Rawhide: How worried should I be?

[lindrusso]

Hi there.

I had decided not to give Bailey a couple of rawhide bones I had bought, but he found one and seemed to be enjoying it so much, so I let him chew. He swallowed about a piece about half the size of the bone! It was about a 4 or 5-inch bone, so figure at least 2-3 inches.

How worried should I be? I'm just worried about a blockage at worst or stomach upset at the very least.

No more rawhide for me! It's too nerve-wracking!

I just wish I could find something he could really chew on that would last longer than the Nylabones. He goes through those in a day or two. Shows no interest at all in the rubber ones - too bad - that sounds like just what we need! :)

Alysha :)

[beckms]

Well, there's nothing you can do until he starts showing signs of GI distress. He'll probably be OK if he chewed it a bit first, since that softens them up. But be on the lookout for the next 24 hours or so for lethargy, depression, vomiting, and diarrhea, especially watery.

That's exactly why rawhide bones are on the "no-no" list of chew toys for my dogs. Sparkle hardly even chews hers and swallows them almost whole. It's just not worth the worry!

Have you tried a Kong? A lot of dogs enjoy those. Mine, of course, are completely uninterested in them unless they're filled with food...:rolleyes:

in any case, I hope your pup is OK!

[lindrusso]

Thanks Rebecca. I do have a Kong toy - he'll eat out all the treats, but doesn't really use it for chewing. I really need something he'll chew aggressively - he's still teething and all that puppy stuff.

I wish he was just a chewer instead of an ingester, but I guess today has shown that he positively is an ingester! :rolleyes: I'd love something a little cheaper than the edible Nylabones.

I know there's nothing I can do, I just hate the worrying part and wondered if the websites I'm reading about the dangers of rawhide are being alarmist or if it's not-so-common a problem as they are making it out to be. I just wonder why rawhide is such a favorite chew if it can be such a problem?? :(

Alysha

[Grace]

Don't worry, Alysha. Rawhides are actually meant to be eaten, not just chewed. I don't think it's good for them to have lots though, so I only allow a very small piece once every week or two weeks at most for my two (I may be overly-cautious though), but out in the wild, when dogs eat animals, they eat the skin and fur and everything. The only thing I would be concerned about is to make sure the rawhides you give him are MADE IN THE USA! The ones made in other countries are possibly dangerous, as they are sometimes treated with chemicals that have been known to kill some dogs. It doesn't happen often, but enough to make it not worth the risk, IMO.

You could ask your vet about how much (if any) rawhide he/she thinks is a safe amount to let your doggy have. But rest easy, he'll be just fine for right now.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Grace
You could ask your vet about how much (if any) rawhide he/she thinks is a safe amount to let your doggy have. But rest easy, he'll be just fine for right now.

Thanks Grace. I was feeling like such a bad doggie-mommy. :( The thought about how they eat in the wild actually did occur to me - seems like they must be built for tougher stuff. Still, MUCH better to be safe than sorry, so we'll lay off the rawhide for now. :)

To top it off, I think something else may be bugging his tummy before this all happened. He vomited a little bit of bile yesterday morning - two very small amounts. But then the rest of they day his bowels and appetite were normal, so I didn't worry.

But this morning - before his rawhide incident - he didn't eat much breakfast.

Hope something else isn't bothering him. We really try to keep him from eating stuff outside - he's never out unless we're watching him closely - but I wonder what he might have gotten hold of?

Hopefully everything will be fine and back to normal in a day or so!

Alysha :)

[Julie O]

There are Nylabones made for more aggressive chewers. Most are made for larger dogs, but they may now be making them for puppies. I'm posting a link below for the stronger Nylabones. On the package, they say something like "for aggressive chewers". I remember the smaller ones also said "puppy pacifier" but that may be on all of the packages.


Our Blitzen, also a golden, has never grown out of the chewing phase, and he's 3 1/2 years old now! He loves the Nylabone wolf size knot bones, which are too huge for your puppy--for now. :) Also, Dental Dinosaurs are virtually indestructible. We were given one of these when we got Blitzen and it was a god-send! We buy ours at Petsmart.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=352&D=nylabone&R=20694&Ntt=nylabone&Dx=mode+matchallany&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallany&Np=1&N=2001&Nty=1

[Grace]

My one dog (Bella) pukes up bile when she hasn't eaten for too long a period of time (too long by her standards, not anyone else's!! :D ). So I have to make sure I keep her on a very regular feeding schedule (the same times each day). I think her body knows when she normally eats and starts producing a whole bunch of bile, then if we don't feed her at that normal time, she pukes up the bile. But she's not sick. And there are the occasions that both of my dogs (not at the same time) decide they don't want to eat - for whatever reason. For Bella, who's my "nervous nellie", it could be because of rain or a thunderstorm, and with Brandy it could be because she's incredibly bored which makes her neurotic. I've alleviated Brandy's problem pretty much by a) getting Bella to keep her company and b) making sure they both get a good, long RUN every single day, no exceptions (except for days when it's pouring down rain or something). I wouldn't worry unless he goes for a long time with no appetite (more than a day). In the meantime, get him outside to RUN and play with him a lot and I bet he'll perk right up.

[sdcook]

Thanks for posting that link, Julie. My pug is a chewer. I've gotten her a plain nylon Nylabone, but she prefers the flavored ones. I've never seen the flavored durable ones around here, but now I know what to look for.

[yorkshirepud]

Lindrusso,

One tip my breeder gave me to help Bosco soothe his teething period was to give him a ice-cube. He loves it.

Another tip is to soak his rope toy (if you have one), squeeze out the water and throw it in the freezer to chill. Like the ice-cube, the coolness will soothe the pain.

Good luck. We're going through teething joy right now also!

[yorkshirepud]

Oh, and I second the Nylabones. Bosco loves them. They come in a variety of flavours with different ranges for different chewers. It used to take him a few days to get through one. On Friday he chewed it up over the period of a day. He absolutely loves them.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Grace
My one dog (Bella) pukes up bile when she hasn't eaten for too long a period of time (too long by her standards, not anyone else's!! :D ).

In the meantime, get him outside to RUN and play with him a lot and I bet he'll perk right up.

That's interesting to know - because it did occur first thing in the morning where, of course, he had a long stretch of not eating.

He did get a little bit neglected yesterday because we were having a garage sale (he got to stay outside with us until he started eating and chewing mulch, dirt and flowers. :rolleyes: ).

I just have to get used to his little quirks - until I do, I'll be quite skittish. I'm fairly used to young human quirks, just not young canine quirks. :D :) I remember being alarmed when my first son's eyes opened up very wide for the first time - they seemed to be popping out of his head - I was sure he was under some sort of duress. :rolleyes: :D

I'll have to keep trying on the nylon bones - I've tried the flavored nylon Nylabones, but so far he only likes the edible ones.

Alysha :)

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by yorkshirepud
Oh, and I second the Nylabones. Bosco loves them. They come in a variety of flavours with different ranges for different chewers. It used to take him a few days to get through one. On Friday he chewed it up over the period of a day. He absolutely loves them.

Bailey can chew them up in about 3 days or so. I just cringe at the price when he's going at them particulary hard and chews them up even faster! As far as the edible ones go, it seems they come only in sizes, not in ranges of light-aggressive chewers like the nylon ones.

[Goldie]

My dogs don't go for the Nylabones, unfortunately, and I'm skittish about rawhide too. The best thing I've found for them is real marrow bones. I buy them frozen at the natural dog food store, and usually try to let them work on them out in the yard for a few hours til they are clean enough to bring in the house. They like these raw bones MUCH better than the smoked kind you buy at the 'regular' pet store. Those kind they will chew on til the flavor's gone, which seems to be only a day or two. Then they are pretty useless.

They will gnaw on these raw bones for MONTHS, long after you and can see any traces of meat on them. Make sure they are plenty big for your dog, but ordinarily there is nothing they can really break off and swallow, except for tiny bits, which should not be a problem at all for dogs.

Anne G.
Leaf's State Trooper
Zoe the 2-faced dog

[yorkshirepud]

Originally posted by lindrusso


Bailey can chew them up in about 3 days or so. I just cringe at the price when he's going at them particulary hard and chews them up even faster! As far as the edible ones go, it seems they come only in sizes, not in ranges of light-aggressive chewers like the nylon ones.

You're right. I got them confused with the chewing ones.

Tell me about the price. Bosco ate he way through $9 worth in 2 days. I may have to start charging room and board! :p

[jazzyjas]

planetdog.com makes these great Orbi balls that are indestructable but much softer than a kong -- while my dog will take less than a minute to shred a tennis ball and will not even touch a kong -- he loves these Orbi balls while they are a little bit expensive the newspaper article that turned me on to them said they ran over it with the mower, twice and it didn't fall apart -- they are indestructable

j

[ellamay]

The best thing I've found for them is real marrow bones. I buy them frozen at the natural dog food store

Ditto for us on this. With two heavy chewers we were at our wit's end about what to give them to chew on before we found the marrow bones. We would give them the big Nylabones and they would be gone, literally gone, in about 5 minutes. The Nylabones are just too expensive for them not to last - my dogs spend about two hours a day chewing on their bones, and if the bones aren't available they go to shoes, furniture, etc. We do give rawhide bones once a week, but both dogs have marrow bones they are chewing on right now that they've had for at least three months. The real bones we buy at the natural-foods pet store are boiled so they're not too messy. I really recommend them for any dog that's a heavy chewer.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by ellamay
The real bones we buy at the natural-foods pet store are boiled so they're not too messy. I really recommend them for any dog that's a heavy chewer.

Any ideas on where I can get these other than natural-foods pet store? Around here I'm lucky enough to find a pet store OR a human natural foods store, much less a natural-foods store for pets! :D ;)

I do have a decent pet store about 20 minutes away - is it possible they sell these? Since they are not smoked - would they have to sell them frozen or refrigerated?

Thanks for your help for my chewer! :)

I'll also look into the Orbi Balls but I don't know that they would be any more successful than any of the other plastic/nylon/rubber-type toys we have tried. :)

Alysha

[FuzzyDolly]

If you ever decide to go with rawhides again, Lucy, my terrier mix, loves the Vanilla scented rawhides from the "White Dog Bone Company." God it makes her breath smell great.

[Chelle D]

My dog LOVES pig ears and has since she was 8 weeks old and we have never had a problem with them. She does not really like rawhide. We have bought the smoked bones before and she LOVES them. Also, you can just buy bones from the butcher or soup bones. I always bake or boil them, but my co-worker just gives them to her dogs as they are. They are only $0.39/lb and last longer than many other things.

[imloulou]

Hi Alysha!

I hope Bailey is OK by now. Dog's are tough but like you said it is better to be safe than sorry.

My Golden is a big time chewer also. He prefers Lego's from the kids rooms and our socks, we discourage both. He is so funny...we call the laundry basket the BUFFET!! We will catch him poking around it looking for a sock.

We alternate between 3 things.

1--Sams Club sells a huge bag of piggies (pig ears) for about 10 bucks. Ansel LOVES Piggies. They do not last long but he loves them and it satisfies his chewing for a while.

2--We give him meaty bones. The last one we gave him was a HUGE knuckle. It lasted a week and he was always chewing on it. These by far last the longest. They come in all sizes.

http://www.petedge.com/jump.jsp?itemType=INDEX&itemID=695

3--any of the nylabone/kong things. The frisbee is great. He also goes through these pretty fast but it keeps him busy.

There is a place called PetEdge online that I have been buying from for a while. It used to be called New England Serum but they changed their name:

www.petedge.com

They have very reasonable prices and their service is great.

Let us know how Bailey is doing!

Have a great Memorial Day!!

[Leisa M]

We have something by Nylabone that is very hard and lasts Missy a very long time. It is called a Dental Dinosaur. This is not rubber whick she will chew up within a few days.

Of course Missy is a mini schaunzer but...

[lindrusso]

Thanks for the continued suggestions for chewies. :)

Bailey seems to be just fine. Phew!

Our big adventure for the day was to get him in the car and take him to the park. He HATES the car - I had to pick him up and put him in and he was shaking like crazy. I'm going to try to do quick little fun trips 1-2 times a week (more when school gets out) to try to get him to at least be okay with the car and hopefully even maybe like it. :) I'd better get him used to it before he gets too big for me to pick up. :eek:

As for pig ears - wouldn't they present the same problems as rawhide as far as swallowing big pieces is concerned? I remember someone from this board saying that her dog would chew them a bit and then swallow them whole! :eek:

Alysha :)

[Leisa M]

don't go anywhere scary at first (ie: vet's office). If you continually go places fun, he should soon begin to associate trips in the car with fun places. Also, roll down the windows so he can stick his head out.

I forget how old is he?

As far as pig ears, they are tougher to chew than rawhide.

[Leisa M]

don't go anywhere scary at first (ie: vet's office). If you continually go places fun, he should soon begin to associate trips in the car with fun places. Also, roll down the windows so he can stick his head out.

I forget how old is he?

As far as pig ears, they are tougher to chew than rawhide. There are also hooves that are very tough. You might try one of those.

[imloulou]

Originally posted by lindrusso
Thanks for the continued suggestions for chewies. :)

Bailey seems to be just fine. Phew!

Our big adventure for the day was to get him in the car and take him to the park. He HATES the car - I had to pick him up and put him in and he was shaking like crazy.

As for pig ears - wouldn't they present the same problems as rawhide as far as swallowing big pieces is concerned? I remember someone from this board saying that her dog would chew them a bit and then swallow them whole! :eek:

Alysha :)

Hi Alysha...glad to hear Bailey is OK.

It will take a little time for him to get used to the car. Like Leisa said, if you go to fun places he will end up loving it.

Ansel (all 105 lbs) jumps into any open car door (even if it is not ours) tail wagging and tongue hanging thinkin he is going to the park! I even take him to the Bank...they have doggy treats...how funny is that!

[bobmark226]

Originally posted by lindrusso


As for pig ears - wouldn't they present the same problems as rawhide as far as swallowing big pieces is concerned? I remember someone from this board saying that her dog would chew them a bit and then swallow them whole! :eek:



From dogs.com (long):

R A W H I D E S, C O W H O O V E S, & P I G S ' E A R S

These well-liked dog treats are purchased in large numbers, especially around holidays, by well-meaning dog owners hoping to give their pets something special. These toys are favorites for many dogs and are popular with owners because they keep their pets occupied and supposedly out of trouble during holiday activities. There are definite risks associated with these treats, however. All three types are supposedly made of digestible animal products. However, they are digested quite slowly and, if consumed rapidly, can cause either vomiting or diarrhea from the many pieces still sitting undigested in the GI tract. If the treats are swallowed whole or in large chunks, there are additional dangers. Rawhide chews can lodge in the throat and cause choking, or a large piece may be swallowed, scraping and irritating the throat and esophagus on the way down. Once in the stomach or intestinal tract, a large piece of rawhide can also create a physical obstruction. An additional danger that is less widely known is the practice, in some countries, of using an arsenic-based preservative in the processing of rawhide toys. We recommend that, if you do purchase these products, stick to brands processed in the U.S. There has also been a recent FDA alert about the risk of Salmonella accociated with dog chew products made from pork or beef-derived materials: refer to the FDA advisory or call 1-888-INFO-FDA.

Cow hooves are even more dangerous than rawhides. They are hard enough that a dog can actually break a tooth on one. They can also be chewed up into sharp fragments which may cause a partial intestinal obstruction. Partial obstructions are often difficult to diagnose until the point at which the fragment is ready to perforate the wall of the bowel from pressure against the sharp edges. If perforation has occured, the infection that ensues from leakage of intestinal contents can be fatal.

Pigs' ears can cause GI upset if overeaten, similar to the situation with rawhides, although obstructions are less common because the ears are not usually shaped into solid chunks. There is, whowever, a less widely known danger associated with pig ears: A recent FDA advisory published by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human services on Oct.1, 1999, stated that there is "a nationwide public health warning alerting consumers about a number of recent cases in Canada of human illnesses apparently related to contact with dog chew products made from pork or beef-derived materials (e.g., pigs ears, beef jerky treats, smoked hooves, pigs skins, etc.)... FDA is urging pet owners... to handle them carefully. Anyone who comes in contact with these treats should wash their hands with hot water and soap. Initial reports of illnesses came from Canada and involved Canadian products, but subsequent examination of similar products produced in the U.S. indicate that all pet chew products of this type may pose a risk...."

[tbb113]

Alysha:
Depending on how freaked out Bailey is about car rides will depend on what you need to do. Gary Bogue (a local columnist who writes on animals) wrote about it but I can't find the column on-line. I know that he recommends starting with the dog just sitting in a non-moving car, then turning the car on, then revving the engine, going around the block, going further, etc. Before moving on to the next step, Bailey needs to be a happy dog (not whining, crying, pacing, throwing up, etc). As always, praise for good behavior.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Leisa M
don't go anywhere scary at first (ie: vet's office).

You're right, but unfortunately he is still getting immunizations, so that's pretty hard to avoid. And I just haven't had much time to do the fun trip thing. School will be out next week, so we'll have LOTS more time for the fun trips.

As for sticking his head out the window - I have a van, so he won't get to do that unless I put him in the front seat (which ain't gonna happen :D ). Even if I didn't have a van, he wouldn't be allowed anywhere except the back - being so scared makes him prone to vomiting and peeing in the car! :eek:

Alysha :)

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by tbb113
Alysha:
Depending on how freaked out Bailey is about car rides will depend on what you need to do. Gary Bogue (a local columnist who writes on animals) wrote about it but I can't find the column on-line. I know that he recommends starting with the dog just sitting in a non-moving car, then turning the car on, then revving the engine, going around the block, going further, etc. Before moving on to the next step, Bailey needs to be a happy dog (not whining, crying, pacing, throwing up, etc). As always, praise for good behavior.

He's actually good in the car - no whining or crying or pacing - just has the shakes. It's getting him IN the car that is the hardest. And he has thrown up twice - once on the 2-hour ride home from the breeder and once at the vets - but not until we got there.

We'll keep working on it.....my DH figures that once we can start taking him to the lake to swim (assuming he likes to swim :rolleyes: ) that should get him over it! :)

Alysha

[tbb113]

Here are some links (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=dog+used+to+riding+in+car) from google talking about how to get Bailey to ride in the car without shaking.

[lindrusso]

Thanks Tyra, I will bookmark those sites. :)

[Leisa M]

Missy shakes if she has not sh!t before we get in the car. As far as throwing up or peeing in the car no.

[imloulou]

Originally posted by bobmark226


From dogs.com

Pigs' ears can cause GI upset if overeaten, similar to the situation with rawhides, although obstructions are less common because the ears are not usually shaped into solid chunks. There is, whowever, a less widely known danger associated with pig ears: A recent FDA advisory published by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human services on Oct.1, 1999, stated that there is "a nationwide public health warning alerting consumers about a number of recent cases in Canada of human illnesses apparently related to contact with dog chew products made from pork or beef-derived materials (e.g., pigs ears, beef jerky treats, smoked hooves, pigs skins, etc.)... FDA is urging pet owners... to handle them carefully. Anyone who comes in contact with these treats should wash their hands with hot water and soap. Initial reports of illnesses came from Canada and involved Canadian products, but subsequent examination of similar products produced in the U.S. indicate that all pet chew products of this type may pose a risk...."

You are right about this Bob...the package of pig ears that we have actually has that warning...it says to thoroughly wash hands after handling the pig ears!!

As far as the choking factor...I give my dog a pig ear at least 5 times a week...he lives for the "piggy". He is a chewer and this is one of the greatest ways he can relieve some of it.

I think dogs are like kids. (we love ours (almost) as much) When ya let your kids swim in the Big Pool....you have to be comfortable before you dont have to be RIGHT NEXT TO THEM in the water. Same with dogs...watch them with their toys until you feel that they are ok with it. Can they choke on it? YES but he/she can also choke on the cat poop they dig out of the pine-straw on the driveway...:D

I am glad you posted this because I was wondering about that warning on our "piggies"!