cefillerup Posted January 3, 2003 Report Share Posted January 3, 2003 Are rawhides unhealthy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken Posted January 3, 2003 Report Share Posted January 3, 2003 I do not like rawhides, I can't believe they still sell them even. They're dirty, you're supposed to wash your hands after you touch them. All it is is a piece of leather that they chew up, it gets all moist and gross and IF they chew off a large enough piece and swallow it, it can expand in their stomach and then you get to go to the vet and pay a big huge bill for them to cut your dog open and get it out. I only give my dogs real cow bones, either cooked or raw I like, never had a problem with them. And the dogs that do spend a lot of time chewing on them have all white teeth. The only thing you need to watch for is when the bones get too small then throw them out. They last for weeks too! Cathy ------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKM's Mom Posted January 3, 2003 Report Share Posted January 3, 2003 I have heard of more than one dog choke on these after the dogs chewed them enough to make them all soft and then they got stuck in their throats. If I hadn't been home when it happened to my dog he would've died. He couldn't breath after the rawhide got stuck the back of his throat and it couldn't be dislodged. I reached in and pulled the thing out, and never fed another rawhide. My dogs enjoy bones, pig ear strips, and stuffed bones or Kongs now. Cindi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivia Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 Like anything else, I think rawhides are fine in moderation and with supervision. My dogs get rawhides quite often; however, never when I am not there. I had a friend whose dog would swallow whole rawhide bones...needless to say that dog no longer gets rawhide. My dogs will chew forever on even small pieces. As far as them getting dirty, I just throw the little bits away if they get yucky. As far as bones go, I feed my dogs raw bones (lamb or deer) on occasion. I dont feed cooked bones because I was told that they were more likely to splinter and jagged edges could be swallowed. Same with hollow sterilized bones. In fact my 3 year old did get choked by a piece of sterilized bone that had broken off a larger portion. So, my opinion is that to each their own...whatever works best for you do it. Olivia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 There have been reports that some rawhides may contain heavy metal residues from the tanning process: chromium (III not VI), lead, or arsenic. These reports recommend US sources of rawhide over cheaper foreign sources. I have not been able to find an article that actually measured the levels of heavy metals in rawhide chews so I'm not sure if these reports stem from actual contamination or possible contamination because some tanning techniques use heavy metals. ------------------ Mark Billadeau [This message has been edited by Pipedream Farm (edited 01-06-2003).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 rawhide chews in the shape of bones have been the one thing I've gotten our dog to chew on and she will spend a good deal of time at them...the kongs she just gets the stuff out and gets bored...rarely chews them...so if not rawhide what else??? I really don't like the idea of bones cooked or otherwise! glad for any info GA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolync Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 A vet suggested nylabones instead of rawheads, no wasted calories and can be washed off easily. The come in different sizes and flavors and strengths depending on how ferocious a chewer you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana M Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 I'm a big fan of the Nylabones. My 7 mo. old pup loves them, and they last her between 3 weeks and a month. I'm pleased to say that after "suggesting" (i.e., handing it to her) that she work on the bone instead of say, a table leg or one of my shoes for a few weeks, she now goes without prompting and picks up her bone when she feels like having a chew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 15, 2003 Report Share Posted January 15, 2003 Hmmmm...none of my dogs will even touch a Nylabone. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_Davis Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 So many different experiences & opinions -- I like what Olivia said, "if it works for you..." Here are my experiences & opinions gained with my dogs. I have one who'll go through just about anything quickly. I got her a NylaBone on someone's recommendation, it lasted 20 minutes. After paying $14.99 for it, that was the last NylaBone for her -- that's $45.00/hour! Nobody believes me, but what can I say? She has strong jaws and a plan. My other two pretty much ignore NylaBones. The best and longest-lasting for me seem to be raw beef bones, the pieces of leg or sliced leg bones -- the round ones. The bone wall is very thick. Lots of good stuff inside them too! Joints don't last long with the heavy chewer, the outer bone surface doesn't seem as thick, and she just eats everything and craps white for a few days. She can chip off and eat the leg bones too, but doesn't seem as prone to try it for some reason. I agree that cooking bones makes them more brittle than raw bones are. I also agree that rawhide chewing should be somewhat supervised. But I couldn't care less how dirty anything is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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