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Last Updated on December 19, 2023 by Thee Puppypreneur
CAN DOGS EAT RAWHIDE
Is rawhide bad for dogs? Well, if you ask around you will likely get mixed reviews. So, can dogs eat rawhide? Yes, they can but it isn’t the greatest treat you can feed your dog in my opinion. The better question is should you feed rawhide to your dog?
Rawhide for dogs, can… like anything that is capable of being gnawed down into little, itty, bitty bits pose a choking hazard and cause a whole host of other issues that I list below.
I know this firsthand as I bought a rawhide, flat strip for my little girl a while ago and I heard her choking as the strip had got lodged sideways in her throat as it has gotten smaller from the chewing.
Thankfully, she is ok and didn’t suffer any injuries and I am very fortunate that I don’t walk away when I give her treats or toys. She only gets supervised items and you should always monitor your furbaby whenever giving them toys or treats.
WHAT IS RAWHIDE MADE OF
Well for starters rawhide is made of the animal’s skin or hide that has been treated and sanitized (you hope). Rawhide is not cooked and is actually dried then shaped.
However, there is always a risk for contamination and there are inevitably the dreaded recalls, as with any item it could happen. The hides are treated chemically, do you think that pure, bright white is natural?
WHY IS RAWHIDE BAD FOR DOGS
We have already covered the choking part of it and the chemical part of it and now that leads us to digestibility. It is very hard on a dog’s digestion.
I have even been so inclined in the past to give my other dog cow hooves. Now whiles these are not considered rawhide and are actually harder, I will still use this as an example. It resulted in him loving the treat so much that after he consumed it, I would then be cleaning up vomit and undigested pieces, so obviously that treat or treats like it didn’t happen anymore.
So here is another reason to add to, why is rawhide bad for dogs, and that is that anything that is too hard could pose an issue for your furbaby’s gums or teeth causing cuts in the mouth and gums to bleed.
Toys such as rawhide, that are too hard can wear down the teeth or even chip or break them causing more problems and unwanted veterinary bills. My other little 5-pound furbaby was given a rawhide and somehow the front tooth came out.
She was older of course so you might want to take that into consideration as well when you are choosing chew toys. As age definitely plays a factor and also gum and tooth health. Keep in mind that puppy teeth are infinitely sharper.
ARE RAWHIDE BONES GOOD FOR DOGS
On another note, it actually has been determined in a study with 67 dogs that consuming rawhide,
“up to 3 rawhide strips/d for 3 weeks was safe”1 Lage A, Lausen N, Tracy R, Allred E. Effect of chewing rawhide and cereal biscuit on removal of dental calculus in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1990 Jul 15;197(2):213-9. PMID: 2384322 Effect of chewing rawhide and cereal biscuit on removal of dental calculus in dogs – PubMed (nih.gov)
Dogs that chewed on rawhide actually ended up removing calculus from their teeth although this wasn’t uniform in removal as dogs tend to favor one side of the mouth when chewing on bones and rawhide, thus removing plaque and tartar a little better in certain areas then others.
So when asking yourself, are rawhide bones good for dogs, just remember the pros and cons. I think it’s a matter of personal preference, dental health of your dog, age of your dog, and type of rawhide being given to your dog.
You need to consider all these factors if you are going to give rawhide to your furbaby. As I mentioned a couple scenarios where rawhide just didn’t work out for my furbabys.
ALTERNATIVES TO RAWHIDE FOR DOGS
Now I know, I know, rawhide is cheap and they last a long time. But, are they worth the risk? Your furbaby could choke or vomit.
There are so many other options out there that are more digestible like
which have different varieties such as lamb ears or lamb tripe that are air dried and come from New Zealand.
Or for something different try
Amazon.com : Dr. Harvey‘s Sweet Potate’r Chews – Natural Sweet Potato Treat for Dogs (16 ounces) : Pet Supplies
that are grown in the USA and then dehydrated to give your dog the exercise he needs for his gums, teeth and jaw.
Another option is
this bone is made of nylon, made in the USA and infused with real pieces of bacon. I am not sure if this bone is BPA free however but they claim it is non-toxic.
As with anything you provide for yourself or your furbaby do your due diligence first. It is for chewers but you need to monitor your pet while they are enjoying this. It is very durable so you could also run the risk of chipping a tooth.
I noticed that my little girl favored one side of her mouth while chewing this bone and she couldn’t get enough of it, literally all day long so she started wearing down her tooth in the back on one side.
So, make sure you monitor your furbaby and only give it once in a while and for small increments of time. Also, the little pieces your dog chews might break off so you want to be sure and pick up those pieces so they don’t eat them.
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