Rawhide bones provide puppies with an outlet for their natural urge to chew, helping to alleviate teething pain and limit destructive chewing behavior. These treats also serve to decrease teething discomfort while deterring destructive behavior like destruction chewing.
But bones can be harmful if large pieces are eaten by your pup; these could potentially cause digestive discomfort and obstructions that lead to blockages and digestive distress.
To reduce this risk, boil rawhide bone in water with low-sodium broth or bouillon cube.
Contents
Size
Puppies and young dogs instinctively have an urge to chew. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads to them chewing on woodwork, furniture and other objects which could potentially become damaged or broken. Rawhide bones provide a satisfying chewing option while at the same time helping control destructive chewing behaviors in pets.
Select a rawhide bone appropriate for the size and breed of your dog. A puppy or small breed that chews too large of a rawhide bone could choke on it or have it lodge in their stomach and cause digestive distress or blockage.
As well as considering its size, take into account its hardness and texture when purchasing rawhide bones for your pup. The more textured or harder it is, the longer it takes for puppies to chew it down and digest. Furthermore, be wary of buying from countries outside the US since these may not meet safety and sanitation requirements.
Shape
Rawhide chews can help satisfy their dog’s instinctive urge to chew on objects like shoes or furniture legs, but swallowing large pieces could lead to intestinal blockages or even choking in some instances.
Puppies are particularly susceptible to these issues due to having teeth that are still developing and need chews that protect and massage their baby teeth, rather than hard, brittle bones like rawhide.
If you’re giving your pup rawhide, read its label to ensure it was made in the US without toxic chemicals. Otherwise, there are other options such as organic veggies for them to gnaw on, frozen kongs filled with peanut butter or chicken breast or bully sticks made from cattle feces or antlers from animals which don’t shed.
Flavor
Dogs love to chew, and chewing helps them maintain clean teeth and strong jaws. Chewing also serves as a comforting activity, and many pups delight in munching rawhide bones or strips for relief from anxiety or stress.
Rawhides can be dangerous treats due to the way they are produced. Traditional rawhide is made using hypodermic interstitial tissue derived from animal skin (typically free-range cattle), cleaned using various chemicals such as water, bleach or hydrogen peroxide and then either smoked or dried for smoking or drying.
Rawhide can cause blockages in both the stomach and intestines if swallowed in large pieces, and is often contaminated with salmonella, making both humans and canines very sick. Because of these risks, it’s wise to steer clear of rawhides altogether in favor of safer chews for puppies (soft chews that protect and massage teeth while seniors need soft ones for reduced muscle tone and bone structure) or seniors (which need soft chews that massage jaws) — always supervise when chewing occurs and remove any potential choke risks immediately if any occur).
Precautions
Pet owners must take certain measures when handling rawhide bones and chews for their pups in order to ensure they can enjoy them without incident. First, they should consider their dog’s chewing style; some dogs may engage in slow, methodical chewing that results in small chunks being broken off to be swallowed whole which could result in obstruction or choking hazards.
Many rawhide products made outside the United States pose another concern; many pet parents do not know which chemicals were used to clean, preserve and bleach these rawhide products and which ones might irritate their dogs’ mouth, stomach and digestive tracts.
Rawhide should also be avoided by puppies and senior dogs as it can harm their developing teeth or jaws. Teething puppies need soft chews to protect the delicate baby teeth; while older dogs often have diminished muscle tone and bone structure that increases their risk of fractured tooth or jawbone from chews like rawhide.
