Why You Should Never Give Rawhide To Your Dog

By Admin Miscellaneous dog, dogfood, food, health 0 Comments

Rawhide chews are a popular treat that a lot of dog owners give their dog to keep them happy and occupied. After all, they seem to last for hours and dogs love them! They must be great, right?

Wrong.

A common misconception is that rawhide is a byproduct of the beef industry. However, it’s actually made from the leather industry’s leftovers.

How Rawhide Chews Are Made

An animal hide, usually cattle, is split. The top of the hide is generally tanned and made into leather products. The inner portion of the hide is what goes into dog rawhide products. Chemicals are used to split the hide.

The cattle hide is shipped from a slaughterhouse to a tannery, where it is then treated with chemicals to preserve it (hides are animal skin and can rot, after all). The hides are soaked and treated with either sodium sulphide liming or an ash-lye compound. The sodium sulphide-liming process is extremely toxic as it releases a large amount of sulphide (highly corrosive and toxic); this toxic mix is used to remove any hair from the hide.

The hide is then washed and whitened using hydrogen peroxide/bleach. Now that the hide has been cleaned and whitened, the painting process begins. Dyes and other substances are applied to make the hide appear appealing; toxic dyes have been found in tests along with preservatives such as sodium benzoate.

Rawhide Chews Are Not Food

Why does that matter? Since it’s not a food product, the FDA does not regulate or oversee these products. This means it is a free for all in terms of the quality of the rawhide and what goes into the manufacturing process.

Tests have found formaldehyde, lead, mercury, arsenic, toxic dyes, and more in samples of rawhide that were tested.

A Few More Reasons Rawhide is Bad..

Rawhide swells to 4x its size when ingested; making it a significant risk for intestinal blockage (major surgery would be required to remove it!)
Rawhide can be contaminated with salmonella; there have been major recalls of rawhide chews for just this reason.
It can cause tooth damage for dogs that are aggressive chewers; not a quick fix at the vet.

What’s A Safe Alternative to Rawhide?

So, you ask, what can you give your dog that will satisfy their need to chew and last? The best alternative is a natural chew, such as beef trachea, duck necks, or pig ears, which is not only easily digestible but satisfies the need to chew. Bully sticks are also a popular option, made from 100% bull muscle, but some dogs don’t digest it well (ours included). Others use antlers, but beware that these can cause tooth damage as they are too hard.

Why You Should Never Give Rawhide To Your Dog