Rawhide...good or bad???

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

Petsmart has rawhide on clearance and I was tempted to get some for Ginger, but I remember hearing that rawhide is bad for dogs/puppies.

 

Why? 

[Heather & Brinkley]

My vet told me that they were good for dogs because it cleans the plaque off of their teeth.  But I have heard others say they aren't good for them.  I can't ever seem to decide. :)

[Linda and Murphy]

For Murphy, I checked with our vet looking for SOMETHING he could chew.  In her opinion, rawhide was fine. She said it is one of the few things she has never removed from a blockage.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I now remember one vet telling me the same, so I am willing to let them have it with moderation and monitoring,

[Kim and Kashi]

Our breeder told us to make sure any dog treats were made in the USA.  I am still scared to give him rawhide though.  Aren't there imitation rawhides out there that are more easily digested?

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

The compressed rawhides are more easily digested.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

We used to give Dex rawhides.  One day he started crying uncontrollably so we brought him to the vet.  They found his jaw to be very very painful.  They sent us to a specialist to ensure there wasn't a problem luckily the specialist said he was fine and just overchewed. 

After the money that cost we just didn't want to risk anything similar again so we threw out the rest of the rawhides.  We probably let him have it too long which caused the problem, but to us it just isn't worth a risk. 

We buy white natural bones (white dog bone company is good).  They last forever, make no mess and Dex/Kirby go crazy for them.