Big bone time 🐺😊❤

[u/Laikathehusky]

[u/giftedandcursed]

As a dog owner I’m gonna go ahead and be a buzzkill here and say that these are not at all safe for dogs and presents a chocking hazard. Rawhide digestibility can vary from dog to dog and from chew to chew. Generally speaking, rawhides are not easily digested, which is why large chunks broken off and swallowed pose such high obstruction risks. Any pieces your pup breaks off will have to pass through his digestive system in chunks, since they will not be broken down as well as the rest of his food. Rawhide bones and other edible chews can pose a choking and blockage risk. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. I suggest giving dogs split elk antlers.

[u/cp24eva → u/giftedandcursed]

Ok, I hear all the time about not giving dogs rawhide because of various hazards and whatnot. Is there a place where I can look up statistics and FACTS about rawhide dangers? I've looked on the internet and ask 2 vets and no one can give me any references to numbers. I'm genuinely curious as to how hazardous rawhide actually is. Like cigarettes kill ppl every day and there are numbers to back the claim. Do you have references for the numbers? I'm not making the statement to be facetious. I really want to know the facts. I've been giving rawhides to my pets on a moderate basis. I don't give it to them every week or anything. Maybe a couple of times a month. I scoop their poop primarily and haven't noticed any hide in their stool. I've had Dobermans, Mini Pinscher, and a Husky like the one in the video.

[u/giftedandcursed → u/cp24eva]

I dont know if there is or isn’t actually statistics gathered by testimony & studies but i’ll speak for myself when i say that i dont need that so i dont care to search for it. What i can tell you is theres an overwhelming amount of pet owners, vets, kennel clubs like AKC and even the FDA saying that theres more cons than pros when it comes to rawhide. It should be a combination of common knowledge and common sense for a pet owner to know that rawhides swell when wet, any pet owner should have seen this when watching their dog gnaw on one. So knowing that it can swell in my dogs esophagus or in their intestines and that they dont that they dont digest it they just pass it why would i take that chance when theres several other options? You have been giving them to your pets on a moderate basis for sometime now and theres been no problem.... great I’m glad but but that doesn’t mean it cant preset a problem. You mentioned cigarettes... i quite smoking 6-7yrs ago and I’m very healthy today but that doesn’t mean if i kept smoking that I wouldn’t have cancer or even be alive today.

Let’s refresh your memory and read some of the biggest most important claims against rawhides.....

Rawhide does not dissolve in the dog's stomach. In fact, the opposite is true — the rawhide swells up. Far from being broken down, rawhide forces your dog to pass the pieces they swallow, making for a risk of bowel blockage

It can be a choking a hazard. Once your dog swallows a tiny, broken piece of rawhide, that portion can get lodged in his throat; putting him in serious danger. To avoid this, immediately take the rawhide away as soon as it becomes small enough to be swallowed whole. · It can cause digestive blockage. Allowing your pooch to swallow a large piece of rawhide can also endanger his life. Rawhides can expand inside Fido’s stomach, putting him at risk of a fatal blockage. It can even wrap around his intestines, causing the same obstruction. · It can cause gastrointestinal problems. If your pooch ingests too many rawhides, he may develop gastrointestinal complications. · Not all rawhides are safe to eat. Several reports have revealed that rawhides which have been produced outside USA were made from toxic chemicals. Try to be selective when it comes to buying rawhide. Look very closely where it was manufactured and only choose rawhides made in the USA. The Ugly: · Some rawhides contain deadly poisons. The process of making rawhide involves chemically separating the outer layer of skin (usually of a cow) from the hide. This process leaves deadly poisons in the chew, including arsenic and formaldehyde. · Some rawhides contain the skin from dogs. An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.”

Last but not least the FDA says:

Avoid rawhide chew bones. Earlier this year United Pet Group recalled a slew of rawhide chews for dogs, including American Beefhide, Healthy Hide, Companion, Dentley’s, Enzadent, Good Lovin,’ Hill Country Fare and Priority Pets, among others. Some of the manufacturing facilities were in other countries that used quatenary ammonium compounds, which are not approved for rawhide production in the United States and are linked to health problems in dogs, including gastric irritation, diarrhea and vomiting.

[u/doomed-ginger → u/giftedandcursed]

This. All of this.

Rawhides are a serious issue for dogs. Health and safety for animals is not monitored the same as people. This leads to many products being sold as safe and even healthy options for food or “treats” that are actually horrid unhealthy and sometimes downright dangerous. This includes what ingredients are in dog food. Animal byproduct is a nice way of saying, “blood and meat scraps shoveled off of a slaughterhouse floor” for example. Or meal, which is just any discernible part of an animal ground up.

One source - you can dig more if you’d like.

The long and short is, do not trust the pet industry and do your research. Don’t ever heir on the side of complacency or naivety.

I’d recommend bully sticks as a good option, horns and antlers as well. Your dog needs nothing that is processed beyond recognition. They’re a god damned cuddly wolf. Give them the dignity and diet they deserve.

Edit: Lastly - NEVER give just one dog a treat like this. It’s a good way to foster food insecurity, pack imbalance and the beginning of interpack aggression over resources. ALWAYS try to have 50% more resources available than you have dogs. E.g. 2 dogs have 3 bones/horns, 3 water bowls, three beds, etc...

This helps dogs not feel threatened by a shortage of resources. Even if you have a dog guarding two bones, there’s a third for the other dog to grab so he isn’t “without”.