Rawhide, that chewy treat available in almost all pet stores (and some grocery stores, I have noticed) is a hotly debated dog treat, one of the most common treats in the pet industry. Is it safe? What are the issues? Let’s explore.

How Rawhide is Made

Rawhide is the dried out raw hide of an animal. Rawhide chews are usually made from bulls, pigs, cows and sometimes horses. The hides are obtained from slaughterhouses, as they are a by-product, un-edible for humans. The hide is scraped of all meat, hair and fat. Originally, Native Americans used rawhide as a material in cabin and boat construction because of its extreme durability.

Modern tanneries use a bandsaw to scrape the flesh side of the hide clean. Traditional methods of removing the hair side involve hand scraping. This is timely, so modern methods resort to caustic Lye soaking of the hide for a few days. In order to remove all traces of the poisonous lye, the rawhide is then usually cleaned in a bleach solution. Yummy.

After the bleaching, the rawhide is shaped into a stick, bone or some other silly shape and then either dried or sent for smoking and/ or adding other articial flavors or colors to further entice your pup. The more time your pooch spends chewing on his rawhide treats, the greater the exposure to the host of chemicals that are used in the manufacture of rawhide.

If That Info Wasn’t Gross Enough…

Note that processed rawhide shrinks when dried. When your unsuspecting pooch chews on the rawhide ‘treat’, wetting it once more, the rawhide expands. As Fido breaks off and swallows the pieces, his gastric juices are unable to break the product down, it can continue to expand, causing tummy upset or worse. Remember - rawhide is so strong it was once used as a construction material!

Even still, it’s often marketed as ‘all natural.’ Please think twice before offering this treat to your pets. There are plenty of other options to satisfy your dog’s natural urge to chew!

Chewing relieves aches and pains for teething puppies and adults use chewing as a natural anxiety reliever and satisfying activity to pass the time. Chewing proper, healthy objects also promotes clean teeth, healthy gums and strong neck and jaw muscles - all crucial to your dog’s overall health and vitality.

Safe, Healthy Alternatives

If you are looking for a healthy chew for Fido, there are plenty. Options include organic raw bones (supervise while chewing), bully sticks, muscle chews and the popular classic Kong toys, can be filled with peanut butter or another healthy satisfying treat to engage a dog’s chewing instincts. Research on the topic will turn up plenty more healthy, safe chewing options as well!

Image Sources: rawhide chew, pig skinning, raw bone

   Email This Post

Related Categories:

Dog Health

 

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.