I have heard that rawhide (especially the knotted bones) are not safe for dogs because the hide can expand in their stomachs. Does anyone know if there's any truth to this? I hate for it to be so, since our dog only chews on rawhide!

Hi
Alot of people don't like the raw hide because of choking or big pieces coming off and blocking inside .My dog has them but not the knotty ones and touch wood he has been fine -each to their own :)
Liz

No definitely no it is not safe. I had a dog choke on some because they chew it until is soft and then try to swallow part of might be still hard and then it can puncture the intestines as it goes through.

HI
Most books that have information on rawhide chews and toys say once the chew/toy is small enough to swallow then it should be thrown away,on the point of expanding i would think it will if part of the chew wasnt well moist or chewed before the dog swallowed it.

It's not just when the chew is small enough to be swallowed, it's the pieces which the dog breaks off and swallows. I never use them and haven’t for years

Regards, John

All my dogs, past and present have all had hide chews all their lives, never had a problem. Common sense tell you when they are getting too small and should be taken away. I always buy the chews a size bigger than perhaps the size of the dog suggests.
Dawn.

i dont use them either, when theyre soft they become sort of adhesive flopping and sticking, they can adhere to places they shouldnt, and wont break down easily!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should use instead? He's always chewed rawhide and tends to turn his nose up at the corn starch bones. He's a very aggressive chewer, and it's because of his bones that he doesn't touch the furniture (one of his redeeming qualities!).

Hi

I don't give mine rawhide after owning a GSD who used to chew lumps off and then gag on them. I moved onto nylabones but he was never really bothered about them.
The two Goldens I own now LOVE their nylabones and have a good chew each evening. They cannot break bits off them although they do get smaller with time.

[link https://www.petplanet.co.uk/shop/product.asp?dept%5Fid=10&pf%5Fid=0469]Nylabone[/link]
Note the type - not the gumabones bones as they destroy them and swallow lumps of that too :rolleyes:

SaraW :)

I just wanted to thank you for the Nylabone suggestion. Didn't think that my lab would go for it (he tends to prefer the messy, stinky bones!), but he hasn't put down his Nylabone since I gave it to him four hours ago -- and it's still in great shape!! Also, it doesn't mark up the walls when he tosses it about! Thanks so much!

The tougher Nylabones area tasteless but if you sit in a bowl or pot of chicken stock that does the trick..:-) will last longer than 15 mins then.

Pam

Pam - don't you find the chicken stock gets in funny places if you sit in it for 15mins? Or are you meaning to leave the Nylabone in the stock for 15 mins??...... LOL

Digger,

You were very quick there,

I prefer sitting in chocolate .:-)

Pam

Hello Crazydog
There is hundreds of ways a dog can choke or get internal injuries chewing :ie bones ,sticks,rubber toys and stuff around the house,if your dog is happy chewing rawhide leave him be,there are loads of pro`s and con`s about rawhide as you can read in the posts just monitor the dog chewing for your peace of mind and your dogs own wellbeing(happy chewing for your dogee).

I never give rawhide either, I think toys are ment to give a good chew and not be eaten. I use nylonbones because they are harder then gumabone. I also use the dental bones, hercules, and the galileo (which is suppose to be one of the strongest nylonbones). My dogs just love the ones with the dental tips they will chew those for hours. I also give dog ropes but only supervised, and I give them kongs to, I find the black ones last longer.
ttfn :)

Hi we have a Bull Terrier pup and we were told by the breeder that you should never give rawhide as it does not dislove in their stomach.The best things to get are the Nylabone chews as they are digestable and the dogs love them.You can get all different flavours ours loves the bacon flavour and the fruit flavoured ones.
Kim

My Cairn terrier pup can demolish a Nylabone edible bone in 15 minutes. I would go broke buying these trying to keep her occupied chewing! Even though I do not think they are ideal, I will give her compressed rawhide bones, but only when someone is there to supervise.

Stacey

I have been giving my 14 week old pup raw hide, might think twice now..thought I was doing him a favour - did not realise there was a safety issue..better take that bone off him when I get home at lunch!! :-(

I always give mine rawhide, have never had a problem and will continue to use them, infact they get left everyday with rawhide chews. :) They find Nylabones very boring...Munsters like to chew then eat, chewing isn't enough for them, they like something going into their stomachs!!!!!!

I dont use rawhide anymore after reading that some rawhide chews sold in the UK that were imported from Asia were found to have dog hide in them, better safe than sorry !!!!!!

My dog first loved his Nylabone, but now that the "newness" excitement of a new chew has worn off, he won't touch it. His favourite are Dingo bones (the rawhide bones with meat-flavorite pieces inside), but they are just too expensive to give him every day -- besides, he demolishes them within 15 minutes!

I give my puppies and dogs "Rasks" as a foodie treat, they last small puppies ages, but the grown ups devour them in no time. They are supposed to be good for the teeth/plaque preventers. None of mine give nylabones the time of day!!

HI

I give my dogs real raw meaty bones and the pressed hide ones too. I think it is very much up to what your dog is like as to what you give them. My red setter is very careful and will chew and chew stuff until it is litle enough to swallow safely and the bullmastiff will try swallow anything - the bigger and soggier the better so she has stuff taken off her when it gets too swallowable and passed over to the Setter to finish off. The rawhide bones do turn into chamois leather at the end of the day if your dog just chews and never swallows them - they are disgusting! Big soggy and spongey. Raw beefy bones however can be chewed safely - they can be a bit messy, but that is one thing that my bullmastiff does chew completely and not swallow so it's all up to you as you know your dog best. Have you tried them with raw carrots? Mine both love them and although can make a bit of mess if they don't eat it all it is a very cheap healthy alternative to bones and rawhide chews. But be warned they do 'come out' looking identical to when they went in!!!

Let me know how you get on with the carrots!

Jenny

Jenny,

Snap my 2 love carrots, My wee bitch if she had her way would eat only veggies. Against everythig we believe. She is fed balance though regardless.

IF you think how different Humans eat ... sometimes makes you wonder.

Pam