pressed rawhide bones?

saza · #1 10-22-2009, 12:52 PM

wats the deal with rawhide treats/bones? i only give LuLu them when I supervise since she goes right through them very quickly. If she starts to rip pieces off, I take it away and cut off all the loose parts and them give it back for a couple more minutes until it happens again, and then I repeat the process. If she swallows a little bit, is that a serious problem for her digestive system?

dieselnallie · #2 10-22-2009, 02:27 PM

My understanding of Rawhide is that when it sits in their belly, it swells and causes bloat.
I only give my dogs pighide toys. It won't have the bad affects.

BxrMommieNAZ · #3 10-22-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselnallie

My understanding of Rawhide is that when it sits in their belly, it swells and causes bloat.
I only give my dogs pighide toys. It won't have the bad affects.

It's not just that (and pighide is just as bad), they all have the potential to cause obstructions (not bloat) in which surgery is required, they are also dried, preserved, etc with chemicals which is basically poisons putting into their systems, they also have the potential for choking. Just something you should probably stay away from all together, any rawhides, pigs ears, etc.

Go with raw meaty bones or elk antlers as an alternative.

JMO.

Sablegirl · #4 10-22-2009, 11:25 PM

I never give anthing but natural bone. Butcher always will save for me and she loves it and the last longer...she hides it and then ever so often when she wants a chew I see her with and enjoying herself. I don't pay anything for them either.

dieselnallie · #5 10-23-2009, 06:19 AM

Thanks BxrMommieNAZ. I didn't know that. Like I said, it was only my understanding.
What about pigs feet?

LILYLARUE · #6 10-23-2009, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselnallie

Thanks BxrMommieNAZ. I didn't know that. Like I said, it was only my understanding.
What about pigs feet?

Pretty much the same thing......if it's packaged for sale, it is processed and full of chemicals. Most packaged treats aren't really healthy or good for the dogs.

Packaged "chews" are processed for human handling and prevention of growth of bacterias. Problem is, it's not healthy for the dog and the bacteria that survives all those chemicals, really are strong suckers and you wouldn't want that inside your dog either. Raw and fresh whole bones (not cut like t-bones) are truly healthier and any bacteria that is on that bone is one that naturally the dogs can defend. It's those mutated, drone type bacteria's that can do the real harm.

Those processed bones are also cooked which is a big no-no for a dog to digest. They simply can't. It's either passed through gaining no nutritional value or gets lodged - causing an obstruction or it rots and caused a huge infection with possible blood poisoning and death. Dog's are capable of digesting softer bones very well. Just ask any of us raw feeders. Once the bone is heated or cooked, it loses all the water in the bone and "calcifies" it into a very solid bone. Once this happens, the benefits to a dog is completely lost. A dog can chew through a soft bone, giving the bone the chance to clean the teeth. A solid, cooked bone will either break under the teeth or break the teeth themselves. The bone is brittle, so when it does break, it will be in very sharp shards. A raw bone will crush, with little or no shards. Sharp bits are dangerous in slicing through organs. Just a scary thought of shards trying to be passed by soft organ tissue.

Wow, sorry, I jumped on my Bone Soapbox. Sorry.......Just must have a lot of thoughts this morning. Suprising with very little sleep. LOL

TwoDogs · #7 10-23-2009, 07:45 AM

There are dangers with ANY chew-type treat or bone. Raw bones can splinter--yes, it is far less likely to happen in a big, weight bearing raw bone than it is in a cooked bone, but it does sometimes happen. Chunks or big strips of rawhide can swell in the belly and cause obstruction. I've seen dogs capable of biting off chunks of the most durable plastic toys made specifically for "heavy duty chewers". The key is to always watch your dog with anything you give them. Inspect bones, chews, and toys regularly for signs of wear.

As for rawhide, it comes in three varieties. There's regular rawhide--typically sheets that are rolled and/or knotted into bone shapes. It is also available as strips or chips. I would stay away from these as they are the ones that as they are chewed and moistened, large pieces can be ripped off (or in some cases the entire knotted end chewed off) and swallowed whole.

There are also ground rawhide products. These are made of rawhide that has been ground into bits, and then pressed into shapes (often sticks). They are the "particle board" of rawhide products. They moisten easily when chewed but just like particle board, when they get wet, the bits swell and break apart. They don't last nearly as long as regular rawhide.

Lastly, there is compressed rawhide. These are the most durable and long-lasting of the rawhide products. They are made of many, many, many layers of rawhide that are compacted under extreme pressure to form a very dense product. They are usually bone shaped, but ulike the rolled and knotted rawhide products, the compressed rawhide is solid all the way through. Because they are so dense, no pieces can be torn off and swallowed whole. The dog will just gnaw and scrape away at it. The biggest danger with this product is that it is so dense that if the dog were to gnaw at it long enough and get it down to a size that it could swallow, that piece is so dense that it would just sit in the gut, swell, and likely cause an obstruction.

I give the compressed rawhide products to my dogs. I always supervise them and make sure to take them away if I see that they are getting small enough to swallow. I've been giving them for years and with multiple dogs and never had a problem yet, but I'm careful. I also only buy rawhide products that are made in the USA because I trust the quality more.

FWIW, pig ears and feet are super high in fat.

ELubas · #8 10-23-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BxrMommieNAZ

Go with raw meaty bones or elk antlers as an alternative.

JMO.

Where do you get elk antlers?? My girl would LOVE that

BxrMommieNAZ · #9 10-23-2009, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ELubas

Where do you get elk antlers?? My girl would LOVE that

I buy mine online at bestbullysticks. I don't know they may sell them in stores too, but I've never seen them in stores. If you do a search online you can find them also but that's the best price I've seen.

ELubas · #10 10-23-2009, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BxrMommieNAZ

I buy mine online at bestbullysticks. I don't know they may sell them in stores too, but I've never seen them in stores. If you do a search online you can find them also but that's the best price I've seen.

Thanks and Nysa says, "Thanks!"