Do you give them to your dogs/puppies? What age can they have them from? Just bought one from a pet shop, bone shaped, about 15-20cm long, knotted both ends. Described as 'Natural Hide Knotted Bone Medium', 'Harder, denser and longer lasting' (apparently buffalo hide?) I heard they can make them have runny poops so would limit it a bit at first to see how it goes and obviously supervise for bits coming off. Just wondered if it's a good idea. I give him frozen carrots but they last a couple of minutes only. And he has an antler bone. But he does like a good chew!
We never had a problem with rawhides although I was very vigilant with Snowie as a puppy and took them away after he'd eaten part of it -- heard stories of them being indigestible and blocking the intestines. Even if he ate a whole one, it came out the other end perfectly fine. He loved them as a puppy and I always had a stash. They were part of our chewing program and definitely protected our furniture (he was good not chewing our furniture -- my mother's antique table, that's another story!). But then I read how processed they are and full of chemicals, first being bleached, then preserved, etc etc. And that stopped me buying them immediately. Snowie gets raw meaty bones, and as a puppy that satisfied his chewing for much of the time. The rest of the time he got hooves and various chew toys. And smoked ostrich bones (probably also full of chemicals -- oh dear). I must confess I didn't throw out the rawhides I'd already bought and as he got older he was free to chew them as he wished. But he went off them pretty quickly as he got older (less need to chew) and we probably still have a few in his box years later (full of preservatives no doubt!!). To this day Snowie loves carrots. Gets at least one crunchy carrot every day. Not frozen. But must be peeled!
I give them to the pups but keep hold of them and as soon as 'soft' bits look ready to come off I give them to Tatze (3 years old) and start again. By six months old the pups are allowed to have their own, always with me in the room to supervise. ...
If you're looking for other chew things, one thing to AVOID are corn cobs. I once heard a vet say that corn cobs keep them in business! They are forever surgically removing them. They're not digestible and they can get stuck in the intestines. My sister, however, told me the other day that she gives them to her dogs all the time!!! She'd never heard of them getting stuck. But her dogs don't swallow them; they just gnaw on them, so that is very lucky for her and her dogs!
I did the same as Mags -holding the end-while Molly was little. She still likes me to hold things while she chews, though is also quite capable of holding her own now. Rawhide is fine for her but used to upset my last dog's stomach, so I think trying one and seeing what happens is the only way to know if your pup's digestion can cope.
Rawhide is now part of our late afternoon routine. They're so expensive though, and only last a few days. Still, they satisfy the chewing, so they're definitely a necessity for now.
That's so strange! They're so cheap here. The ones Stanley has are 50p each. Super easy way of keeping him occupied We're a big fan of rawhide in our household, they're Stanley's "settle" toy. He sits quietly, he gets a rawhide. He doesn't sit quietly, he doesn't.
The bulk stuff from China is cheaper, but the Kiwi stuff is not. A large knotted bone (currently lasts her 3-4 days) is $9, which Google tells me is £5.26. That's an expensive habit.
I have avoided rawhide for the most part because a lot of it here is from China and I'm nervous about blockages. I just bought a not-cheap bag of digestible non-bleached rawhide from the vet that supposedly helps clean the teeth. Quinn likes it and it doesn't upset her stomach like other rawhide has but at $25 a bag...she will only get one on special occasions!
We have used rawhide for years with all of our dogs. They can devour a 10" roll in a few hours. They are one of the main distractions we use if we are going to leave them alone for a few hours. They are a lot cheaper than some of the other things Cooper might chew up. I know some folks worry about rawhide but we have never had a problem in more than 30 years. All of our dogs have eaten them. It is funny to watch them steal each others rawhide. I prefer the Harper knotted rawhide bones, but Costco quit carrying them. We started using the rolls, and they quit carrying them in the stores, but they are available online. I bought $68 of them last time. They are just over $1 apiece. They use South American rawhide which I trust more than China.
According to my friend (a vet and fellow Lab owner) no more than once a week - they're very fatty. I've never given one, can't see the point if it's akin to junk food.
Both my sister and I give our boys rawhide - although when Bailey was younger I started him on rice bones (which he still loves at 8 months old) but he really does love his rawhide - he has two - one in a plait and one shaped like a large bone with knots on the ends - the smaller plait one travels with us the larger stays at home. Great chewing distraction!
We've tried the rawhide - the vet says it is OK for her - but she hasn't liked it that much. Bully sticks are her favorite but they're expensive.
Pig rawhide is a lot more digestible than cow rawhide so if you're worried about blockages look for the pig ones. They are called 'pork rolls' here. We give pigs ears but not too often as they are really fatty as has been mentioned.
