# Rawhides



## VeatchsMama (Oct 24, 2011)

If they are so bad why are they still sold in pet stores? And to be honest... What makes them so bad? I'm not sure : /


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

well, there are lots of things sold in pet stores that are part of marketing strategies and not for the good of the dog.

with rawhide....it doesn't ever break down or digest.

i think that's not a good thing....


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Having worked for a vet we've taken DOZENS of rawhides out of dogs that have caused blockages. My golden retriever used to get them and would get them stuck in her throat and choke on them.....she hasn't had one for a while now. They aren't safe. Just because something is sold in a store doesn't mean it's safe or good for you or your dogs.


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## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

VeatchsMama said:


> If they are so bad why are they still sold in pet stores?


$$$$$$$


VeatchsMama said:


> And to be honest... What makes them so bad? I'm not sure : /


They become soggy after being chewed on and pose a choking risk and because they are not digested they pose a compaction risk.


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

They become dangerous when you're dog swallows a big piece. It does not digest so can clog up their insides. I like bully sticks much better because the dog can only scrape off small amounts at a time (well most dogs, I guess there could be some who bite off whole chunks...).


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

Tank swallowed a good size piece when he was a puppy. Scared the heck out of me.
His body rejected it thankfully about 20 minutes later. I'll never give any of my Danes
rawhide again. I agree Bully sticks are much safer.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

They are sold to make cash and people like them for the fact they keep dogs occupied for hours, and if you are not into bones they are good for teeth.

How dangerous they are I think depends on the dog. My pup has had issues with some makes of rawhides but we have found ones that are hard enough for her to chew which she breaks up into little pieces to eat. 

I don't know what size of bully sticks you can get by I can only get ones that are about 6 inch long and to be honest they last about 15 min's which is not really a chew for her more of a snack


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Well my dog's only 16 pounds, but he can get through a normal foot long one in half an hour lol. The store we go to carries a while bunch of them and one type is really thick, it's actually called a pizzle stick I think. They last MUCH longer than the normal thickness ones.


They look like the one on the left:










But I'm sure plenty of dogs get through those fast too. Maybe see if your dog likes antlers.


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## eternalstudent (Jul 22, 2010)

Maxy24 said:


> But I'm sure plenty of dogs get through those fast too. Maybe see if your dog likes antlers.


Would love to but we don't get the right type of deer here to get big antlers. the only ones that I can buy are tiny and sold for making craft things :-(


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

With all the warnings about raw hides being bad, you do wonder why they are so popular though!Convenience maybe? Way to keep the dogs busy at a cheap price maybe? Don't worry about the effects in the long run possibly? I know ,my one neighbor, who works with the pachyderms at the zoo ,always gives her lab rawhides without a blink. I have though, not questioned her,(not my place too) because I figured hey you work at the zoo ,you should darn well know more than I! Oh well.......................


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I don't think they are the most dangerous things in the world and really wouldn't be worried if someone were to buy one for Tucker. We gave them to my last dog all the time and there were never any issues. But there ARE safer alternatives, so I figure why risk it? You have to weigh the pros and cons yourself. Obviously every dog goes about chewing them in different ways, some are going to eat the whole thing in one sitting and some are going to have it slowly shrink for a month and obviously it's not going to be as dangerous for the second dog. I certainly wouldn't recommend them, but I don't think people who give them to their dogs are horrible owners because I honestly don't think they're THAT dangerous for most dogs...kind of like marrow bones I guess.


As for why they are so popular...They are much cheaper than other long term chews and they occupy really well. They also don't smell or make any mess.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

We use to live with my boyfriends parents, they had 2 dogs and would give them rawhides. They were short, 6 inch sticks. I requested that my dogs not recieve rawhides, and to please put them in a different room while their dogs were consuming them. 

One day I walked in to the office and found my Chihuahua with an inch of raw hide sticking out of his mouth. I immediately bend down and grasp it, while telling him to drop it. To my horror, I pulled the rest of the 5 inches of soaked, slobbery, gooey sticky raw hide out of his throat. My dog surely would have died if I had not interviened.

That is why my dogs do not get rawhides.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Yep rawhides are scary. Bully sticks are great, though admitedly I'm too cheap to buy them. They get RMB's often so why shell out for bully sticks?

Giving antlers to a dog just seems blasphemous on a lot of levels... Can you tell I'm from a hunting family? LOL.


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## VeatchsMama (Oct 24, 2011)

monkeys23 said:


> Giving antlers to a dog just seems blasphemous on a lot of levels... Can you tell I'm from a hunting family? LOL.


Haha. That sounds familiar. My hubby is out on an elk hunt and I told him if he got a scrappy elk to save the antlers for the dog. He looked at me like I had six heads... "I don't care how scrappy it is, it's going on the wall, he can dream of chewing it." There is a good website that sells antlers fairly cheap. They aren't processed or treated, just the sharp points are sanded down. 

Antler Dog Chews - Deer Antler Dog Chews - Elk Antler Dog Chews - Moose Antler Dog Chews - Antler Chews For Dogs - Moose Antler Chews For Dogs - Deer Antler Dog Chews For Dogs

I've bought from them several times and have had great experiences. When the antlers get to small I give them to a friend with a small dog. Keeps him busy for HOURS every day and have no smell/mess. The deer antlers last the longest - up to a month (and Veatch is a HUGGGE power chewer). 

I asked about Rawhides because my dad gives them to his Bernese. I've heard they were bad but never knew exactly why.


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## VeatchsMama (Oct 24, 2011)

eternalstudent said:


> Would love to but we don't get the right type of deer here to get big antlers. the only ones that I can buy are tiny and sold for making craft things :-(


Check this site out. Ive used them before and have always gotten great results. The deer antlers last up to a month with my power chewer. 

Antler Dog Chews - Deer Antler Dog Chews - Elk Antler Dog Chews - Moose Antler Dog Chews - Antler Chews For Dogs - Moose Antler Chews For Dogs - Deer Antler Dog Chews For Dogs


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## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

My Lab/Pittie mix that was put down a couple years ago used to have rawhides all the time. I didn't know any better and thought they were great (and so was feeding foods like Ol' Roy). Anyways it almost killed him. He was outputting blood, not feces, just blood. He was vomitting several times daily, usualy blood. Had him to the vet, cost me a pretty penny and in the end it was the rawhides. After that the only thing he ever got was natural, things like bully sticks or bones. My current two will never so much as sniff a rawhide. I just won't go through or have them go through that. Won't risk loosing them.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Just wanted to add that my oldest dog Mikey broke a canine on a large braided rawhide that my boyfriends parents friend had given their dogs for Christmas. Broke that tooth right in half.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I also read somewhere that a lot of the rawhides, especially those that are imported, are bleached to make them white. There's no way I want my dog chewing on something that's been soaked in some type of bleaching liquid.


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

I had a woman come in and tell me about the $600 dollar vet bill she just paid due to a blockage from rawhide! She ended up leaving with a deer antler and a 10 pack of bull pizzles (we sell 10 packs for 5.99 )  Our store is set up nicely so that all the healthy chews are in the front and the not-so-good ones are in the back:biggrin:


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

VeatchsMama said:


> Haha. That sounds familiar. My hubby is out on an elk hunt and I told him if he got a scrappy elk to save the antlers for the dog. He looked at me like I had six heads... "I don't care how scrappy it is, it's going on the wall, he can dream of chewing it." There is a good website that sells antlers fairly cheap. They aren't processed or treated, just the sharp points are sanded down.
> 
> Antler Dog Chews - Deer Antler Dog Chews - Elk Antler Dog Chews - Moose Antler Dog Chews - Antler Chews For Dogs - Moose Antler Chews For Dogs - Deer Antler Dog Chews For Dogs
> 
> ...


how long would these last? if I could buy this once every two months..it would be worth it for the tooth benefits
Deer Antler Dog Chews - Dog Chews for Large Dogs - Antler Dog Chews
also it says they use grade 1 and two antlers...im assuming graden1 is higher quality? how do i get those antler


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I fed rawhides for many years with no problem, but I would never feed them now because I feel like I didn't understand the danger in them. If you feed them 10,000 times with success it would be no less awful if something happened on time 10,001.

I actually didn't quit feeding them because i found out they were dangerous. I quit feeding them about the same time as all the melamine deaths, and there was some publicity about rawhides and how they are made and how most of them come from China. Later, our trainer warned us against them as far as obstruction.



> Promoted as an “all natural” treat, rawhide does keep dogs entertained, perhaps even more so in its many basted, twisted, even brightly colored mutations. It’s the equivalent of that gummy-worm-fortified cereal made with real oats that children howl for all the way down the breakfast aisle. Those looking to improve on the bone are like the clever marketers who expertly tune a child’s whining pitch. Your dog would like to convince you that rawhide is primal therapy for his carnivorous soul!
> 
> But if rawhide manufacturers were held to the same standards as drug makers, they’d be forced to add an equally long list of warnings to their labels: May cause stomach torsion, choking, vomiting, diarrhea, salmonella poisoning and exposure to various chemical residues.
> 
> ...


The Dangers of Rawhide Dog Chew Toys | The Bark


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh Good God! I had absolutely no idea rawhide's were that bad, seriously, that's just utterly disgusting. I just don't understand how the Government Departments, FDA (whatever they are) can allow poison like that to be given to our pets.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Doesn't it depend on the type of rawhide? I thought I read that the rawhides associated with these blockages and perforations are processed in a certain way, and the rest of them are safe. It never really mattered to me since I use bully sticks and antlers anyway.


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## mossberg man (May 31, 2010)

wags said:


> With all the warnings about raw hides being bad, you do wonder why they are so popular though!Convenience maybe? Way to keep the dogs busy at a cheap price maybe? Don't worry about the effects in the long run possibly? I know ,my one neighbor, who works with the pachyderms at the zoo ,always gives her lab rawhides without a blink. I have though, not questioned her,(not my place too) because I figured hey you work at the zoo ,you should darn well know more than I! Oh well.......................


pachyderms, have you seen the size of elephant s***?? someone has to clean it. by that i mean just because someone works at zoo does not mean they know how to care for animals.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

Apologies for being a bit ignorant but what is the difference in rawhide and bullysticks?. I know what rawhide chews are as I've bought them for my inlaws dog before (not now I've read the above) but never for my dog as he gets raw bones, but when I looked up bullysticks aren't they very similar or are they made of completely different material/meat byproducts? From the pics I looked at they were much darker. Please advise as I would consider giving these to my dog as he likes to chew.
Thanks


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

sozzle said:


> Apologies for being a bit ignorant but what is the difference in rawhide and bullysticks?. I know what rawhide chews are as I've bought them for my inlaws dog before (not now I've read the above) but never for my dog as he gets raw bones, but when I looked up bullysticks aren't they very similar or are they made of completely different material/meat byproducts? From the pics I looked at they were much darker. Please advise as I would consider giving these to my dog as he likes to chew.
> Thanks


Bully sticks, other wise known as bull wrinkes or pizzles, are dehydrated bull penis' . they're a very healthy chew  they're quite smelly though!


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

biancaDB said:


> Recently I've made an effort to move all the healthy chews towards the front and move all the not-so-good ones to the back. If I can't get rid of them, I'll just have to hide them :biggrin:


Good stuff  Are you the owner/franchisee, or the manager?


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

DaViking said:


> Good stuff  Are you the owner/franchisee, or the manager?


A manager (kinda) for now, as I'm leaving in January for school  I love my job but it will be there when I'm done school!

edit: myself AND another employee pretty much held the store together, it was just the two of us for quite sometime


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## nupe (Apr 26, 2011)

biancaDB said:


> A manager for now, as I'm leaving in January for school  I love my job but it will be there when I'm done school



GOOD lUCK WITH sCHOOL!!


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

haha thank you!! I'll be done by spring 2012 so it's going to be a short 2 years!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> how long would these last? if I could buy this once every two months..it would be worth it for the tooth benefits
> Deer Antler Dog Chews - Dog Chews for Large Dogs - Antler Dog Chews
> also it says they use grade 1 and two antlers...im assuming graden1 is higher quality? how do i get those antler


The site can probably provide you with better answers than we can about their chews.

Have Questions? Call
866-882-1395
Mon-Fri 8am-12am, Sat 9am-9pm ET

To order there is a huge orange "add to cart" button, you click on that and then go to checkout.


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> how long would these last? if I could buy this once every two months..it would be worth it for the tooth benefits
> Deer Antler Dog Chews - Dog Chews for Large Dogs - Antler Dog Chews
> also it says they use grade 1 and two antlers...im assuming graden1 is higher quality? how do i get those antler


We bought whole racks off of Ebay for much cheaper than you'd get them for if you bought them as "dog chews". They've lasted 2 years now... 

Here's my thread about them
http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/raw-feeding/1796-antlers-treats.html

Here's the latest ones on Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...313&_nkw=elk+antler&_sacat=See-All-Categories

We bought a full rack like this... ended up costing about $60 for the whole rack that's lasted 2 years and we probably still have at least 1/3 of it left
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5x6-Elk-She...ultDomain_0&hash=item3a6c2c176c#ht_500wt_1413


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

We have one antler floating in the toy box and between 3 dogs it pretty much looks the same after a year.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

biancaDB said:


> Bully sticks, other wise known as bull wrinkes or pizzles, are dehydrated bull penis' . they're a very healthy chew  they're quite smelly though!


Ha ha that is so funny! sorry my humour is sooo juvenile still at 46. Well that is a brilliant use for bull penis after all you don't see them in butcher shops fresh and I do buy dehydrated lung as treats and they are really pongy too.
Thanks biancaDB.
I shall go into my local petstore later on today and ask for "dried bull penis as my dog needs something to chew on for the benefit of his teeth". I might also look at TradeMe which I think is our equivalent of Craiglist and see what lovely dried things I can get on there too.


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## biancaDB (Nov 3, 2011)

sozzle said:


> Ha ha that is so funny! sorry my humour is sooo juvenile still at 46. Well that is a brilliant use for bull penis after all you don't see them in butcher shops fresh and I do buy dehydrated lung as treats and they are really pongy too.
> Thanks biancaDB.
> I shall go into my local petstore later on today and ask for "dried bull penis as my dog needs something to chew on for the benefit of his teeth". I might also look at TradeMe which I think is our equivalent of Craiglist and see what lovely dried things I can get on there too.


hahaha no trust me, you'd be surprised how many people get a chuckle out of the whole bull penis thing. the best is when people come in and whisper "do you sell...bull penis'...." . too funny :biggrin:


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