What is rawhide?
Rawhide is the outside of the cow- the hide. It is then taken and made into different shapes and styles to become dog chews. But since rawhide is unregulated, many can contain antibiotics, lead, and insecticides. Also with rawhide made in other countries, an arsenic based preservative is sometimes used.
Why is rawhide bad?
There are many reasons why feeding your dog rawhide is a bad idea. Rawhide is very hard to digest, thus it can easily get stuck in your dog’s esophagus or intestinal tract and cause a blockage and intestinal obstruction. It can also splinter, into sharp pieces, risking perforated your dog’s intestines and other internal injuries.
Rawhides digest very slowly and if consumed in large amounts quickly can actually cause vomiting or diarrhea. These large pieces of rawhide can also get lodged in your dog’s throat and cause choking. Large chunks can also scrap and irritate the esophagus as it goes does, which will cause coughing, irritation, and then possible infection. The worst types of rawhides are the ones that are thin chips or have knots on them. Dogs can quickly and easily break these off into pieces that they cannot chew and digest.
Lastly, rawhides are wasted calories. They contain nothing. If given in large amounts, they could make your dog gain unwanted weight.
These are the most common rawhide risks:
• Contamination. As with pet toys, rawhide chews can contain trace amounts of toxic chemicals. And, as with other pet (or human) foods, Salmonella or E. coli contaminations are possible. Even humans can be at risk when coming into contact with these bacteria on rawhide treats.
• Digestive irritation. Some dogs are simply sensitive or allergic to rawhide or other substances used in their manufacture. This can cause problems, including diarrhea.
• Choking or blockages. Rawhide bones and other edible chews can pose a choking and blockage risk. In fact, this is a much bigger risk than contamination or digestive irritation. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes a vet can remove these pieces fairly easily through the throat. But sometimes open surgery is needed to remove them. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.
