Can't find anything on the packet that says when they are suitable from, but I don't want to give it to her until I'm sure!
Nic :)

Hi Nic,
I've always been told not to give rawhide until 6 mths, something to do with it being hard to digest and can sit in the gut and cause problems. The 'biscuity' treats are better for pups, just beware any that are bright coloured, it'll stain your carpet!!!!
Jue

*I* steer clear of rawhide, full stop. To me it's like giving a baby chewing gum. It does take a while to digest and in the meantime can cause blockages and choking...yuk...nasty stuff! :o

I agree do not at any cost give your dog any version of a rawhide chew they don't go soft inside and can puncture the intestines, they stick in the throat = awful things

Bobbi

I never give raw hide chews at all. It has been known for a dog to break off a chunk and swallow it. The chunk then absorbs moisture in the stomach and swells causing a blockage. I stress this is rare but it has happened.

Regards, John

this is very handy to know , Eukanuba give out a rawhide chew in their puppy packs.I didnt give mine to Ella~just as well ehy!

Like so many of these things Zoe, so many people have used them for so many years with no ill effects but it could just happen! "Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice" as the saying goes!

Regards, John

If you buy the Beta puppy chews bone shaped they aren't for under 4 months. I had given one to my pup and then found the age limit in tiny writing on the package
Anne

I NEVER EVER give rawhide, if they stick they dont absorb and will choke your pup,

I definitely wouldn't give rawhide chews to a developing puppy, that's for certain. At least 1 year + and older. Also none of that compressed stuff made out of bitty pieces pushed together and DEFINITELY not the colored cutesy type. :rolleyes: Talk about loose and wierdly coloured poo. :(

Personally, I really believe that giving rawhide to a dog depends on size of dog + its style of chewing. Being small dogs, mine take such dainty nibbles off these things, it's absolutely amazing :rolleyes: They prefer to lick them more than consume them :P
Same rules basically goes for pig ears. But I've talked with enough owners who have watched their dogs go "crunch, swallow, and choke" to realize that there are many dogs, esp. med-large breeds, who should not have either of these items. :( :( :( :(
jmho, as usual ;) :D
toodles

That's what I needed to know, that'll be going in the bin :D Thanks everyone,
Nic :)

Another thing to watch out for are Pigs Ears, they also go into a mulch and I caught one of my dogs choking on one, I dread to think what would have happened if I had been out, I never give rawhide either, I stick to the softer treats the ones either winalot or pedigree do and even then I cut them into small pieces, just in case of accidents.

I also had a scarey experience with pigs ears - gave one to my ESS and turned around a few minutes later to find her clawing frantically at her face - she'd got it stuck in the roof of her mouth!! Heaven only knows what would have happened if I'd left her with it and gone out :-(

I would never give rawhide to any dog. They get soft and mushy, the whole point is for the dog to have something too chew on and rawhides they eat and can get stuck and even kill ur dog ( stomach and intestinal blockage), to me they are just not safe. My Boston Terriers are real chewers, and so is my big dog.
Good type chew bones: Gumabones are softer chewbones, Nylon bones are harder for strong chewers. The bones with the raised dental tips are good too, they help fight tarter build up. Hercules bones, and also the Galileo bone.
I would totally stay away from rawhide bones. I also use dog chew ropes only under supervision and found that they help to floss the teeth. My wolf/rott is 9 years old and has excellent teeth.
ttfn :)

I agree with all the above advice, it is certainly not wise to give pups or dogs generally rawhide chews just in case; I have done it on the odd occasion but literally once or twice in a dogs life.

It's maddening that pet shops sell so many of these chews, and with no warnings whatsoever. It's also maddening that, although so many people on here seem to know the reality of feeding these rawhide chews, I have spoken to at least one vet (not mine - she comes to dog agility) who feels they are perfectly safe. Me, I just feel it isn't worth the risk.

Lindsay

This topic is an eye opener. I've always used raw hide with no problems and have always used it with lab pups from 8 wks of age, strictly under supervision.
I posted a topic a few days ago in Health called Gastro enteritis or something sinister and this post has got me thinking, whether it is raw hide that is making Brooke so ill. She is ill for days at a time and then gets well. Then gets ill again.
When she is well she gets raw hide and when ill of course she doesn't. I had been trying to think of things she was coming into contact with but couldn't. Now I ask myself could it be raw hide???????????

*I'd* put money on it, Nicolla.
Raw hide has enough bacteria on it anyhow. But if you think how it's multiplying in that ideal environment (stomach) whilst waiting to digest...yuk!!!

Hi JacquiN

In a way I hope it was the raw hide but if it was I owe Brooke big time she has been so ill and hospitalised as well!!!!!!!! What a horrible mum she has!!!!!!!!

That's not true, Nicolla :)

Many people give rawhide with no problems for their dogs at all. I *used* to give them my dogs until I caught one retching with a large piece that had got stuck. There are loads of things that some dogs do well with and yet others don't, doesn't make you a horrible mum, though! :)

That's what this board should be all about, passing on information. We can all gain something from everyone.

Best wishes to all, John

It's alright Brooke still loves me, although I don't think the other labs will when they don't get raw hide anymore.
However for christmas they all had very large Nylabones which they love, especially Quest who tries to gather them all up and lays on the other 8 while he chews one!!! Labradors, who'd have them :D

Stay clear of rawhide chews, it has been proven by dna testing that some have been derived from dogs hide (originated from china/philiphines). As there is usally no identification on the chews, you cannot be certain where they originate from. They can also cause salmonella as well as chocking and blockage. Any human touching these chews should also wash their hands as they to are at risk. They should bre banned.

i have given my doberman puppy the raw hide chews and to no ill effect, but after reading these posts will not be giving them him again.

I found that they kept him quiet for a while - well occupied - and saved him chewing my hand but also what works and is a nice treat to keep them occupied I find is a bonio biscuit pushed inside a Kong with a whole in middle. It nice to watch them use their brains in deciphering how to get the thing out of the Kong and again stops the hand mauling for a short while.

I once had a very scary moment when one of my GSD broke a chuck of soggy rawhide off a chew and got it jammed across the roof of his mouth. He was very distressed and luckily I managed to remove it myself without a trip to the vets but none of mine have ever had rawhide chews since.

Lisa
xx

Have you tried Gumabones or Nylabones? They are much better alternatives to rawhide. Not all dogs like them, but my aussie loves the Nylabones. You might also want to consider rope tugs. Your pup is going to need something to exercise it's teeth on rather than your shoes!

Anyone else have a alternative suggestion?

Frozen, stuffed kongs? Frozen, wet towels? They always went down well here.
My guys love their nylabones, too, but I've also read somewhere there is a risk with those. Something about not using them as a fetch toy (on hard floors) as they can shatter? I think.
The gumabones are great for small puppies, mine chewed chunks of those, though :o

BTW, I totally agree, John :)

Mine like the Kong ball with biscuits in it.
Kongs with peanut butter and kibble or melted cheese.
Activity ball or buster cubes.

I'm glad if this thread has helped Brooke! Do let us know wether it makes the difference :)
John, you are very right, I totally agree.
Nic :)

Quinn,
I haven't had a dog who liked or accepted Nylabones or Kongs since my lab mix. Every single other dog I've had never cared about them. Rubber? Nylon? Dental thready ropes?
If it's not edible, don't bother :rolleyes: I have quite a few of these things that are at least 5+ years old still sitting in the doggie box. I need to donate those things to the Base shelter. :)

Boodabones are liked by them, but rarely provided since they really cause the squirts :( :( :(
I use one type of rawhide chew --- Hartz Barbecue that comes three to a packet. They love to lick the coating off and then carry them around to show them off :rolleyes: :)
Occasional chew-cow hooves (lordy, the smell as those things get older + they can cut if you step on them :rolleyes: )
Pig ears that are fairly large and are daintily nibbled on by my two.
Senior Biscuits.
Oh ----- lots and lots and lots of plushy toys for samma + 1 ancient ratty ball that's Chienne's sucky blanket :P :D

That's basically it... their tummies and weight are happy, so I'm not too worried. Samma will ignore a rawhide chew for months and then go digging in her 'toybox' for a particular one, then consume it right in front of us with sheer joy :)
I wish there were more stuff that would be acceptable (sigh) At least it saves my pocket book :P :)

My pup will not touch Nylabones either. I never have had a dog that would, unfortunately. With this pup I gave her nothing but Nylabones and a Kong to start off with and she cares for neither. All she wants to do is chew and bite, but not the stuff she's supposed too.

I bought a huge compressed rawhide bone for me to distract her with while I am stripping her puppy coat. It works. But then my step daughter brought small rawhide bones as a Christmas present for the pup. I confess to letting her chew them, it gives me some peace! But I will now take them away, since I have already removed two stips of rawhide from her mouth that she could not chew. One had a very hard sharp edge as well. I will save the big bone though -- I need it!

Stacey

I give hide chews to my Dobe but not the knotty ones and I always give him a bone shaped one that looks too big for him. I take it away when he is about 2/3 of the way through ,He won't touch nylabones and loves pigs ears touch wood I've never had a problem ;)
Liz

I have to admit, my Pepper is the first dog I've ever seen take to Nylabones. When I worked in rescue none of the dogs would even lick them. But you never know, someone must be buying them otherwise they company would have stopped manufacturing them long ago. :)

U can buy flavored ones and ones with bumps. My big dog at first would just eat rawhide, until I read about it, so rawhide No more. Now he loves nylone bones, espescially the hercules bones and any with the raised bumps (dental tips). Any type nylone bone don't last too long in my house, I can't buy the gumabone because they are too soft. If u have a pup try the gumabone since they are softer and easier on the teeth/gums, the nylon bone may be too hard for the pup, as the pup grows u then may want to switch to nylon bones so the bone lasts longer.
ttfn :)

Hi All

Have just run round the house collecting all the rawhide chews that Morgan had When that's practically the only thing that my local pet shop sells, I never thought to question whether they were safe or not. Morgan doesn't like Nylabones but he loves his Kong. I will just have to find a way of making it last longer or he'll be on a diet like me pretty soon :-).

Thanks for bringing it to my attention before something bad happened!

Shirley

Hi Shirl,

I have done the same thing - all collected and thrown away and guess what - I was clearing out fridge about an hour ago, and gave Molly a little bit of ham which she choked on and frightened the life out of me (and herself) for a few minutes.

She is sleeping and feeling sorry for herself now and I am having a glass of wine :D

Gina