Everyone seems to have an opinion on rawhide. Some folks swear by it, some won't ever give it to their dog and some leave it to their veterinarian. Checking with your veterinarian is certainly a good idea and here are some other things to consider ...
Not all rawhide is created equal:
- Some of it is produced in the USA, some overseas. There haven't been a lot of issues with domestically produced rawhide while some problems have been reported with rawhide which has been imported from other counties.
- Most rawhide sold as dog treats falls into one of these three categories:
- Chip Rawhide: This is the stuff that looks like particle board. It is often dyed and shaped into fun shapes including holiday themes. Chip rawhide is consumed quickly by many dogs. It is small chips which are moistened and molded into shapes. The pieces of chip are quite small and most dogs would find it difficult to choke on.
- Flat or Strip Rawhide: This is the type which is made from a square or rectangle of hide. Sometimes it is moistened and rolled or moistened, rolled and knotted on each end to look like a bone. A powerful chewer can rip off a chunk and may have problems swallowing the chunk. With some dogs, this can be a choking hazard.
- Compressed Rawhide: Often shaped like a bone, this rawhide is actually many layers of thin rawhide moistened and pressed together. It is manufactured in a similar way to plywood. And like plywood it is dense and quite strong. That isn't to say a really strong chewer couldn't rip off a hunk, but most dogs do not chew off pieces. An advantage to compressed rawhide is it is longer lasting for most dogs.
When considering whether or not to use rawhide with your dog:
- Ask your veterinarian for his or her opinion on using rawhide with your dog.
- Consider how hard a chewer your dog can be.
- Remember to take the rawhide away when it becomes small enough to be a choking hazard, regardless of what type of rawhide you choose.
- Some dogs don't share well, so take away the stress and give dogs privacy from other dogs when they chew.
- Be sure to monitor your dog when she is chewing.
Thank you for this posting. I have been looking for awhile for someone who seems to know what to do re: a problem I have with my dog.
ReplyDeleteI have an 8 1/2 month old English Mastiff puppy, teddy bear dog, and a 18 month old cocker spaniel, and several cats. This mastiff is not my first, but she is the most mouthy of any dog I have ever had. Might be because I was a stay at home mom or part time working mom with the others. Now I am gone from 8 to 3:30.
I have worked steadily with Mallow on bite inhibition. Normally she will only graze my hand or leg when playing rough, so we do a "settle down" or an "enough" command when she is too rowdy. She plays rough in the yard, 1/2 an acre, and chases around with the cocker for about an hour a day, other than potty breaks. She goes to the off leash dog park a few times a week for about an hour, but does not run there, just mingles.
She was chewing on everything, so I got her a couple types of chews and of course she like the rawhide the best. But when ever the cocker goes near it, she freaks out and whips it away and makes a short burst growl. Normally, if I need to put it away, I tell her to drop it, which she does, and then take it away.
Sometimes she jumps on top of the 20 lb cocker if he is chewing on her rawhide. He yelps and dashes out of the way. I keep my eyes on them because he does not always take so kindly to being roughed away from his pleasure and will occasionally respond with a growl back and then there is a dog fight in the making which stops when I yell, enough, and break it up. So I have been trying to figure out what to do to make it safer. It only happens with the bones/chews.
This morning, Mallow was chewing happily on her rawhide and it was getting long and thin and gooey. She kept swallowing and gagging it back up and I got worried she was going to choke or swallow an unmanageable chunk. It happened fast, but I reached and grabbed the rawhide at her mouth. She bit down harder and my ring finger got caught in her bite. A real hard bite down, to keep me from taking away the rawhide. She weighs 110. Her jaws are massive, but I have good emergency reactions: I relaxed my grip and hand and said Drop it, a command that works most of the time. She released but bit down again and my finger was still being punctured. I slowly used my other hand to grip her muzzle to force (?) a release and said let go or drop it, i don't remember anymore. She released and I took my hand back and sat there stunned with blood starting to pool on my finger. I left her and took care of my injury. No hospital, but a nasty puncture which I cleaned out thoroughly.
So.
What the h... should I do? She adores the chewing and grinding of the rawhides. Likes deer antlers too, but not quite as much. I was thinking I could teach her to chew only on her family room dogbed, her spot, I call it. But wouldn't that set up a location for her to guard? I really am not sure what to do at all. Any ideas?