Hi all, Our 9 week old puppy just swallowed nearly a whole 5" rawhide twist. He's had a few over the last week (our breeder recommended them), but I just now noticed that he SWALLOWED it nearly whole. He had been chewing on it for about 5 minutes, so it was fairly soft, but I'm just concerned that it might cause some sort of obstruction. He's not choking or acting weird.... But just concerned for later. And now, after reading up on the rawhide twists online, I see how they're NOT good for dogs.... So that's the last one he'll ever have. Have any of your puppies done this?? And what was the outcome? Of course it's Friday and the vet's office just closed for the weekend
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick Hi and welcome to the forum If he's swallowed it and is breathing totally normally then don't worry The main risk is choking, which hadn't happened. I don't think that the chew will cause a blockage. It will become extremely soft in his tummy and should just get digested. The better rawhide chews are the ones that are kind of compressed into a bone shape - not the knots or twists. The compressed ones kind of have to be destroyed tiny piece by piece - it's harder to pull off a chunk. Buy a really big one, even for a tiny puppy, and remove it when it gets too small (anywhere near a size he can fit into his mouth whole). What is your puppy's name?
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick If he becomes lethargic, sick, has the runs or any other different behaviour (like pacing or whining), go straight to the vet. Otherwise wait 'till it comes out, one end or the other My Tatze has swallowed all sorts of things, mainly leads and harnesses (!) one lead she swallowed whole (!!) all came out one end or the other - the vet's advice was always what I said above. It's a worry 'tho :-\ I can't give Gypsy any rawhide, it gives her a runny tummy. They are very high in fat content.
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick Thank you both!! We have two labs... Coby is our new "baby", and we also have Ace, who will be 12 on December No choking at all.... And luckily it was a skinny stick... But still, at only 16 pounds, even a "small" stick is a big one! We will monitor his behavior for sure over the next couple of days.... And no more rawhide twists! (I just threw the rest of the bag away )
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick My pup swallowed a load of fisherman's worms today and is a little unsettled tonight! Hope your pup is ok
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick [quote author=Boogie link=topic=7795.msg109053#msg109053 date=1410550031] I can't give Gypsy any rawhide, it gives her a runny tummy. They are very high in fat content.[/quote] Rawhide is low in fat., I had thought. Unless you have found some kinds that have fat added during manufacture? Rawhide is not as digestible as many things (takes longer to break down in the stomach and isn't 100% broken down even then) but it's much less of a blockage risk that truly indigestible things like harnesses , socks, plastic bags, toy parts and all the other things that dogs inexplicably want to swallow. So, don't stress, but since your pup has shown skills in the swallowing department avoiding the 'twist' ones is a good plan Bully sticks or pizzles are a good alternative - also low fat but highly digestible.
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick We used to get through quite a few rawhide chews, and I am sure many of them were "inhaled" more than chewed. All the same, I never had any indication of their presence at time of expulsion. I guess they are generally quite easily digested (though seems hard to believe)
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick I give Charlie rawhide. I am careful to buy (what I think is) good quality rawhide, without added nasties or horrible bleach products, and definitely without knobbly bits and bits twisted on to make funny shapes. I stick to simple wrapped rawhide in "cigars". He chews it into little bits, and swallows them, and has no problems at all. My vet gives exactly the same brand to his dogs. I do buy pizzles time to time, and venison ears (low fat) but simple, good quality, rawhide is the best chew value I find. Charlie gets one 6inch cigar a day and it is definitely a highlight of the day for him. ;D ;D ;D
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick Hi. Keep a really close eye on your puppy over the next 48 hrs. Rawhide is hard to digest and a large piece can cause a stomach blockage. If your pup is sick or struggling to go to the toilet you must contact your vet ASAP. I don't feed my dogs rawhide as it is not good for them. Chloe
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick As then others have said just keep a really close eye on him and anything out of the ordinary would be worth getting checked out - you're better safe than sorry! Even if your vet is closed over the weekend they will have some sort of out of hours emergency service you can phone even just for advice. Usually if you phone the regular number they will direct you to call a different number or divert you to their out of hours service. I give Penny rawhides on occasion - I give her the knotted bones but these can also be pulled apart and swallowed if your pup is that way inclined. Every so often Pen will pull the 'knot' off one end and chew it until it's soft then swallow it. I've had to pull a six inch peice out of her mouth from down her throat. So now wherever possible I get the compressed bone shaped ones that Rachael has said about - they last longer too!
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick my orion loves a very specific kind of chew i buy from Target (not sure if that's there across the pond).... it's basically sheets of rawhide that have been rolled up to form a sort of log... no knobs (he showed remarkably alarming aptitude at ripping them off and stuffing them into his mouth ) but just long flat pieces of rawhide rolled up to form a sort of rawhide log... perhaps 8" long? he adores them, and they come apart in little bits from chewing, no large pieces, and i just throw them away when they are mouth-sized.
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick [quote author=rubyrubyruby link=topic=7795.msg109122#msg109122 date=1410591153] I don't feed my dogs rawhide as it is not good for them. [/quote] This sent me off researching ... Oberon is right, rawhide is not high in fat. I assumed it was as it turns Gypsy's tummy runny, even if she just has a chew without swallowing any. But ... I found out that the hide is often treated with chemicals and that there is no regulation of this like there is for food :-\ Do you think it's those chemicals which Gypsy's tummy is reacting to?
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick Mags - that's exactly why I don't feed them to my girls ! Chloe
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick I don't feed Harley rawhide as they give her really bad tummies ;( Instead of that, I give Harley SmartBones Sweet Potato or peanut butter or dental. She has no tummy troubles with these
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick [quote author=Naya link=topic=7795.msg109256#msg109256 date=1410636120] I don't feed Harley rawhide as they give her really bad tummies ;( Instead of that, I give Harley SmartBones Sweet Potato or peanut butter or dental. She has no tummy troubles with these [/quote] Penny loves those smart bones too, but I find they just don't last long enough. A 10" rawhide will last up to an hour which is great if me and OH are trying to have a nice dinner without the dog drooling on us haha or for keeping her occupied if we have visitors! She can't have a roast knuckle bone as they go straight through her and the stuffed marrow bones only last ten minutes - as soon as she can't get anymore out of the middle she gets bored.
Re: 9 week old puppy swallowed whole rawhide stick SmartBones are made of corn, so won't do for Gypsy as she's allergic
How is Coby? That must have been scary. I read everything I could on rawhides, and still am not sure about them. In any case, Hattie really needs to chew, and she doesn't like anything else as well as rawhide. So, what we do is buy Made in the USA: "No chemicals, no preservatives, no additives, no enhancers, no fillers and hormone-free, gluten-free, 100% all natural, rolled beef skin". And we hold one end while Hattie chews the other. When she gets about 2/3 of the way down a skinny one, we take it and throw it out. She's chomping off little, soft bits at a time, and hasn't had any tummy problems. It's great to be able to offer Hattie something she can chew that is just as good if not better than the chair leg or my hand! But I do feel the need to hold on to the rawhide and supervise.
I use rawhide, but only under supervision. So I hold a rawhide stick in my hand and let the puppy chew at the end. I find that older dogs tend to break them up quickly, swallow bits and then vomit them up again, though a really large tough rawhide bone can be okay (under supervision) until it starts to come apart. I wouldn't leave a dog alone with rawhide, especially once the dog has started to loosen and break it up.
I know this is an old post but wondering what the outcome was? Was your puppy ok or did you need a vet?
