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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Puppies are notoriously aggressive chewers, but some dogs never grow out of chewing. If you want to save your shoes or furniture from untimely destruction—especially if you have to leave your pet unattended!—you may have offered rawhide treats to help.
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But could you be unknowingly putting your dog in danger? We talked to Los Angeles-based holistic veterinarian Dr Patrick Mahaney about the dangers of feeding rawhides and rounded up some safe alternatives. These include (see end of post for more detail):
Natural chews like Beams are safer than rawhides.
- Honest Kitchen Beams
- Bully Sticks
- Carrots
- KONG toys
- Nylabone
- SmartBones
- DreamBones
- Himalayan Dog Chew
- Naturally Shed Antlers
toys
Via Flickr
Dog-safe bones and some other natural chews are great, too, but be sure to give them under supervision. That’s where a trusted Rover.com dog walker or pet sitter who offers dog boarding can really help.
Why are Rawhides Dangerous for Dogs?
Rawhides are made from the inner layer of cow or horse hides (source). By the time they make it to the store, they are clean, usually white or brown, hard chews.
But what goes into making these chews? Pet nutrition blogger Rodney Habib describes the chemical-laden manufacturing process used for preserving and cleaning the hides. Hydrogen peroxide and bleach are commonly used, as well as artificial colours and preservatives like sodium benzoate.
Blogger Rodney Habib outlines the manufacturing process of many rawhide chews.
To avoid chemical byproducts, it’s important to do some research. Read labels or even call the manufacturer to ask what preservatives they used.
“Your typical manufacturer is going to use a chemical preservative to make sure the rawhide doesn’t spoil,” Dr. Mahaney says. “They don’t necessarily have to say what chemicals were used on the label.”
“Your typical manufacturer is going to use a chemical preservative to make sure the rawhide doesn’t spoil.”
Dr Mahaney suggests looking for labels that say “preservative-free,” or otherwise indicate no chemical preservatives were used to manufacture the rawhides. He says family farms who slaughter their own cows and dry their hides naturally in the sun are ideal.
“Rawhides aren’t inherently evil,” Dr Mahaney adds. “If dogs chew on a rawhide without chemicals, I’m not 100% anti-rawhides.”
In fact, rawhides can keep an aggressive chewer captive for hours—but make sure you monitor their intake and limit their chewing to an hour a day, or less, if they can tear through an entire rawhide in that time.
Choking Potential
There are other risks with giving these hard chews to your pet: mainly choking and getting lodged in the throat. Having rawhide stuck in the oesophagus is a dangerous and potentially deadly situation.
“Getting access to it is extremely challenging,” Dr. Mahaney says. “The best way is with an endoscope, but if one of the edges scrapes the inside of the oesophagus, whatever is in the oesophagus will leak out in small or large volumes, which can cause irritation and infection.”
If your dog does start to choke, try to pull the piece of rawhide out.
“It’s better to pull it forward than push it down,” Dr Mahaney adds.
But even if you can remove the rawhide yourself, you should still take your dog to the vet, in case any damage has occurred.
Teeth-Cleaning Myths
Many pet parents think rawhides are great for cleaning their dog’s teeth. While there is some validity to this, there are better options for keeping your dog’s chompers clean and their gums healthy.
A finger toothbrush can work wonders for your dog.
“Chewing on a treat does not equal a toothbrush,” Dr Mahaney says. “Ideally, you should be brushing daily.”
Rawhide Alternatives
As mentioned above, there are a number of safe, healthy alternatives to rawhides. We recommend giving these under supervision, due to the choking hazard for any chew.
1. Honest Kitchen Beams
Pure Icelandic fish tails. Stinky, but dogs love them.
2. Bully Sticks
Softer than rawhide, and irresistible to most dogs we know.
3. Carrots
An all-natural, vitamin A-packed, surprisingly popular dog treat.
4. KONG toys
Stuffable, rubber classic that keeps pups busy.
5. Nylabone
Seriously tough stuff. Plus, you know, comes in bacon flavor.
6. SmartBones
Digestible and seemingly delicious, based on our dogs’ reactions.
7. DreamBones
Dental chews that dogs can digest easily.
8. Himalayan Dog Chew
Our dogs are insane for this dehydrated yak cheese.
9. Naturally Shed Antlers
These are expensive but high-quality options that give dogs a chewing challenge.
The Bottom Line
Redirecting your dog’s natural tendency to chew by offering a tasty treat can save your furniture or shoes. Just make sure you know how your chews are being processed. Always monitor your dog with any chew toy, and take and throw away the small pieces as he gets to the end of the chew to prevent choking.
Final pro tip: don’t give chews unsupervised. A pet sitter or drop-in visitor can help if your dog needs a chew fix during the day!
Top image via Flickr/Shane Adams
