To Give or Not to Give – That is The Question

There is a lot of debate out there as to whether or not to give your dog rawhide as a treat. With all the dogs over the years I have had the pleasure of sharing my life with and current count of eight dogs, I too question if this is good.

Better than 10 years ago when I first moved to Door County, Justin, (my son) and I decided we wanted a dog since in our previous home a condo back in Illinois – dogs were not allowed. We went to the local pound (at the time there was no Humane Society here) and rescued a Lab Shepard mix that was about 3 years old and named him MAX. We were so excited and had to go out and buy him all kinds of toy and treats which included rawhide bones and chips. Max had a real problem with the rawhide for several day after eating his rawhide bones and chip he would suffer with really bad diarrhea. So we just stopped giving him rawhide even though he really liked it. With all that I have been hearing and reading on the Internet, we have decided not to give our current dogs rawhide treats. Instead we purchase regular beef bones from our local butcher. Rawhide treats come in many shapes and sixes and is a huge industry, you can find many varieties in just about any pet store nationwide As any other treat you have decided to give your dog, it is an individual choice.

So to help you be a better informed dog owner, I have found the following information on rawhide so you too can choose whether or not you should give it to your dog(s).

Rawhide treats are a huge industry and you can find many varieties of rawhide treat in just about any pet store nationwide.

What is Rawhide? Rawhide is the inner layer of the hide of any cleft-hoofed bovine livestock. This is the un-tanned hide. Some rawhide products are and can made form animal by-products as well. Read the labels.

What is Rawhide made from?

The animal’s skin is split into inner and outer layers. The tough outer layer is used for leather shoes, garments, and upholstery, while the softer inner layer is cut and formed into different shapes for dog chews.

What makes Rawhide so tough? Collagen fibers link to make the animal’s hide tough yet flexible. Human skin has the same basic structure but is much thinner.

Where does Rawhide come from? The quality of rawhide is often related to its country of origin:

American Beef-hide: Corn-fed beef raised in the U.S. supply a thick, palatable and high quality chew. American beef-hide is considered “The Source” of choice for premium chews.

Oriental Water-Buffalo: Raised to work in the fields of countries like China, Korea and Thailand, they are a common source of imported rawhide.

South American Range Cows: These animals are fed on grass and typically have little fat and a rough, fibrous consistency. They are warm weather animals with a thinner skin.

How is Rawhide processed? The animal’s hide is transported to processing plants where it is split, washed, and cleaned. The hides are then cut, formed and dried into many varieties of rawhide you see in the stores. In less developed countries a lack of modern roads and refrigeration trucks often requires the use of preservatives to get skins from outer-lying areas to processing plants. In the U.S. fresh beef-hides are refrigerated during shipping to prevent degradation , spoilage, fouling and the need for chemical additives.^[i]

What chemical might be found in some rawhide? Some countries use arsenic-based products as a preservative and bleaching chemical such as hydrogen peroxide to improve the appearance, making it whiter. Some rawhide shipments have had traces of formaldehyde found in them, along with salmonella bacteria especially from outside the U.S. Other dangerous additives can include, lead, insecticides, pieces of dog or cat skin and antibiotics. It is said that rawhide is not regulated in many countries and there are no clear enforced standards or guarantees.

According to an investigative article on this topic, one company, IPSD of San Diego, California, sold rawhide products from Argentina, Canada, China, Ecuador, and Thailand, where cheap hides could be had.) Some of the residues found in poorly processed animal hides are lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, and formaldehyde. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction over animal products imported into this country but requires only an import license and a certificate of origin. Perhaps U.S. rawhides are safer, but chemical processing happens in all these products. Some U.S. companies claim that no chemical treatment or preservatives are needed to prevent rawhide spoilage, because everything is done here–that is, more quickly. But many skeptics disagree, and many people no longer buy these chewies. If you do decide to give a rawhide chew to your dog, buy a high-grade product made in your own country. ^[ii]
Some of the dangers of rawhide: Some dogs, like our Valerie, have sensitive tummies, so not only do you have to watch the food we feed her, but her treats as well.

Here are some of the problems that can occur with rawhide for dogs: Diarrhea, choking, intestinal blockage, sore throat and acute pancreatitis, just to name a few. Consult your veterinarian get his or her input on giving rawhide. Ask you vet if he/she gives rawhide to their own dogs? If not, why?

There are other sites I have listed, check them out for yourself, you decide is rawhide a good choice or not?

Other informational sites and sources:

http://www.dogreader.com/2004/01/16/2/

http://www.drjwv.com/training/

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/08/rawhide.html

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7013838-description.html

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00692.html

http://www.boxerrescue.com/rawhide_warning.htm

http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/INFO_Files/rawhide.chew.warning.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rawhide

http://nmnm.essortment.com/rawhidechew_rbzt.htm

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^[i]http://www.petfactory.com/faq.html

^[ii] http://www.innertraditions.com/Product.jmdx;jsessionid=758CA88C27F3F8D718191805C2694C73?action=displayDetail&id=1208&searchString=1-59477-057-3&selectedTextTypeKeynames=23&displayZoom=1