A few questions about rawhide bones

nlkeple · 10-08-2007, 09:42 PM

First, I wasn't sure this was the right spot to put this post, so if I am in the wrong place could someone please tell me.

Ok, now here are my questions.

Are Rawhide bones good for dogs teeth?

Are they bad for dogs?

Aren't you supposed to never let a dog have a rawhide unless they are supervised?

My MIL (who is very sweet and helpful and not intrusive) says they are good for plaque, but for some reason I thought I had read something about them being bad. Neither of us want to give them to our pups is they are bad. Does anyone know?

Durbkat · 10-08-2007, 10:59 PM

Rawhides are bad for dogs because they use all sorts of chemicals that can be harmful to a dog and if they broke a piece off they can choke on it or if its a sharp piece it can cut their intestines (sp?) or it could swell in their stomach. So they just aren't good for dogs.

FriendsOfZoe · 10-08-2007, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlkeple

Are Rawhide bones good for dogs teeth?

Are they bad for dogs?

Aren't you supposed to never let a dog have a rawhide unless they are supervised?

Chewing in general is good for dogs' teeth, but there are better things than rawhide to chew on.

Generally, rawhide is not recommended by a lot of people because they can be a choking hazard or a potential intestinal blockage. My dog has had a few (mostly to keep her calm following her spay), but although she didn't choke or get a blockage, she got very sick (diarrhea!!) from them.

And yes, never give a dog rawhide (or a stuffed toy) without supervision. This helps decrease the choking/obstruction hazard. However, you still have to be quick enough to grab the potentially dangerous piece of rawhide before they swallow it or choke on it. We always supervised Zoe's few times with rawhide, but she would go from hard firm piece to soft swallowed piece so suddenly that even watching her we often couldn't take it from her before she swallowed.

Other suggestions would be non-digestable toys (nyalbones, kongs) or raw meaty bones (don't ask me about those, I don't feed them, but lots of people here recommend them and love them and I'm sure will be happy to give you plenty of info about them). Nylas don't hold Zoe's interest for too long, but we've found that a nice sterilized bone works well. Some people have found that these are too hard for very aggressive chewers and they can damage their teeth on them. They have worked perfectly for Zoe, though, as they are hard enough that she doesn't chew off pieces of them to swallow and they last (I'm convinced they'll last forever, at this rate!), but they are at least natural material that she finds more interesting and enjoyable than nylon or rubber. She self-regulates her chewing, though, so I am not really too worried about her chewing so hard that she cracks a tooth.

briteday · 10-09-2007, 12:03 AM

My dogs are on a raw diet so I also give raw meaty bones for chewing. Once they have cleaned the meat off they are welcome to have it in the house to chew on for a few days. I have small dogs so I give them long beef back rib bones with the meat. It takes them about an hour to strip away the meat. And then they will chew on it for 3-4 days afterwards. But remember to find the right sized bone for the size of your dog.

Other things they get to chew on are bully sticks (beef tendon material), nylabones (mine will only use the blue bumpy ones), and some rare homemade biscuits.

jeffrey_sy · 10-09-2007, 03:10 AM

I read somewhere that there were no ill effects giving rawhide bones to dogs. Although there are cases of chocking or intestinal obstruction with rawhide these cases are rare. The fact that it can potentially occur doesn't guarantee that it's 100% safe. So you should only buy quality rawhide from sources that you can trust.

dog and a rawhide product should never be left alone together unsupervised - this is a very good common-sense prevention measure that you can do if you want to give your dog a rawhide bone. There are dogs that quickly chew and swallow large pieces of rawhide and supervising your dog while chewing rawhide will prevent this.

You should also remember to take away the rawhide when its becoming soft or substitute another and let the softened rawhide to dry and harden first before you give it back to your dog.

Aside from satisfying your dog's natural urge to chew, rawhide can also help your dog in removing plaque from their teeth and keeping them cleaner.

Renoman · 10-09-2007, 04:45 AM

The ill effects caused by rawhide come from the chemicals used to treat it. These can range from diarrhea to vomiting and allergies just to mention a few.

The Kongs, nylabones, raw bones, even ice cubes are a better and healthier choice.

nlkeple · 10-09-2007, 08:11 AM

With my last dog, he used to eat bones that a friend of ours brought for him (he was a meat cutter). Anyways, that friend has since graduated and moved away, so I'm not really sure how to get those bones that we used to get (actually I think I need different bones since my last dog was a lab and lady is a pomeranian). I imagine I could just ask one of the cutters at publix (our grocery store) right? We do not personally eat much meat so I would really need a cutter who could sell or give me them.

With Jester we always had the other bones around, and rawhides were never even an issue. I told my MIL about rawhides, and she picked up all of Bill's (her Labs) bones. No one had told her they could be bad. Anyways thanks to everyone for being so helpful.

lovemygreys · 10-09-2007, 10:26 AM

I see no benefit to rawhide chews. As the dog chews them, they become soft, which really provides little dental benefit. There is also the risk of obstruction as the rawhide mass moves their their intestinal tract. If the dog tries to swallow too big of a piece (they often gnaw off big hunks) there is a choking risk.

Rawhides produced in countries other than the US may use cyanide and other nasty chemicals in the manufacturing process. Obviously, this is not a good thing. You are OK buying rawhides manufactured in the US, as it is prohibited by law to use such chemicals in products intended for consumption.

Bottom line: with little-to-no benefit in rawhides and excellent alternatives (raw bones), I dont' give them and do not allow them for dogs that I board. I advise owners of my reasons why and they understand.

briteday · 10-09-2007, 03:54 PM

Our little pom just loves the rib bones (see post above) with the meat on them. They are pretty much just the right size for a smaller dog. And although we routinely brush all of our dogs' teeth around here (two have dental issues) the pom's are always pearly white. She likes to chew and once given the rib bone she will strip the meat off and use it for a chew toy for several days. I can usually find them on sale for $0.99/lb.

DobManiac · 10-10-2007, 01:15 AM

Has anyone given pig hooves? They are natural, so I was wondering if they still caused problems.

Occy · 10-10-2007, 04:02 AM

My dogs love rawhides - whether bleached or flavoured (get the latter from a packet, the former loose).

Not to jinx myself but aside from he ocassional gag from swallowing too quickly there have been no ill effects - no runs, no ripping off huge chunks (in fact one of them tears it into strips)

But I avoid the knot bones because you end up with the knots - and they are a choking hazard

Renoman · 10-10-2007, 04:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Occy

My dogs love rawhides - whether bleached or flavoured (get the latter from a packet, the former loose).

Not to jinx myself but aside from he ocassional gag from swallowing too quickly there have been no ill effects - no runs, no ripping off huge chunks (in fact one of them tears it into strips)

But I avoid the knot bones because you end up with the knots - and they are a choking hazard

You have been lucky. Please keep in mind though, that stuff is not easily digestible. You're running the risk of rawhide accumulating in the digestive tract and possibly causing blockage at some point.

Occy · 10-10-2007, 06:24 AM

what is an alternative that can be eaten inside then?
im always open to new idea

bones can also become lodged - in fact when my dog was operated on for bloat they found a large piece of bone in his gut - theyre unsure if it was related but it was definitely there

i should add that i was told by the vet that operated - no more bones for this dog or rawhides or anything else of that nature

DobManiac · 10-10-2007, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Occy

what is an alternative that can be eaten inside then?
im always open to new idea

bones can also become lodged - in fact when my dog was operated on for bloat they found a large piece of bone in his gut - theyre unsure if it was related but it was definitely there

i should add that i was told by the vet that operated - no more bones for this dog or rawhides or anything else of that nature

I would give nylabones and kongs if it has to be nondigestable. You can also try raw bones. I don't believe the dogs can digest them. But I don't give raw bones, so hopefully someone alse can clear that up. I would however stay away from rawhide. It doesn't tend to last that long anyway.

Renoman · 10-10-2007, 06:16 PM

My question is .... did the vet find a piece of real bone or a piece of rawhide he mistook for real bone? I'd be curious to know.

Nylabones, kongs, or even my newest fave is antler chews. All can be given inside and the dogs love them.

My other question is... and pardon me for asking, but your vet said no more rawhide or bones .. so are you are still giving him rawhide? I'm a little confused.

lovemygreys · 10-10-2007, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DobManiac

Has anyone given pig hooves? They are natural, so I was wondering if they still caused problems.

we give raw pigs feet and our dogs love them.

nlkeple · 10-10-2007, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renoman

Nylabones, kongs, or even my newest fave is antler chews. All can be given inside and the dogs love them.

Lady has no interest in a nylabone or a kong. I even showed her that I put a carrot (her favorite) in her kong and she just looked at me like, 'if you want to chew on some plastic be my guest but don't expect me to.' She has two different sized kongs and about 8 different nylabone size/flavor combinations.

Renoman · 10-10-2007, 06:53 PM

Have you tried putting some kibble in the kong, sealing the end with peanut butter or yogurt or something else she'd like and freezing it. Plain kongs can be very uninteresting, I agree. Maybe if you add a little spice to them, she'd be more willing to try them.

Also, if you can find the antler chews in your local pet store.. my guys love them. They're softer than a raw bone but still not digestible. They're all natural and loaded with calcium.

Right now my 2 are chewing on new antler chews rather than being UMA. I love antler chews.

As far as the nylabones... if it's a hard, nondigestible nylabone...someone suggested soaking the bone in chicken broth. This makes sense to me... although I have to admit I haven't tried it since I have protein allergies to deal with and chicken is one of them.

nlkeple · 10-10-2007, 07:42 PM

I put kibble in there, and I tried carrot piece, as well as apple pieces (all foods she loves) but I didn't think about sealing it in like that. I don't give her peanut butter (because she is on a diet) but yogurt would be a good idea.

I never thought about soaking the nylabones, but I did try storing them in the container with her dog food for a while thinking they might absorb some of the taste or smell of her food but it didn't seem to.

I am going to get her some ribs at the store tomorrow when I go, and we go to the pet store on Saturday (we go every Saturday it is on the way home from my daughters dance class) and I will look and see if they have any antler chews.

Occy · 10-11-2007, 04:56 AM

Nylabones have to be disposed of soon as they start breaking up - too expensive to keep replacing with my verocious cheweres. And the ones I do hve - the dogs have shown little interest.

The mass found was too large to be a rawhide - the vet said definitely bone - esp as there were also bone fragments in the stomach.

Cant get antler chews here though will see if Jess at petexpertise has them.

All my dogs are meh about stuffed kongs - they know they get fed so they dont bother fighting for it - none of them is that food intense.

Why do I feed rawhides? same reason I still feed certain bones - not chuck bones - the dogs love them and I have seen the health benefits. Better teeth (especially with the new rescue who had disgusting teeth when he got here, keeping them occupied for 10 mins to 30 mins after dinner which stops them zooming around - what I really suspect caused the bloat, etc)

Lots of things are said to be potentially dangerous - but I dont think im putting my dogs directly at risk by giving them rawhides - especially at they are one of the biggest things commercially and if they were as dangerous as people make them out to be would be the companies would be liable for huge lawsuits - i think companies do testing to prevent such things.

I understand the risks of rawhides and my dogs are carefully monitored. Why would i take away from my dogs one of their great pleasures because of the potential danger? theres a danger of being swept away at the beach...theres a danger of being run over while out walking...there are a lot of dangers in life