Rawhide - To chew or not to chew?

Let’s be honest. Dogs love to chew. Before Snowy had even turned 6 months he had managed to get through 3 pairs of heels, one coffee table leg and half of the chair legs to our new dining table set.

There are a wide variety of chew treats and toys available in the market. One of these products is rawhide and it is widely available in many forms. From simple cut sheet pieces to pressed pieces in the shape of bones and more exotic shapes such as Christmas crackers. But is it safe for my dog?

What is rawhide?

Rawhide is the by-product of the leather industry. Cow hide (and sometimes horse hide) is split into two layers. The top layer is tanned and made into various leather products (think handbags, shoes and wallets) while the bottom “raw” layer is what forms the basis of rawhide products.

It is difficult to say for certain what chemicals are involved in making particular pieces of rawhide as different countries will produce rawhide differently. Some larger manufacturers get their rawhide made in China and this will result in a different rawhide product (and chemicals used) to rawhide products made in America or here in New Zealand.

Generally, the rawhide is prepared first in a chemical bath to clean and bleach the hide. Preservatives are often added in this step to help chemically preserve the hide so it lasts for longer periods of time. Next it is coloured and flavoured with various “beef”, “chicken” or other flavours to make it more palatable to dogs. Finally it is either left in a sheet form or pressed into a variety of shapes to make it more appealing to humans.

The dangers of rawhide

Besides the toxicity and nutritional concerns around rawhide products, the other major concern is that after chewing on these treats for a while the rawhide becomes re-hydrated and soft and gooey. Your dog can bite off chunks which they could choke on or these could cause an internal blockage.

It should be noted that this danger is not unique to just rawhide products and care should be taken when pups are consuming treats like dried ears, especially if they have been working on them for a while.

Why we don’t put rawhide into Bark Bags

At Bark Bag, we want to provide healthy treats which are as natural as possible. We look at the process which the treat has to go through before it gets to you and we ask all our manufacturers where they acquire their animal product from. We have a particular emphasis on New Zealand made products, especially smaller suppliers who we believe make amazing products. While we personally don’t believe rawhide products meet this standard, if you would still like to feed your dog rawhide products we can source this for you as we are a complete personalised experience.

Personal choice

What you feed your dog is completely up to you. I personally choose not to feed Snowy any rawhide products because a lot of the rawhide products in New Zealand are originally made in China which means we have very little insight into the production process. Rawhide is often touted as a natural product but by the time it reaches us as consumers, there is very little left about it which I consider natural.

As for the choking hazard, my personal belief is that dogs can and do choke on just about anything. My neighbour’s dog choked on a piece of carrot which resulted in a trip to the vet for emergency surgery. The key to all treats is supervision. I would never recommend leaving your dog alone with any treat.

Does your dog deserve a personal shopper? Take a look at Bark Bag, we send out dog treats tailored to your dog’s preference profile.
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