SAY NO TO RAW-HIDE!!!
Written by Pam on December 22, 2014
This time of year, the pet stores are packed with enticing – visually pleasing candy cane rawhide treats for our dogs – You need to pass by anything that is made out of rawhide – made in China or the USA!!
There are two important reasons why I do not want you to purchase ANY rawhide product. First, let me just explain how the raw hide is created to keep the dog chomping for hours. These treats are all promoted as ‘all natural” treats that are good for chewers and to help keep your pup or dog entertained. The packaging never tells that the dog enjoys the rawhide to the point of swallowing such large pieces that they can become a choking hazard! What normally happens is that the puppy or dog will enjoy the chewing sensation and the artificial taste of the tough raw hide; but eventually pieces of the raw hide soften and seem to become more palatable. The pieces can be very large and when the dog swallows a piece, it can get lodged in their esophagus or if they are lucky enough to swallow a piece, the raw hide can become lodged in their intestine.
Now Let me just tell you a little about how the raw hide treats are produced. Producing rawhide begins with the separation of the animal hide. The top grain is generally tanned and used for leather goods, and the inner portion or the ‘raw’ goes to our dogs! The process used to separate the hair from the raw is all CHEMICALS – some poisonous residues that may show up in rawhide include arsenic and formaldehyde. There was an article I read recently that revealed that in China, dog skin was used for these raw hide treats! An ongoing investigation of the fur trade by Humane Society International, an arm of the HSUS, resulted in this information as was informed on their website: “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.”
I know firsthand that we have chompers needing some relief of those deciduous teeth falling out, and I know that all of you have probably have been combing the pet aisles looking for enticing substitutes for couch and chair legs, so let me suggest a couple of GOOD alternatives that I have sniffed out and we have been using here at HGT! Look for LARGE antler bones – these are good for our chompers but you should ALWAYS supervise them when they are chewing on a new bone or an …antler! I also love the largest KONGS available, they can be filled with any dog or puppy friendly recipe (see prior blog on HGT’s Kong recipes) and they are wonderful treats for this holiday or really any day!
Let’s keep our HGT pups and dogs safe – safe from products that can do more harm than good! Happy Holidays – Enjoy, Pam