raw hide

[we luv lexi]

rawhide: is it really bad? whats bad about it? whats all the controversy? or is it not bad at all?
i need some clearing up.
thanks!

[AT]

Supposedly some rawhide is made from dog & cat skin in the far east.

the thick beefhide is ok. though if they get small peices off they can choke so you have to watch them

[Scouty girl]

Yes, both of my dogs love pressed rawhide bones, but, as AT said, you have to monitor them very carefully. They can choke. I can't count how many times I've pulled rawhide pieces from my dogs mouths (throats) when I could see they were have difficulities.

Last week I went to pick Scout up from my Mom's house. She greeted me at the door but washn't very enthusiastic. I looked at her face, saw something wasn't right, she was struggling. I opened her mouth and there it was a piece of rawhide stuck. I pulled it out everything was fine. My Mom had no idea it was there. I told her to watch her very carefully when she has rawhide.

[we luv lexi]

thanks!
its just that my husband had come home very enthusiastic and proud with a package of rawhide bones and i smiled and said thank you but very unsure if i should even give them to her. so i gave her one so he wouldnt feel bad but i wasnt sure if they were "allowed" to eat this.
thanks now i can give them and be guilt-free!

[MishathePooh]

Another problem with rawhide is that it's not 100% digestible. This means if they consume too much at once, it can block the intestines.

Oh - and only buy rawhide made in the USA. There can be nasty stuff on the imported kinds. Also, some dogs are allergic.

I look at rawhide as I look at other chews. I make sure I can supervise while my dog is eating it, so he doesn't swallow too much or choke!

[Karlin]

I like the flat thin sheet pieces myself -- very hard for them to chew off small pieces. Some vets advise against rawhide and others think it is fine.

[MishathePooh]

I realized that if you're in the US, only buy rawhide from the US. I'm not sure about the UK and Europe but I know rawhide from Asia/South America is not good to buy.

[Lisa_T]

I second Karlin. I avoid the pressed bones and those sawdusty things (they made Holly sick as a pup). I only buy either the flat strips or the rolled flat strips. Asda do these largish ones, rawhide flat strips rolled into cigars. It takes my pair quite some time to get through them.

[WoodHaven]

I like Merrick tendons-- they are very strong spiral strips of tendon that have natural condroitin and they do a decent job cleaning teeth.

Here is a pic:
http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...ts_tendons.php

[Cathy T]

I (okay, Jake and Shelby) love the Merrick wizzlers. Mine are prone to choking...Shelby because she inhales things and Jake because of his missing jawbone doesn't chew things as well as he should. But we've never (knock on wood) had a problem with the wizzlers.