rawhide with pup?

[srzoe]

At what age can a pup have a rawhide and it won't mess up it's stomach?

[Jaidann]

This is just IMO. I'm not telling you what to do, the choice is yours. But I would avoid it no matter what age. There are much better, safer things from them to chew/teeth on. Some of them even cheaper.

I use Kongs. Put some goodies inside it and it entertains them for a long time. Also use very thick bones you can pick up from the grocer that are UNCOOKED. That way they don't splinter. Frozen washcloth, etc.

Hope this helps :)

[brunie's mom]

I am also not a fan of rawhide for chewing. They seem to be nothing but trouble. Dogs often chew off a big chunk, and have a hard time digesting it. I've given pressed rawhide once in awhile...but supervise...and take and small pieces away.

I think a raw marrow or knuckle bone is a better choice (beef), or bully sticks, or a filled Kong. You can give any of these now.

Gina

[Diva Satanica]

I too, would avoid rawhide till over a year old. Even at that, compressed rawhide only (once in a while) and strictly monitored. If you're not familiar with what compressed rawhide is (I work in the industry and there are a lot of people who don't know the difference). Any rawhide bone with a knot on either end, is not compressed. Those ones are hollow and as soon as the dog can penetrate the bone, they can start pulling large pieces off and possibly swallowing them.
The compressed rawhide is heavier and is generally in the shape of a bone or a stick. Its been mechanically compressed so its much more durable.
The other suggestions that have been given, are great ones!! Stuffed Kongs are a favourite of dogs of all ages. Bully sticks are great too. They tend to smell a bit when they're being chewed, and are a little more expensive depending on where you get it, but they sure love them.

[moondog]

My dog is 2-1/2 and has never seen a rawhide, let alone eaten one....and she never will, compressed or not. There is a risk of obstruction and certainly stomach upset regardless of age. My previous dog did get compressed rawhide on occasion, but when she developed an intestinal disease I discovered how unnecessary this type of chew is.

Bully sticks, raw marrow bones, stuffed kongs, and durable nylabones (not edible) are much better choices for your dog.

[Diva Satanica]

Originally Posted by moondog

My dog is 2-1/2 and has never seen a rawhide, let alone eaten one....and she never will, compressed or not. There is a risk of obstruction and certainly stomach upset regardless of age. My previous dog did get compressed rawhide on occasion, but when she developed an intestinal disease I discovered how unnecessary this type of chew is.

Bully sticks, raw marrow bones, stuffed kongs, and durable nylabones (not edible) are much better choices for your dog.

I agree Moondog. None of my three dogs have seen rawhide either......regardless, people will sometimes choose to give rawhide. If they do, compressed is the safer choice.
We just had a customer come in yesterday and he told me his lab just got out of surgery from swallowing a piece of rawhide. Unfortunately, as long as its still produced, there will be people who buy it. As long as there are people to buy it, they will continue to produce it. Vicious cycle, isn't it.

[MarleysMama]

I couldn't agree anymore with the advice you've been given. I chose to stay away as well as they have done nothing but cause problems in our family dog years ago.

One thing that I would like to add..they do make nylabones that are edible now. Marley gets them on occasion. I don't like the idea of chewing on a bone intil little splinters of plastic come up. Even the warning on the back that they break off in rice sized pieces and don't harm the dog was too much for me. Maybe I'm over reacting but I prefer something such as a Kong or even the edible nylabones..that when they splinter, it's natural ingredients so I know he isn't digestiong any sort of plastics.
Hope this helps!

[Nishasmom]

In addition to being hard to digest, I have heard they use harmful chemicals in them too ; bleaches, and harsh preservatives (formaldehyde {which causes cancer} ).

I fed Nisha raw hide for about a month, then stopped b/c of the chemicals. I will never again feed it to her.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by srzoe

At what age can a pup have a rawhide and it won't mess up it's stomach?

I wouldn't use them at any age. Some dogs get them for their whole life and have no issues, but there are a LOT that have died from them, so it's silly to take the chance. Years ago (before I knew about the potential problems) I gave them to a rott, there was a terreible blockage that occurred, and I almost lost him. Not worth the risk ever again. There are dozens of other safer treats, such as big raw leg bones from the butcher.

[Andy Larrimore]

No Rawhide At All !!!!!!!

[moz205]

I don't use rawhide at all. I used to with my dogs until reading up on the problems that it can cause. Better safe than sorry. As stated, there are many more options that my guy enjoys more and is much safer. I give raw marrow and his kong stuffed with goodies.

[Jaan]

The compressed rawhide has it's own set of issues. Once the dog gets it soft enough from chewing, the layers start to come apart and can be pulled off and swallowed. Also, once the bone dries out, the layers that are left become hard once again and they are extremely sharp, sharp enough to cut the gums.

Furthermore, rawhide is non digestible and if they swallow too much, it will be coming back up, usually in the early morning hours, for some reason. There is simply no upside to them. Raw marrow bones are a fraction of the cost, keep the teeth brilliantly white and have no added chemicals---just watch out for an excess of marrow and fat. I cut off as much of the fat as possible before I give them to the girls.

[Andy Larrimore]

Raw marrow bones are the way to go. It's what they would eat in the wild.

[Zumie05]

You know, I would think that rawhides are safer for puppies than for adult dogs. Puppies don't have as strong of jaws as an adult does, and therefore wouldn't be able to knaw off large chunks as easily. Gary has rolled rawhide, not compressed, and at 6months still hasn't been able to even open it up. He is a light chewer though and gets bored of his chew toys in 10 - 20 mins.

However, puppies are more prone to try to swallow things that they shouldn't, so IF one did manage to bite off a chunk, he would most likely try to swallow it and cause a blockage. Rawhides are dangerous because when swallowed in a larger chunk, it swells inside the dog and is more likely to cause a blockage than other chew toys.

So overall, the feeding of rawhide really should depend on what type of chewer your dog is. If you have a power chewer, definately do not feed anything rawhide. If you have a light chewer, then rawhides should be okay as long as the dog is supervised during the chew.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by Zumie05

.... If you have a light chewer, then rawhides should be okay as long as the dog is supervised during the chew.

I wouldn't use them, no matter what kind of a "chewer" the dog is. If the dog has to be "supervised" to chew on something, that also is telling you it's dangerous. It only takes a couple seconds for any type of chewer to injest the pieces. Any dog, any type of chewer will try to swallow these, and there starts the simple process that could easily kill the dog. Again, not worth the risk when there are so many better alternatives.