Rawhide Should I Give My Dog These Or Not
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Symptoms to Watch For
Should your dog be having any of the following problems while eating a dog rawhide, you should call your vet immediately.
Pain or a distended abdomen
Vomiting
Refusing to eat
Dehydration, which can be seen by your dog having a dry mouth and or sunken eyes
What kind of treats are you feeding your dog? Many times pet owners will rely on advertisements, store displays and what their friends or neighbors give their canine friends for treats. I recall on one occasion, on a trip to the veterinarian for my dogs’ yearly shots and we were discussing various treats available on the market. Rawhide was on his list of do not give these to your dog. The reason being was he had performed many operations on his patients where he had to remove all the little bits of rawhide from the intestines that the dogs were swallowing. Had he not operated on the dogs, they may have died.
Not all Dogs Can Handle Rawhide
Some dogs are perfectly fine with rawhide and others are not. It is always best to discuss with your veterinarian what you should allow and what you should not allow your pets to have.
Possible Risks
Pet treats such as rawhide can contain toxic chemicals. Salmonella contamination is a possibility, which will put both you and your pet at risk. Some dogs are allergic to rawhide and this can cause digestive irritation. Should your dog swallow a large piece of the rawhide it can choke and become stuck in the throat or in the digestive tract.
Make sure you dog does not swallow the rawhide
The best possible way to avoid any problems with rawhide is to eliminate them all together, however if you feel that it is necessary to continue to allow your dog to have these treats only do so under supervision. Throw them out before your furry friend has a chance to bite off a piece of the rawhide or when they get small enough to possibly swallow..
Alternatives to Rawhide
There are other treats that you can feed your dog rather than rawhide to clean their teeth and give them something to chew on. Smoked bones are 100% natural and dogs love them.
Kong toys that are made from hard rubber and filled with cookies or peanut butter are a tasty treat for a dog and can keep them entertained for quite some time.
Always check with your veterinarian should you have any concerns what so ever about what you are giving your pet.
Healthy Treats For Your Dog
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For Dogs That Like To Chew
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My wife gave our dog lots of rawhide. I tend to be wary of them but now the dog has lost interest in them.I tend to favor plain old fashioned bones we used to get from the butcher shops. For some reason they don't seem available around here.
Our dig is of unknown age but probably aroudn two years. She may have just at the end of the teething stage.
Oh I didn't know this! Thanks for the heads up. I do give the dogs pig ears - I wonder if those cause issues? I'll have to ask the vet, I did give them rawhides but it isn't worth the trouble if there is any possible way that could happen.
Our dogs get bones, no fancy treats or anything but I hate any animal being hurt by something like that.
Good information.
FishAreFriends, Many dogs are fine with rawhide. I have Newfoundland dogs and they are one of the breeds that my Vet told me tend to have problems with the rawhide. Best to discuss it with your vet.
dahoglund, I always try to give my dogs raw bones or the smoked ones.
RH I tend to think the pig ears are about the same as the rawhide but I am not 100% sure on that.
Cardisa, I give mine raw bones and after talking to my vet and having him tell me about the rawhide I was amazed as so many stores sell them.
I think the rawhides depend specifically on the dog. Our Vet said they were a calorie-less treat that satisfied chewing and snacking IF the dog could handle it. My Golden retriever would unroll it and swallow it whole, in a matter of minutes. YIKES!! once that was discerned no more for her. My Belgium sheepdog, very meticulously takes it apart into tiny little pieces. It takes her hours of fun chewing to get this accomplished. She gets them whenever she wants one. And yes, she can ask for it and apparently does a great job speaking human, because we always understand. hmmmmm. :)
nightbear, I agree it does depend on the actual dog. Swallowing it whole wow! I remember when we had dogs while I was growing up and they all had rawhide and I never gave it a second thought until that one day talking to my Vet.
It was funny the other day my mother in law came to visit and Bruce(my male Newf)nudges her and walks over to the kitchen cupboard where his treats are. It was as if to say "You know where they are, please get me one"
Thanks so much your comments are always appreciated.
No rawhide for Skeet! Too much of a chance for a slimy bit to get stuck in her throat! Besides she becomes too excitable with rawhide ( she's a Brittany ) but some dogs seem to settle down and act "grown up" while toying with rawhide. In the end, I suppose it does depend on the dog.
Thank you so much for writing this hub. I had no idea and though I have only given our dog only one rawhide so far I will not be giving her any more. I will go with your other suggestions and am truly grateful for this very useful information. Voted up.
I stopped giving my dogs rawhide a few years ago when one of them became ill with stomach problems. This is indeed useful information. Rated up!
No rawhide for my dog as well. I don't get why they are allowed to be sold.
Hi Susan,
I think it depends very much on the size of the dog, little dogs probably get more enjoyment out of them, however big dogs tend to treat these things as food and often swallow large chunks whole.
I stopped giving them to my German Shepherds for that reason, pigs ears were given pretty much the same treatment... gone in a couple of minutes so you know it went down in lumps.
Little dogs can't do that and probably have more fun and enjoyment out of them.
The Kong on the other hand was a great sense of fun neither dog ever tried to eat it... My big male Shepherd when he died his ashes were buried under his favourite shady tree complete with his Kong.
My dog swallowed small things laying on the floor when she was a little puppy. She seems to eat them slowly and actually chew on them, not just swallow. But, I am still due for an appointment to the vet (for a check-up) so I will discuss it then.
Raidioguy, Do you go hunting with Skeet? Brittany's are beautiful dogs.
Spirit Whisperer, There are many great chew toys and healthy treat options. Thanks for your comments.
suziecat, Were the stomach problems related to the rawhide? Hope that your dog is doing okay now and thanks so much for your comments and vote up.
Bukarella, It would be nice if they would take them off the shelves but I suppose because the rawhide does not bother some dogs they will be there to stay.
Merlin, I had bought my dogs Nylabones at one time and it stated on the package that the dog would get hours and hours of enjoyment from these bones. No word of a lie they were gone within ten minutes. I should have written the company and told them their bones didn't last long for giant breeds.
My dogs love the Kong too especially with peanut butter.
Thanks so much for all your input, always nice to hear from you :)
FishAreFriends, Please come back and let me know what your vet says. What breed of dog do you have?
Susan, I don't have a dog now, but it's good to know what's good and what's bad. Thank you.
Hi Susan,
Do you have Bovril over there ? It's a beef extract paste in a jar for making beef tea or gravy.
All my dogs used to love it spread on their Kongs really did keep then safely happy for hours.
Ruby, Thanks for stopping by to read this.
Merlin, Yes we do have Bovril. I never thought about using Bovril, thanks for the great tip!
Maria J Hines One of those cow hooves they sell for treats got stuck in my dogs intestinines,he had emergengy surgery,and my Vet still has it in his office to show clients.Rawhide is dangerous too ! There are plenty of safe toys to spoil our beloved dogs with that are safe !
Maria, Your poor dog, I can only imagine the pain he must have been in. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing this. Yes there are many safe treats and toys available. Thanks again.
That's interesting. I used to give my dog those, but I stopped doing it because she got a piece lodged in her mouth keeping her from closing it. I had to reach in and get it out.
Learn something new every day! Thanks for the info! Good Job, whatever makes puppy happy!
Great information. Thanks.
Great info--I tend to stay away from it--although our dog loves it--we give her bones instead--
My neighbor gave his dog the bone from their Christmas Ham, poor dog didn't make it to New Years. The bits and pieces of the bone shredded up his insides...it was very sad. Informative hub Susan!
Audrey, Thanks.
Sunshine, My dogs love bones. But they only get them uncooked. So sorry to hear about your neighbors dog.
I know my Husky mix has a sensitive stomach and can't handle them, or beef, for that matter. Some dogs have sensitive stomachs just like humans. Ours gets alot of chicken and rice, and he loves it! Generally though, giving a dog ANY kind of cooked bone you've made at home is a bad idea.
This is the second hub I've read on this topic today. We have always given our dog rawhide and now I am afraid to even though we haven't experienced any problems yet. At the very least I am going to throw them out when they get small where they might be swallowed.
I also give my dog only uncooked bones although my vet worries about the bacteria in them--
thejeffriestube, Yes, cooked bones are a no no.
ktrapp, All my dogs that I had growing up got rawhides. Luckily nothing bad happened to them because of it.
Audrey, My vet actually recommended the raw bones and even told me which butcher to buy them from.
Good to know--my dog loves bones---
Great story, Susan. Just because they sell them for dogs doesn't mean we should buy them.
Pamela, Thanks. After hearing about some of the dogs from my vet that he'd operated on, that was enough for me to not allow my dogs to have them.
FishAreFriends Level 1 Commenter 11 months ago
That is scary! I did not realize this... and I gave my dog rawhide. I guess I am due for a trip to the vet to discuss this with her. Other than that... great hub!