can anybody tell me whether the compressed raw hide chews are ok to give to dogs.  My 6 month old lab adores them and they keep her quiet for ages but a friend of mine just finished reading a book about Jack Russells in which it says never to give these to them as they can be very harmful and cause problems with the stomach. 
Thanks
Van

I have never used the ones with knots on the ends and have now also given up on the flat bone shaped ones,as Spice got a bit caught in her throat and it frightened both her and I! We now use only raw veggies and the chews designed for removing tarter.I always supervise her when she has chews just in case she gets into difficulties :) I suppose it is down to personal preference,we still use her kong though and have found stuffing it with homemade liver cake amuses her for hours :D
Jacqueline :)

I personally never give raw hide chews. It is possible for a dog to break off pieces which then get swallowed. In the stomach they then absorb moisture causing the piece to swell and so possibly cause an obstruction. I stress that it is rare but it can and has happened.

Regards, John

I won't give them either - not even supervised.  My ESS had one and got it stuck between her top teeth - she was already tearing at her face with her paws to try and remove it - and I was in the same room!!  Nasty things :(

I won't give any type to my cavvies as 2 of them have choked before on raw hide chews

Hi Van,

The majority of dogs have no problem with rawhide.  However, I rarely give it to my dogs.  When I do it's a compressed rawhide bone and I am there to supervise.

In strips chewed rawhide is very pliable and sticky and it can easily get stuck between their teeth or wedged up in the roof of their mouth.   Once in twenty years of owning dogs I needed to remove a piece, but that was enough.

Stacey

In one of the dog magazines there was something about a bull mastiff who had died after eating a rawhide chew, and i have heard other worrying stories, to be frank i wish they weren't sold at all. I think they are unsafe.

Lindsay
X

I hadnt fed rawhide chews for years up until the other day,one minute my dog was happily chewing away,i was in another oom when i heard a gagging noise,she was foaming at the mouth and the chew was stuck in her throat,thank god i was there as i had to pull it out!
Some people are scared to feed raw meaty bones as they have heard a story that dogs can choke on them,i have bben feeding rmb's for over 20 years now and never had a problem.Rawhides have no nutritional value,it is much easier to give a big juicy bone ,at least they get chewing pleasure plus all the goodness that comes with them.

Raw bones are not safe either.  Nothing is "safe".  I'm not advocating any kind of chew - the fact of the matter is dogs should chew something that helps them keep tartar down on their teeth and *anything* capable of doing that, plus being chewed or swallowed, is fundamentally not safe and can cause problems.   I know more people that have had problems with raw bones than those that have had problems with rawhide chews, but personally both are rarely given to my dogs.

Stacey

A dog died last week from eating a rawhide chew.............

Can't think of any reason to give them, you don't know where they come from, you don't what chemicals have been used to "bleach" them..........

Would never touch them myself, prefer to feed my dogs raw bones.

I have heard of dogs choking on kibble and also dying of bloat.Tohme reminded me of all the horrid chemicals associated with rawhide such as fermeldahide etc.

This is just my opinion but i think it's cruel to deny any dog a big fat meaty bone,once you see the joyous look on their faces and the almost daze like expression on their faces while their gnawing away,it's just priceless.I can understand people not wanting to fed Barf,but i think it's a dogs god given right to have rmb's on a regular basis as well as a neccesaty,the last thing on my mind when i feed bones is the teeth cleaning benefits,they are just an added bonus,chicken necks for example are a balanced meal in themselves,afterall, rmb's have been in their natural diet for tens of thousands of years,cant say the same about boring old kibble,which my dogs will only eat if i give them an appetite stimulant in the mornings! You just cant fob off what is a part of the canines natural diet,it's bad enough that us humans pump ourselves full of processed stuff,we shouldnt be enforcing it onto our dogs,afterall we have a choice,they DONT.

Feeding bones just takes a little common sense and time on behalf of the owner,you rarely hear the full story of why these dogs choked,i have never heard a bone choking story myself .The first few times a dog is given a bone it must be supervised so you can find out if he is a chewer or a gulper and then you feed to suit the individual dog.My dogs have no problems with pork necks for example,but my neighbours dog would probaly swallow one whole,there is no rocket science involved,just a little common sense :) Bones are dont only provide immense enjoyment but they provide a wealth of nutrients,not to mention jaw and teeth exercise,they also stimulate them physically AND mentally,a big meaty bone can keep my dogs occupied all day long :D Both my shih-tzu's are munching away on a pork rib each as i type, which they got for desert this evening,after they've finished they will sleep all night long like contented logs :)

" You just cant fob off what is a part of the canines natural diet,"

And you cannot just fob off the fact that raw bones can and have caused serious problems, such as chocking and injury from bones stuck in the mouth or throat, perforated intestines, intestinal blockages, prematurely worn and broken teeth.  You may not have heard of any of them happening, however, apart from the worn/broken teeth I have either a friend or acquaintance that has experienced them at one time or another from feeding BARF.  It's why I do not feed raw bones to my dogs.   And why my friends whose dogs have had problems with bones now use a grinder. 

"Feeding bones just takes a little common sense and time on behalf of the owner,you rarely hear the full story of why these dogs choked,i have never heard a bone choking story myself .The first few times a dog is given a bone it must be supervised so you can find out if he is a chewer or a gulper and then you feed to suit the individual dog"  

So choking on a raw bone is always the fault of the owner then?  If it's a dogs "god given right" to have raw meaty bones than perhaps it's always their god given right to die from them too, which is what would happen in nature.  No one was around to check to see if their dog was a "gulper" or "chewer."   That truely is a nonsensical argument for feeding bones.  I'd rather not take the chance with my dogs with bones, apart from an occassional raw knuckle bone. As is a dogs enjoyment of them - they enjoy eating poisons like antifreeze and chocolate too, what dogs like to eat and what's good for them to eat are often two different things.

Stacey

Thank you all so much for your response to my topic.  I am not going to give her raw hide chews any more although I must admit they did succeed in keeping her blissfully quiet and occupied for a while.
Would Marrow Bone ie Shank Bone be ok?  I have heard that these are fine as they can't split or splinter.
Any other ideas for things for a dog to chew on would also be welcome.
Thanks
Van

Raw bones are fine, the bigger the better and remove them when the marrow, cartilage etc is removed as they can break teeth!

Depending on the type of dog you have carrots, cabbage, cauliflower hearts, stuffed kongs, nylabones etc etc

I am not really an expert on bones but when you say raw bones are fine - what types?  What should I be asking for or looking for in the butchers?
thanks
Van

knuckle bones or shin bones.

I only give my dogs marrow bones, raw, I believe they dont splinter, I would never give them any other type of bones ever.        Sheila.

It seems sad STACEY that you worry about feeding bones because of the small risk. Rawhide is well known for causing problems, as any vet will tell you...but the risk from a raw bone is much much less. ( cooked bones splinter and are not safe). 
We  cannot eliminate risk from our lives or our dogs lives....and don't forget that a dog or person can choke on ANY sort of food....biscuit, tinned food, etc . Would you stop feeding all food that wasnt pureed? I personally saw someone choke to death on a sausage once....but I still wouldn't suggest that sausages are somehow dangerous.
If we became obsessed with trying to eliminate all risks, we would never take dogs to the park( risk of slipping breaking leg), never let them mingle with other dogs( risk of infection), never go in the car ( risk of RTA)

My best advice to anyone is to avoid things that are known to be HIGH risk, but try not to be over cautious.
Cathy

Well said pinklillies.
it is sad that someones unjust paranoia can affect their dogs life.There is no use in living with "what iffs" and "maybe's" you cannot argue with nature and the natural canine diet which it is designed to eat,imo it's a mute point! Maybe i should stop feeding kibble just incase my dogs choke or die of bloat because it happened to such and such,i prefer to go by own experience rather than worry about what happened to someone elses dog.

Hi Cathy,

I think you missed my point.  The point is that there is a danger to anything, just as you said.   What I find irresponsible is people who suggest that there is no danger in feeding dogs raw bones.   That because they are "natural" they are 100% safe, which is utter nonsense.

With regard to advice from vets, it's the opposite of what you stated.  Most any vet will tell you there is a risk with bones, few will tell you there is a risk with rawhide.  In fact, many vets sell those rawhide flip things. 

I do watch them if I give them something hard to chew, whether it's a raw marrow bone, or a compressed rawhide, or a Greenies, or an edible Nylabone .. whatever.   That's just common sense.

Stacey

I agree with you stacey apart from one smallpoint....every vet I have ever been to in the last 20 years has advised against rawhide, and I have never been to a vet that sells it. I suppose your experience of vets is differentto mine.
Cathy

I am always shocked to see rawhide in a vets surgery, but there they are in most of the vets in my area.  Maybe it's a regional thing .. some salesperson must push these products to vets.

Stacey

I don't think that there is anything 'on sale' in my vet's :)

Daisy