why arent these safe?

[herdingdogs]

I just wanted to ask why the following isnt safe. i have a good idea of why a few are unsafe.
1. Rawhide? is it because if ate in too big of pieces they could swell in the belly?
2. Pig ears? is it because they can splinter and hurt the dog?
3. Pig and cow hide?
4. Cow ears?
5. Sheep ears?
6. Greenies? Isnt it because they dont even digest?
7. nylabones? same as the above?
8. Hooves?
thats all i can think of right now.
Ruckus does get Cow ears and he loves them very very much. id rather not stop giving them to him unless i can find evidence that its actually BAD to do.

ps. Ruckus is a six month old sheltie

[Kuchi]

I believe the reason with all of those is the same, small parts can come off and become obstructed.
In addition greenies and nylabones aren't 100% digestible.
Hooves I hear stink badly after a chewing.
Some people still give rawhides, I rarely do with supervision, (choking).
Some dogs don't have problems with any of them.
I have an aggressive chewer so he gets bully sticks, the black kong stuffed with goodies, sterilized bones stuffed with goodies, and raw bones.
I gave him some pig ears and rawhide and he coughed up pieces a lot because he ate them so fast, so I don't anymore. No experience with other ears.

EDIT: I found this articles that I thought was interesting.
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascit...06/daily9.html

[herdingdogs]

Ruckus also gets bully sticks, kongs, and raw bones too.
the cow ear has lasted Ruckus over a month and he chews the crap out of it.
thanks for the link!

[sammy]

most of those things can break off into sharp peices and cause problems in the intestines, esophagus etc. All those things made basically of rendered animals can be full of harmful chemicals as well. Greenies have changed their formulation and are supposed to be safer but they're crap and really don't clean teeth so why bother ?
Nylabones are perfectly safe. Raw bones are wonderful and actually do help clean the teeth.
Around here we stick to raw knuckle bones, raw meaty bones (ie chicken backs and necks), kongs and nylabones.
Some people seem to think bully sticks are OK but my dog swallowed a chunk sounded like he was choking and puked it up so they get bullies on very rare occasions and only under supervision. I'm told if you're going to feed bullies make sure they are rendered in the USA.

[herdingdogs]

oh?
thanks for the help sammy

i will keep feeding Ruckus cow ears because they dont splinter at all. they last a long time and there texture is alot diffrent then pig ears. only thing that conserns me is that i have also heard about the chemicals used to dry out these products have been harmful to past collie and shelties, but i cannot find the evidance for it... someone just told me about it.

yup, knuckle bones! he has had the same knuckle bone for months now. every since i brought him home!!

[sammy]

another option might be those little hooves you can get- I'm not sure what animal they are from? Goats maybe?
I'm wary of the chemicals too. I heard that from a reputable enough source and have no reason to doubt it. I guess I just figure there are enough good things my dogs can chew on, why give them crappy stuff that might be harmfull to them? Esp when the healthy stuff is higher value to them anyway.

edited to fix typos

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

If you buy American made rawhide and animal...parts, they're supposed to be safe (and many say "chemical free" on the package. You can order those online for much cheaper, and all the places I saw them had a description that included American-made, chemical free, etc.

[herdingdogs]

thank you

[Novel]

Originally Posted by herdingdogs

I just wanted to ask why the following isnt safe. i have a good idea of why a few are unsafe.
1. Rawhide? is it because if ate in too big of pieces they could swell in the belly?

It's because the rawhide/skin when rehydrated by the dog's chewing can be swallowed whole in a large piece and can cause stomach and intestine blockage.

2. Pig ears? is it because they can splinter and hurt the dog?

I have very little problem with these, and would not consider them dangerous. I just don't care for the "smoking" aspect. My dogs don't need those extra preservatives.

3. Pig and cow hide?

It's the same as rawhide, although most rawhide chews are usually beef. The problem is the same as the rawhide.

4. Cow ears?
5. Sheep ears?

Again, I don't have much of a problem with these. I personally feed them often, but in a "natural" dried state, not "smoked".

6. Greenies? Isnt it because they dont even digest?

I have never fed these, however, if I recall correctly it was from pieces breaking off and causing blockage in the digestive tract.

7. nylabones? same as the above?

I don't have much of a problem with these, although I don't use them. They should only be used when supervised, because of the possibility of small pieces being broken off and swallowed, but in my opinion there are other, better alternatives for chewing like marrow bones.

8. Hooves?

I don't have much of a problem with these except that they stink when chewed. They're also probably not the best since if you think about it they are just "nails" that have been soaked in manure for the entire animals life. No wonder they stink.

[Sugardog]

Nylabones are fine.

But rawhide could be dangerous for more than one reason.
Check out this site, it has some great info regarding the methods in which rawhide is processed and the other dangers it poses to dogs.

http://www.daneangelnetwork.org/rawhide.htm

[Kuchi]

There are "safe" rawhides out there. Just don't go for the cheapest ones, like the ones at the dollar stores. when I do rawhide, I do the ones without dye. Kuchi likes the ones by dingo.

If I told you how some of our food is processed you wouldn't want to eat it either, but that doesn't mean that isn't safe to eat.

A quote from the daneangelnetwork...
Your dog’s gastric juices WILL NOT break down the rawhide. Once swollen, the piece then has the potential to cause anything from mild to severe gastric upset, to death.

Well that would scare a lot of people. I don't see how the rawhide wouldn't be in their waste though, just keep an eye on him. That could happen to anything, raw bone, piece of nylabone (if you dog can break it down, which mine can), parts of a toy, etc.

[Sugardog]

Well, the way nylabones break down is they basically crumble as they're being chewed and the pieces the dog swallows, if any, are very small and pass without a problem. If the dog can break off large chunks, then you are giving the wrong variety. Puppybones are pretty soft and break apart easily, an adult dog probably won't have much of a problem breaking off a large hunk and swollowing it. This is why Nylabone warns you not to give adults puppybones, to take the bone away after the ends get worn down, and to use a tougher one if the dog can easily break off pieces.

The other thing about rawhide is that it expands very, very slowly. By the time the dog swollows it, it still isn't fully expanded from it's saliva. It will further expand in the stomach and intestines and thats when it can cause a block. Nylabones don't expand at all. This is especially bad if you have a dog that doesn't chew much.

Not to mention those chemicles they use to process the rawhide. Thats really saying something when they actually have to sanitize the hide after being in the chemicals to remove the skin.

But even the "safe" rawhides expand and can cause blockages and pose as a choking hazard.

[Novel]

Completely agree with Sugardog... and state on my own that there is no such thing as a safe store bought rawhide.

Originally Posted by kuchi

I don't see how the rawhide wouldn't be in their waste though, just keep an eye on him. That could happen to anything, raw bone, piece of nylabone (if you dog can break it down, which mine can), parts of a toy, etc.

Because the piece is such a large piece of gooey skin in the stomach that it is too large to pass into the large intestine causing bloackage and a disruption in the digestive system.

Why do the dogs swallow such a large piece? Because when dogs eat they rip and tear pieces of meat and organ to manageable size, and then swallow them. Relying on their stomach to follow up with the digestion, which it does on digestable pieces. Yes, they do swallow skin, but minimal amounts, because they are after the food. These skin pieces are small pieces ripped from the larger carcass. Finally, the digestive enzymes in naturally fed canines are much stronger than in the domestic kibble fed dog.

[Kuchi]

I see.
I think for some aggressive chewers, rawhide isn't cost effective. I buy 1 rawhide for $3, it'll last 10 minutes. But I buy 1 bully stick for $4, it'll last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on quality.
I know nothing to do with safety but if someone wants to save a buck.
So an alternative for "conservative" chewers would be nylabones or pig ears? Just wondering.
Another question, how often should dogs be given digestible chewies? Is every other day too often?

[Novel]

now I have no problem with bully sticks, they are made from completely different tissue than rawhides, and would encourage them over rawhide any day!
Bully sticks are tendon, which is going to digest a bit more like muscle, plus it breaks down into smaller pieces as chewed.

On average I would consider my dogs aggressive chewers. Bully sticks and pig/lamb ears may last 5 minutes, my dogs have very little interest in nylabones, btu they love their raw marrow bones, which last them for days.

My guys have free access to the bones as they want them. But, I would give maybe one pig or lamb ear a day.