rawhide bones safe or not?

[lululove]

I have a 3 1/2 month female brindle lulu and love her to death..I keep hearing different opions on rawhide bones. I read a article that said the only safe bone is raw bones..That rawhide bones and pigs ears splinter and cause problems. Of course when you go to the pet store they say they are safe. Any thoughts, advise..thanks so much

 

[Jagers Mommy]

I agree, I've heard so many horror stories about rawhides, pigs ears etc that I will NEVER give them to my baby! I did hear raw bones are fine, but Jager's still not allowed to have those either. I don't want to risk him choking or anything on these things, so I don't give them to him. He's perfectly content with his plastic (indestructable) bones and toys! He doesn't even know that he's missing something! But if you do decide to give them to your dog, don't give them to him while he's so young, that's dangerous. Oh, and ALWAYS watch him while playing with toys! Unless it's completely indestructable! We don't want any accidents to happen while we're not around!

 

[gmacleod]

Yes, but pet stores say that cooked bones (the source of most of the horror stories of perforations and impactions you hear about bones in vet offices) are safe. And that greenies are safe (witness the fuss over multiple pet deaths a year or so ago due to those).

The fact of life is that nothing that goes into your, or your dog's mouth is 100% safe. You can choke on anything, even a peanut. Some things are safer than others though, and the safest (for dogs) are natural items - not man-made substitutes.

If you need more information on raw hides and so forth, do try the search engine. There have been many links posted over time that detail the chemical processes that those things go through and problems that they cause. Here's one: http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126588 but there are many others. Even just thinking about it - hide is effectively leather, and aside from the lack ofdigestibilty, the chemical processes those things have to go through should be enough to send a few warning signals. Put another way - would you put animal hide washed in lime or arsenic into your own mouth?

 

[Lola's mum]

Our last dog had rawhide all the time but after reading on here they were a bad idea i would never give them to a dog again. Best to be safe than sorry.

 

[ELubas]

I think the safest way to go is with a raw bone. There is nothing that tastes better to them and at least you know they are free of chemicals, which is certainly not true of rawhide. And all pups need to be supervised when enjoying a bone anyway. Mine get them as a treat once inawhile and marrow bones are by far thier favorite

 

[bucksteemom2]

What is a raw bone? I have always given my boys raw hides but now I wont. I have tried Nylabones but mine dont want anything to do with them. My Milo is a major chewer so i need something to keep his mouth busy

 

[kayboxer]

The only bad thing about raw bones is they cannot have them in the house. Mine refuse to eat their chewies on a hard floor, so they drag them to the carpet. I try to put down an old sheet at snack time so they don't ruin the carpet. In the winter, you can't send them outside to eat a bone. I used to buy Roxy raw bones from the local meat plant but quit because she wanted to eat them inside. :(

 

[totallyhip]

We will never feed them again! When we first got Luke we gave him a rawhide bone and he was really enjoying it. After chewing it for a while he started choking on it and my hubby had to stick his hand down his mouth to grab it out.

I was terrified:( I would feed a raw bone over a rawhide bone anyday!

 

[ELubas]

The only bad thing about raw bones is they cannot have them in the house. Mine refuse to eat their chewies on a hard floor, so they drag them to the carpet. I try to put down an old sheet at snack time so they don't ruin the carpet. In the winter, you can't send them outside to eat a bone. I used to buy Roxy raw bones from the local meat plant but quit because she wanted to eat them inside. :(

Yes, they are messy. I give them pretty infrequently and if it is winter I wait for one of those sunny days and let them eat it on the deck. They are happy to lay in the sun with their bone

 

[argosrocks]

i dont trust anything large pet stores tell me or try and sell me,that said,rawhides are nasty,and most anything you find in a grocery store that is designed as a treat,you should read the labels first,they are loaded with ingredients that are a red flag,,,,ie,,,glutens,preservatives,food colors,etc,,,,,