Though no chew can be completely risk-free, it is wise to monitor your pup while they gnaw on his rawhide treat – particularly those dogs that tend to inhale it whole!
Chewing can provide dogs with a natural form of self-soothing activity, while at the same time keeping their teeth clean, improving dental health, and eliminating bad breath. Rawhide chew toys are popularly chosen among many pups; however, their manufacturing can make them potentially dangerous.
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Choking hazard
Though dogs love chewing on rawhide dog bones, they can pose a potential choking hazard due to its potential to break down into very small pieces that become dangerously easy for their pup to swallow. Therefore, it’s essential that you monitor their chewing and remove treats if they become too small for their digestive systems to digest.
Rawhide may be natural, but it’s often processed using chemicals to clean and preserve it before being sold to pet owners. To help minimize chemical exposure for both you and your pet, look for high-quality US-made rawhides; these may have less chemicals.
As well as choking risks, rawhides pose additional concerns when chewed on by teething puppies and aggressive chewers. Another concern with rawhide chewing is tooth damage caused by aggressive teething puppies or aggressive chewers. Another major risk from rawhide chewing can be gastrointestinal blockage and distress in dogs; intestinal blockage can even prove fatal for some breeds of dog; to protect yourself and your puppy’s wellbeing while chewing, monitor when your puppy is chewing and remove when its size makes swallowing impossible – for more advice consult your veterinarian!
Inflammation
Rawhide-chewing dogs may develop a condition known as halitosis, caused by bacteria. This condition can lead to painful symptoms and potentially result in tooth loss; additionally, inflammation inflames gums leading to gingivitis; left untreated this can escalate to periodontitis – an even more serious and life-threatening health problem.
Rawhide can be composed of beef, pig or sheep hides. Additionally, various chemicals, including preservatives may be added during processing to affect digestibility of rawhide chews; depending on where they’re made this could vary in concentration – for maximum safety make sure the chews come from within the United States.
Digestive tract blockage
Rawhide can become lodged in your dog’s stomach or lower digestive tract and become indigestible, potentially leading to blockages and obstructions which could potentially become life-threatening for them.
Rawhide can cause irreparable dental damage in pets. Veterinarians have reported an increase in the number of dogs needing dental work due to chewing rawhide and other bone-like chews.
Rawhide that your dog enjoys chewing begins its life as the skin of cows, pigs, sheep, water buffalos, or other animals and then treated with various chemicals including chemical preservatives, ash-lye chemical puffers bleach colors and flavors to give your pup something tasty to chew on. Unfortunately many of these chemicals don’t absorb into the rawhide itself and end up passing into his stool instead – this is why only providing appropriate-sized rawhides to your pup and closely supervising his chewing to avoid swallowing large chunks which might otherwise choke them out!
Environmental toxins
Rawhide can be difficult for dogs to digest, which may result in intestinal blockage. While the term rawhide refers to any animal hide derived from horses, cattle, buffalo or even combinations thereof – so when selecting rawhide chew treats it is important that those specifically described as beefhide come exclusively from cow hides.
Rawhide is an affordable industrial waste byproduct commonly sold at big box stores, pet shops and outdoor shops. Made of leftover scraps from manufacturing facilities and processed using toxic chemicals such as sodium benzoate preservative, food dye FD&C Red 40 as well as metals like lead and arsenic; reports have surfaced of salmonella contamination from rawhide products.
