Is Rawhide Dangerous For Dogs?
Are rawhide chews dangerous for dogs? I mean really? We see them lining the shelves of our favourite retailers – surely if they were THAT bad no one would stock them?
Let’s consider reasons for feeding rawhide chews:
Long lasting – awesome, dog is kept quiet whilst we crack on with our daily chores
Odourless – fantastic, no stinky chew lying around the house
Cheap – even better, I can grab a bag of 10 for less than £1 whilst doing my weekly shop
Natural – it says on the packet rawhide is a natural product which has got to be good, yes?
Erm, no.
Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog chews is it gets softer, until it is the consistency of chewing gum. By that point, it is nothing more than a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.
If you understood what it took to make these harmless looking chew sticks, you would quickly understand what the problem is and why companies such as myself want to scream ‘No!’ when customers ask us if we stock these nasty things.
Even with the horror stories about dogs needing emergency surgery after eating rawhide, SO many dog owners believe that this chew is some sort of harmless, dried up meat stick.
It’s not!
A rawhide stick is not a by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rawhide is a by-product of the Leather Industry, so theoretically it is a leather chew. (Yum).
How to they make rawhide chews?
So, if this is actually leather, how on earth does it get transformed into the various shapes and sized chews available on the market.
Below is a step-by-step guide for how your average rawhide chew is created.
1. The Tannery
Cattle hides are usually shipped direct from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. The hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help and delay the rate of decaying. (This doesn’t stop the decaying process. Only slows it.)
Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.
Once complete, the hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.
The outer layer of the hide is then used for items such as clothing, shoes, handbags etc.
But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide (other items made from this inner layer are glues, cosmetics etc too)
2. Bleach Bath (with a few extra chemicals thrown in for good measure)
Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach.
Research also shows that other chemicals may be used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.
3. Time to get creative
Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this leathery by-product look delicious! The treated hides are rolled, pressed, glued and shaped into endless varieties. Then for the piece de resistance, they can be smoked and decoratively tinted using chemically produced dyes and paints.
4: To the supermarket shelves
Once ready for sale, the rawhide chews are packaged up ready to send to your retailer.
Be warned: The packaging may stated it comes from the UK, but this is highly likely where it is packaged NOT where it is manufactured. The largest exporter of rawhide chews is China.
A loophole in the system allows UK retailers to import their goods and then package them up with their UK name and address on them!
When rawhide has been tested, Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Chromium salts, Formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals have been detected in rawhides. This is most likely from the glues and paints used.
So this Christmas, when a well-meaning friend buys your pooch a mass-produced Christmas Stocking that contains rawhide chews. Do yourself, and your pooch, a favour and chuck them in the bin!
Laura, Reggie & Dolly x
Safe Alternatives to Rawhide Chews
Buffalo ears are an extremely long lasting, natural alternative to dental sticks and chews. Our Buffalo Ears are air dried, not roasted or fried, which keeps the flavour totally natural and are great source of protein for your dog.
Our Bully Braid is three pizzles braided into one monster chew stick for dogs - the ultimate natural healthy treat for dogs of all sizes.
Our Camel Scalp an exceptionally long lasting, low fat, natural healthy treat for dogs of all sizes and a fantastic addition to our Exotics Range. Our Camel Scalp is available in 15cm (approximately) sticks which vary in size and weight due to the natural drying process.
Cow’s ears are a long lasting, natural alternative to dental sticks and chews. Our cow’s ears are air dried, not roasted or fried, which keeps the flavour totally natural and are great source of protein for your dog.
Olive wood dog chews are a great, safe chew. From natural origins, our olive wood sticks are so much safer than sticks from the garden which can splinter and shard. As your dog chew, small, soft, pulpy pieces will come away which are perfectly safe to be ingested.
Our Power Chew Variety Pack has been updated to include our Ultra Hard Camel Scalp pieces. Each bag contains long lasting chews to keep your chewy dog entertained.
Yak Bars for Dog are the ultimate long lasting dog chew. Made from compressed and hardened yak milk. Virtually odourless. Perfect from 8 weeks of age onwards.
Thick Pizzles are perfect for larger dogs and determined chewers. Available in a packs of 5 or 10, each pizzle weighs between 28-40g and is a uniform 15cm long. A fantastic alternative to rawhide chew rolls. One of our longer lasting chews!
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