Rawhide and why it’s dangerous
 

I wanted to remind everyone how bad rawhide is because if you noticed lots of stores have them on the end caps now all nicely decorated for Christmas. Rawhide is not actually made out of edible stuff and is treated with toxic chemicals. It also swells in the stomach then causing blockages. Please don’t give your dogs rawhide. Here is a pretty good video about it.

https://youtu.be/Oc265q0ZRss

Depends on the rawhide and depends on the dog. I personally will never use it, but this is worth reading:

Is Rawhide Bad for Dogs? - American Kennel Club

What’s everyone using for their dogs teeth these days?

I don't use anything for that reason because it simply doesn't work imo. They still end up needing dentals.

The one product I swear by though is Ora Vet gel. They also make chews but I don't use them because they are edible and I don't trust anything edible except for food.

This issue with that article is the AKC sells their own brand of rawhide so it could be to save face and sell their products. Formaldehyde is used to strip the hide of its hair and stuff that’s why they only say chemicals are used. If you take a piece of rawhide and put it in a glass or bowl of water it swells and is hard to break apart and that seems very dangerous for that to be in a stomach. I can pretty much guarantee you that what Walmart and most stores minus maybe pet stores is not height quality or made in the US. There are so many other safe options in my opinion. My girls are also extreme chewers so according to that article it wouldn’t be a great thing for them.

The best thing you can do is brush and get dentals as needed.

Dexter would bite me

Lol

These rawhides have always made me nervous. Even just looking at them with their fake dyed colors and stuff, LOL... Jackson has gotten some from family members for Christmas presents and I never give them to him lol

Rawhide in general makes me nervous. I used to feed the CET chews and the way it gets so soggy etc just freaks me out because Jackson tries to swallow the last chunk so I'd have to grab it from me, but then when he thinks I'm gonna take it, he would start trying to chew faster/swallow it. :rolleyes:

I give regular sized bully sticks on occasion. Jackson needs to chew. And every other thing I've tried lasts him all of 30 seconds to under 2 minutes. He's a bigger boy though (18lbs) but my cockapoo who is the same size is SUCH a slower chewer lol. It's nice when things actually last her a long time. I get the bully sticks from Chewy.com usually Barkworthies brand. But sometimes I get them from the local pet store.

I do give Dentastix sometimes and Purina Dentalife. They don't last very long but it "satisfies" him on some nights. These are more like a treat though. The Dentalife things are VOHC approved so proven to help teeth in some way.

Also, Earth Animal No-Hide Chews (these don't last my dude long at all, but they'd last a smaller dog a bit longer, I'm sure). They last longer than dentastix type treats though. Jax can eat one of these in probably... 5-7 minutes if I had to guess? lol

I do believe the chewing has helped his teeth because all of his back teeth which he uses for chewing are really strong and were way cleaner than his front teeth (he had to get the 6 bottom incisors pulled at his recent dental, vet said dogs don't use them anyway, and I wasn't brushing like a bad mom :() but those back ones were in really good shape she said. His bone in that lower area where the bottom incisors were pulled was very weak whereas the rest was stronger.

I know it's mostly genetics overall for teeth health (and using products to maintain them and getting professional dentals as needed).... but I think a lot of dogs can benefit from chewing. It just comes natural to them.

My vet told me to use OraVet chews, I give it to him every other day because his poop gets a "little" soft, not nice and firm, I also buy Red Barn Bully sticks the 12 inch size, he's not a tiny, he's a 12 Lb boy and it lasts longer. I don't get the braided ones, just the stick type ones. At night I wrap it in tin foil and put it in the fridge, I give it to him the days I don't give him the OraVet chews.

I have watched videos how the raw hide is processed, bleach is used to whiten it :eek:

I stopped giving my dogs rawhide 20 years ago when my cousins dog swallowed a very large piece, he never passed it, surgery had to be performed to get it out.

Sometimes it can be taught. I mess with their teeth as soon as I get them as pups to get them used to it.

That’s what Callie would do with bully sticks when I would try to get the last bit.

I do have to warn to be careful with bully sticks they can break teeth it happened to Callie.

Well, like I said, I don't and would never use them; but the fact is it depends on who is making them and the dog. There are many factors involved. I never said that Walmart has safe ones....I don't think they have much in the way of safe edible items for dogs.

I don't know that the article was biased....they actually said there are safer alternatives.

Yeah, I don't give any of that stuff. Creeps me out. I don't like edible chews

Sorry, but I had to laugh at this. :D:p;)

That and when I try to brush his fur

Grrrr

I'm sorry....are you serious? Did you get him like that or he learned to bite from you? :p

I hope you know I am messing with you. I have had biters... have one now that is a foster.

He’s kind of like me when I get a haircut and my stylist tries to brush my hair afterwards :)

:eyetearss:eyetearss:eyetearss

I'm terrified that Fabian will choke on the billy stick "stumps" when they get too small, so I discard them after he goes to bed. He now sleeps with one eye open...<g>

There is one chew I like from Walmart which are edible nylabones made in the US with little nubby things on them but honestly I think that’s the only thing made in the US and safe in my opinion at Walmart. But with three I don’t give chews that much anymore because Callie gets done before everyone else, Joey try’s to take Penny’s and it takes Penny a long time. It’s a lot of work for me if I give them one lol.

Any opinions on those hard-as-rock elk antler sections that they sell at Petsmart? I didn't use to see them, but now they are all over the place--maybe it's a Christmas promotion because they look like reindeer. They look like they could crack teeth and splinter. Yuck!

Edit: Just found this article on AKC website: http://www.akc.org/content/dog-care/...ers-safe-dogs/

Rawhide with chicken jerky (pork & beef hide)
 

My snickers loves these, i have to grab them as soon as she eats the jerky tho or she will hide them and i will find her chewing on the pork and beef rawhide later.

I wish i could find something she responds to as well...:confused:

Here is a list of VOHC *Veterinary Oral Health Council) approved chews:

http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf

Although those things are approved, it is with some qualifiers, so it is good to read these links:

Veterinary Oral Health Council

Veterinary Oral Health Council

I have heard they crack teeth. A quick google search yielded this :

Your Pet Dentist Why antlers for dogs are dangerous

I've given Greenies to Bella on occasion. It's good to see that they made the approved list.