degrees on a cookie sheet for about three hours it is similar to dehydrating. I am going to try it soon just to see. I am going to use beef liver. I was also told to put raw apple and cinnamon in the oven afterwards because the liver stinks up your house. I will do this when I can open the windows. I am very curious if it works. Livers and gizzards and hearts are within reasonable price ranges for me.


Yea you can use the oven to dehydrate things. I've made beef jerky in the oven before


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

HerdersForMe said:


> Yea you can use the oven to dehydrate things. I've made beef jerky in the oven before


 That sounds good! I will have to experiment. I am sure there are recipes somewhere for many good treats. I have made up my own recipe for dog biscuits.....but need to tweak it because I used bouillon cubes and worry about the salt.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

I, too, buy Wholesome Hide or Pet Factory rawhides for my dogs. Bully Sticks are just too expensive most of the time. And I have one dog that WILL NOT, for any reason, eat RMB's! So rawhide is a good chew to give them. I always supervise and never leave them alone chewing. So far, they've done great with the USA made rawhides.


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## SpenceinSF (Aug 29, 2011)

I tried rawhide, but it actually left stains on my carpet where Luke chewed it. He never choked and seemed to digest it, but it was really pretty gross. I stick to giving him the KONG these days, with peanut butter if he's been good.


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## HerdersForMe (Jul 26, 2011)

SpenceinSF said:


> I tried rawhide, but it actually left stains on my carpet where Luke chewed it. He never choked and seemed to digest it, but it was really pretty gross. I stick to giving him the KONG these days, with peanut butter if he's been good.


Kong is good but isn't really a chew.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Hmmm....that's interesting. I've never had stains left behind, but the rawhides I use are totally cream/whiteish in color. They are natural with no chemicals added nor are they bleached. Are you using "brown", flavored rawhides? Just curious.


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## SpenceinSF (Aug 29, 2011)

True, but it accomplishes the same purpose, a happily occupied doggy! My dog has digestive problems so I really have to be careful with what he actually eats. I even keep low fat peanut butter for him.


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## SpenceinSF (Aug 29, 2011)

Yeah, only the brown ones left stains, but they were disgusting. My dad visited recently and brought one of the brown ones for Luke as a present, I had to tell him no way. The killer was when he chewed a piece of brown rawhide on some laundry I left on the floor. So gross.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

SpenceinSF said:


> Yeah, only the brown ones left stains, but they were disgusting. My dad visited recently and brought one of the brown ones for Luke as a present, I had to tell him no way. The killer was when he chewed a piece of brown rawhide on some laundry I left on the floor. So gross.


 Uggggh!!! Yes the ones with the extra coating of flavor are a mess! I had some and almost ruined the living room carpet ( light blue). I then made the dogs go outside on the porch with me so they could keep the mess outside. But still, my little white dogs had orange/brown feet and faces! That too was heck to get off of the dogs themselves! Lol!  I haven't purchased those in a very long while.


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## Oggy54 (Apr 26, 2020)

katielou said:


> Bleach people! Like real Freakin bleach.
> 
> Not a hope in hell I will give my dog something bleached.
> 
> ...


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## Oggy54 (Apr 26, 2020)

If you have eaten white bread? You have had bleached flour. It's not the same thing.


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