Rawhide Bones

[Falon's Mom]

I take the ones that I feel would choke him. Fingernail size to 50 cent piece size is alright with me. He can swallow and pass those sizes but anything larger I take away and throw out. I also only allow him to have them when I can watch him closely.

[Gideon's girl]

I would only worry about pieces that are big enough to choke on and not softened enough to prevent choking. I used to have a dog that would scissor off chunks about the size of a quarter while the whole rawhide was essentially still dry, I quit giving him rawhide because he could choke on that and he always did that. I had another that would gnaw on the whole piece until it was a slimey mess then would work off pieces that were way bigger than the other dogs pieces, but since they were softened, they were not a danger. None of my current dogs get rawhides.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Ok, thanks for the responses, we do only let her chew rawhide while we are able to closely monitor her. Her rawhide time is when she is on the bed with us in the evening, so we are able to easily watch her chewing fairly close up.

 

 

I take the ones that I feel would choke him. Fingernail size to 50 cent piece size is alright with me. He can swallow and pass those sizes but anything larger I take away and throw out. I also only allow him to have them when I can watch him closely.

 

 

I would only worry about pieces that are big enough to choke on and not softened enough to prevent choking. I used to have a dog that would scissor off chunks about the size of a quarter while the whole rawhide was essentially still dry, I quit giving him rawhide because he could choke on that and he always did that. I had another that would gnaw on the whole piece until it was a slimey mess then would work off pieces that were way bigger than the other dogs pieces, but since they were softened, they were not a danger. None of my current dogs get rawhides.

[burdock]

We get C E T's by VIRBAC

[Olivia]

Yep, mine will soften up the rawhides so they will chew off pieces about the size of a 50 cent to a silver dollar and swallow them with no ill effects. They usually don't take off pieces that big though, seeming to prefer smaller pieces. I've never used scissors to trim any rawhides though. If they get too small and someone looks like they are thinking about swallowing the "last too big piece" I'll just take it away and either give it to the chihuahua or throw it away.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Ok, I have been doing more searching and I am having second thoughts on rawhide bones.

 

It seems that even if the bones are safe as far as being sourced and made in the U.S. that rawhide can expand in the stomach after pieces are injested.

 

So now I am perplexed as to WHAT I can use as a SAFE substitute for rawhide bones, that is reasonably affordable.

 

The rawhide bones seemed to be the only thing thus far that has kept our dog occupied in the evenings so she would not be constantly fidgeting around and being rowdy.

 

Here are some of the articles that caused me to rethink rawhide safety - what do you think ?

 

http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm

 

http://thebark.com/content/dangers-rawhide-dog-chew-toys

 

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/rawhide-good-or-bad-for-your-dog

 

http://www.k9ring.com/blog/post/Are-Rawhide-Bones-Bad-for-Dogs.aspx

[TEC]

I reviewed the articles, however the last link was broken on my browser. I had heard of the choking hazard before reading them. Thank you for researching the issue, yet the listed materials did not change my opinion about providing certain rawhide chew bones to my BC for dental hygiene, to fulfill her instinct to chew, and to allow relaxation time for her (and me).

My dog seems to enjoy chewing rawhide products from time to time, and according to the vet, her teeth look good for a dog of eight years. I use dog biscuits and enzyme tooth pastes, as well, along with feeding hard kibble pellets. She has been overall quite healthy.

The advice I have followed since she was a pup is to find rawhide products that are highly compressed.These bones are not simply a sheet of rawhide that is tightly rolled, twisted or tied on the ends to resemble a bow-tie. If you were to cut through the center with a saw, it would be almost impossible to see layers or sheets. They are fairly solid, and a little spendy. Josie is not able to chew-off chunks or pieces of any size to cause me concern -- occasionally up to say 1/4 size of a dime. She slowly wears them down over 1-2 weeks, chewing almost daily.

I choose a size a good deal larger than would at first seem reasonable. Josie is about 35 lbs. These bones are 7-12 inches in length, and 1-1.5 inches in width. When they get worn down to 2-3 inches length, and look as though she could accidentally inhale one, they get thrown away, however for her I don't worry about it. "Dentley's Compressed Rawhide Bones" is one product I have been happy with. Dentley's sells some rawhide that I would not buy, but compressed rawhide has been safe for us. A knowledgeable consumer can spot compressed products sold in bulk.

She digests them without problems. She wears-off such a small portion in a day, that I do not worry about possible trace amounts of undesired chemicals.

Pedigree makes "Denta Stix" (not rawhide as I recall), and there are shredded rawhide products that look much like compressed sawdust. I give her both, but while they seem safe of choking issues, my dog chews them up so quickly, I don't think the dental and chewing benefits are as strong.

I'm open minded, and if you locate a product that is not manufactured using the chemicals of many rawhide products, and provides its benefits, be sure to post your findings. I believe you would be happy with highly compressed rawhide products of a trusted brand. -- Best wishes, TEC

[Gary_and_Karen]

Thanks for the compressed rawhide suggestion, I like the idea that so little can be worn off per day, the concern I have after checking an ad for that brand is that it is made in China and so many pet owners have had problems with pet stuff from China and I have read so many cautions against buying China made pet stuff that I would need to see if any compressed rawhide bones are made in the U.S.

 

Here is the link where I saw that Dentley's is made in China -

 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4039071

 

(The limited number of reviews on the Petsmart page were positive, but I would feel better if it was a lot larger number of reviews to go by, especially since it is made in China)

 

I reviewed the articles, however the last link was broken on my browser. I had heard of the choking hazard before reading them. Thank you for researching the issue, yet the listed materials did not change my opinion about providing certain rawhide chew bones to my BC for dental hygiene, to fulfill her instinct to chew, and to allow relaxation time for her (and me).

My dog seems to enjoy chewing rawhide products from time to time, and according to the vet, her teeth look good for a dog of eight years. I use dog biscuits and enzyme tooth pastes, as well, along with feeding hard kibble pellets. She has been overall quite healthy.

The advice I have followed since she was a pup is to find rawhide products that are highly compressed.These bones are not simply a sheet of rawhide that is tightly rolled, twisted or tied on the ends to resemble a bow-tie. If you were to cut through the center with a saw, it would be almost impossible to see layers or sheets. They are fairly solid, and a little spendy. Josie is not able to chew-off chunks or pieces of any size to cause me concern -- occasionally up to say 1/4 size of a dime. She slowly wears them down over 1-2 weeks, working on them almost daily.

I choose a size a good deal larger than would at first seem reasonable. Josie is about 35 lbs. These bones are 7-12 inches in length, and 1-1.5 inches in width. When they get worn down to 2-3 inches length, and look as though she could accidentally inhale one, they get thrown away, however for her I don't worry about it. "Dentley's Compressed Rawhide Bones" is one product I have been happy with. Dentley's sells some rawhide that I would not buy, but compressed rawhide has been safe for us. A knowledgeable consumer can spot compressed products sold in bulk.

She digests them without problems. She wears-off such a small portion in a day, that I do not worry about possible trace amounts of undesired chemicals.

Pedigree makes "Denta Stix" (not rawhide as I recall), and there are shredded rawhide products that look much like compressed sawdust. I give her both, but while they seem safe of choking issues, my dog chews them up so quickly, I don't think the dental and chewing benefits are as strong.

I'm open minded, and if you locate a product that is not manufactured using the chemicals of many rawhide products, and provides its benefits, be sure to post your findings. I believe you would be happy with highly compressed rawhide products of a trusted brand. -- Best wishes, TEC

[TEC]

... the concern I have after checking an ad for that brand is that it is made in China...

 

I saw that as well, and have made an internet search for a comparable manufactured and sourced in USA compressed rawhide product. I can't find one. Possible I'm not looking in the right places or using proper search terms.

 

My understanding is that Dentley's is only sold by PetSmart, which IMO is a reputable company. I have not had problems with them. But I can understand concerns about some things made or sourced outside USA.

 

Please post something if you find a comparable USA made product. -- Thank you, TEC

[Gary_and_Karen]

I'll see about searching more later today when time allows and will post if I can find a simular USA product.

 

I like shopping at Petsmart when we are able to travel to one (none close by) and I would hope that Petsmart researches the quality and safety of what it sells, but I don't know if they do or not (anyone know for sure ?)

 

......but speaking of stores in general it seems that just because a store puts a product on the shelf does not automatically mean it is safe, I have read of stores not pulling a product they sold off of shelves even after dog owners reported dogs getting sick after using a product they sold.

 

I saw that as well, and have made an internet search for a comparable manufactured and sourced in USA compressed rawhide product. I can't find one. Possible I'm not looking in the right places or using proper search terms.

 

My understanding is that Dentley's is only sold by PetSmart, which IMO is a reputable company. I have not had problems with them. But I can understand concerns about some things made or sourced outside USA.

 

Please post something if you find a comparable USA made product. -- Thank you, TEC

[Gary_and_Karen]

.....still searching to see if there are any compressed rawhide bones actually made in the United States, but in the meantime I came across this article -

 

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_5/features/Best-Rawhide-Chews-For-Your-Dog_16120-1.html

 

Here is an excerpt from the article at the above link -

 

"Neither do I buy products that are made of shredded and pressed-together tiny bits of rawhide. The makers of good-quality rawhide chews say they use natural (and beneficial) collagen as a binder for these products. But since ingredients panels are not required for these products -which, despite the fact that dogs ingest them, are not considered a food item by the Food & Drug Administration -there is no sure way to know what binding agent has been used as the product’s “glue.”"

 

(end of excerpt)

 

So we would need to see if the company would give an honest answer to what they use as a binder.

 

.......why is it so difficult to find a long lasting chew item that is both safe and affordable ?

[WildFlower]

I think at some point, you have to do the best you can with this type of stuff.

 

Find something that you are comfortable with and that your dog likes. Go from there.

 

For me the benefits of allowing my dogs to chew rawhide out weigh the risks.

 

I don't think that anything is 100% safe.

[Gary_and_Karen]

I understand, and I don't intend to sound like I am being paranoid about this stuff, it just can make you feel uneasy when you read some of the sad stories of dog owners who did have problems with some of the products made for dogs.

 

I know nothing is likely 100% safe, but I was just thinking that if I did my homework at least I could avoid the products with the greater risk, whether it's from unsafe additives or unsafe construction (like rolled rawhide that have small chunks rolled up inside instead of being one thick rolled sheet)

 

I think at some point, you have to do the best you can with this type of stuff.

 

Find something that you are comfortable with and that your dog likes. Go from there.

 

For me the benefits of allowing my dogs to chew rawhide out weigh the risks.

 

I don't think that anything is 100% safe.

[Gary_and_Karen]

_{If the info at the link below is accurate, there are no U.S. makers of pressed rawhide -}

 

 

 

_{http://www.i-pets.com/china.html}

 

 

_{(excerpt from the above link)}

 

_{Dear i-pets.com customers,}

 

<sub>Unfortunately there are no USA manufacturers of pressed rawhide. You can thank the WalMart mentality that has driven consumers to expect lower and lower prices. You can thank the US government for EPA, FDA, and OSHA restrictions, for the high cost of doing business in the US that has driven manufacturers in this country to close their doors.

i-pets.com is one of the few remaining sources of genuine USA rawhide products. We ship to you directly from the manufacturer, Pet Factory, in Mundelein, IL. If you choose to purchase only USA manufactured products, we guarantee that ours really are made in the US, as opposed to many companies selling "American" rawhide - SOUTH American!

(end of excerpt)</sub>

 

_{Pet Factory does not sell direct to the public, but here are links to a couple of web pages related to this discussion -}

 

_{http://www.petfactory.com/new_tidbits.html}

 

_{http://www.petfactory.com/pdc.html}

 

_{I emailed them to see if they offer any assurance reguarding their pressed rawhide which is imported. (they have rolled rawhide that is made in the United States though)}

[Gary_and_Karen]

I got a quick reply back from the Pet Factory, here is what they said -

 

(quote)

 

Yes, our Durabone line is our Pressed Bone line; however these are only sourced from our facility in China which is specified on all of our packaging. Although we would love to produce them in the United States, the technology is not available here to do so at an effective cost (they’d retail at around $30.99 here to make!). As stated on the homepage of our website, Pet Factory is known for our 100% USA Sourced & Made product line, but we are also a leading global supplier of other rawhide and porkhide products. For 25 years, the owners of our company have carefully scouted and built trusting relationships with our suppliers overseas as it is in our best interest to supply the best product regardless of where it is from.

 

Pressed bones – including our Durabone line – are designed for more aggressive chewers. These bones are created by taking flat cow hides and pressing multiple layers in to one bone as opposed to taking one single hide and knotting it in to a bone. The processing of pressing the multiple layers and cutting it in to one bone makes for a thicker, more durable chew. Many of the retailers I provided to you originally carry our pressed bones- I would definitely recommend Target if you are looking to see how your dog likes them.

 

As for more durable 100% USA Sourced & Made items, I recommend looking in to our Heavyweights. Downside, these are only available at local independent pet supply stores as well as many of the online retailers I provided you. Our Heavyweights are made using the hide from the shoulders of the cow- which is the thickest part of the hide.

 

I hope this information helps and if you have any further questions, please let us know!

 

(end of quote)

 

......I replied back to see if they could tell me of any specific ways they ensure the imported Durabones are safe (do they regularly test the imports, regularly visit the foreign factory, ect).

 

The "Heavyweights" they mentioned (made in the U.S.) is something I'll check about also to see if there are good customer reviews online as to their safety and long lasting durability.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Another quick reply from Pet Factory -

 

(quote)

 

Happy to help- Pet Factory is a Good Food Service Initiative (GFSI) manufacturer and supplier. This means that we are treated as a food-grade facility and company. Rawhide is not recognized by our government as a food item, but since many of our larger customers have very strict quality and safety control programs, we became certified a number of years back.

 

Being a Food Grade supplier, we require our overseas suppliers as well to become certified and follow the same (if not more intense) quality and safety procedures. This includes random audits throughout the year as well as at least two factory visits from one of the owners every year (last year he went 4 times). On top of that, we require full testing documents for random sampling from each lot before shipment, and then when the items arrive here, they also undergo another round of random sample testing as well as go through our metal detectors. With dogs being our business, Pet Factory has put many steps in place to ensure we produce and sell the best product out there- and it has kept us in business for just under 25 years. Again, any further questions you may have, please let us know!

 

(end of quote)

 

It seems like they are very intent on ensuring the safety of all the products they represent, including the imported "pressed" rawhide.

 

I am considering giving their USA made "Heavyweights" a try, and still am considering trying the imported pressed rawhide "Durabone" also after reading their latest reply above. (added note from later: I still need to research more on the safety of the pressed rawhide after seeing one customer review of their dog biting off a chunk, of course that may have been a rare exception, but right now the "Heavyweight" rolled rawhide seems to be what I'll see about trying)

[rlwzgd]

My very first bc tried to swallow one whole (granted it was probably of lesser quality). I was 7 and impressionable so it stuck with me. I've never let another dog around them.

[Gary_and_Karen]

I guess another thing to consider is the traits of the individual dog, some dogs may be more casual chewers and others might try to demolish it as fast as possible.

 

I don't blame you for feeling that way after having a dog try to swallow one whole.

 

I would very much prefer to find something that would occupy my dog in the evenings that could not be chewed apart at all, but so far the rawhide seems to be the only thing that holds her interest for more than a few minutes, but I make very sure to closely supervise her when we let her chew it in the evenings, and we are going to be considering the "Heavyweight" version that is supposed to be a lot tougher for dogs to chew.

 

Our dog is beginning to show signs of calming down in the evenings, at first she would seem to need to be chewing constantly while on the bed with us in the evening, but now she will occasionally stop and just relax still for a couple minutes, that may not seem like long, but I am hoping she will get to where the chewing is more of the occasional thing and she will just be content to relax and chill out in the evening.

 

My very first bc tried to swallow one whole (granted it was probably of lesser quality). I was 7 and impressionable so it stuck with me. I've never let another dog around them.

[GentleLake]

No rawhide here.

 

One dog gets sick on them. Yuck. But I also have concerns about safety.

 

No need for teeth cleaning here . . . I feed raw and the edible bones keep their teeth nice and gums healthy.

 

If I bought rawhides, it would only be American made.