So Arnie has just discovered the magic of rawhide chew toys. Last night he sat in his crate, door open, very contentedly, just gnawing and tearing at the thing. I eventually had to take it off him because I could tell he was tired and I wanted to go to bed too. I have just given it to him again and he just goes at it, in silence, chillin'. How much time can they spend chewing on these things? And is there a drawback?
What a cute picture Some people don't like rawhide chews for a couple of reasons. Some are concerned about the processes and chemicals used during curing the treats, especially those from China (I've not researched this myself; I'm sure someone else will be along in a while to explain). Another concern is from blockages, especially with the last bit of the chew. General advice is to remove the chew once it's small enough to swallow in one chunk. Finally, some dogs get very upset tummies from rawhide chews. However, there are many, many dogs who enjoy them regularly without any problems. I think they're a judgement call. I feed an ear every now and again. Sadly, where these used to take an age to eat, they now take about five minutes
I've moved away from rawhide for the reasons Fiona mentions. When I did used to give them I stuck to one a day max and usually it was 2-3 a week. Now I use pizzles (also known as bully sticks I think) or pigs ears. I keep trying to be brave enough to offer bones but haven't quite worked out the right bones to offer (chicken wings didn't touch the sides!) so haven't managed that yet
my older dogs handle raw hide with no problem but mister delicate tum Rory can't so I got some dried lambs faces from Millies Wolfheart and he can have them with no problems they just love a good chew and I'd have hated for him to miss out. They do stuff like streaded udders which are great too. Mine also like dried fish cubes which are extra crunchy Arnies such a cute boy x
I think you just have to watch out for any sensitivity. Pongo has no problem with rawhide chews made from beef..... but anything pig-based makes him very sick (although he still loves to eat it). So, pig ears are a big no-no..... lamb-ears lovely. The only other problem we ever had was that he would swallow before they were properly chewed, then sick them back up again to have another go (lovely....) Now he gets a big bone to chew which does the same thing...... keeps him happy and quiet, and really tires him out. We tend to take it away from him after an hour or so, because he really does get tired! And is also means we can keep it for a "big treat" and he doesn't get bored with it.
Ah the peace of a puppy that is 'legally' occupied ,lovely photo x I'm too scared of the choking element ,I'd never give one unsupervised and me being me I'd forget and get up to do something so they are just a no go for us. ...and I've read that they are pretty grimly made too although there are some better than others...I think you can buy a higher quality ,unbleached version .I have got every Kong under the sun and buy every rubber /strengthened plastic chew toy that can be filled that I come across and I stick with them ......depending on the selection I make from the freezer 3 year old Dexter can be occupied from 10 mins to over an hour ....and I know what he's eating as I've filled them myself x
I used to give Charlie rawhide, but he would just 'eat' it rather than chew it. It didn't last long, and I got worried about how much of it he was eating, even though I tried to be careful about the quality I bought. Then it started to give him runny poo, I cut down the quantities, and it became a sort of rawhide treat! So I gave up...
