rawhide chews and cost effective alternatives

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I just bought a big bag of rawhide chews at costco. 7.5 lbs for about $23.00. Haven't opened it yet so I could take it back. Georgia does like rawhide and it seems economical.

Researching here I read all the issues and some people don't recommend them and some say it gives their dogs gas and Georgia is already very gassy in spite of a good diet and probiotics. So I'm looking for an economic alternative. 

A couple notes: She is very picky. She doesn't like to chew really hard things. At least not yet. Most bones sit untouched. The antler was a mistake. All her toys since I got her at 8 weeks are completely in tact and mostly untouched. She does like to chew on wood branches she finds in the back yard. She likes some of the really expensive bully sticks but they don't last long enough to be economical. 

Any recommendations for my picky puppy who is 5 months old?

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I'm interested to see what others have to say because I cannot think of anything...I first thought, bully sticks silly! but now I see why you dodge those! Fortunately Ragley enjoys antlers, but those are pricey as well. She won't even look at a nylabone of any inedible variety so I would like to know good alternatives as well...thanks for asking this!

[Vivian & Mojo]

I never give my Doodle rawhide. He loves Himalayan chews but I'm not sure about how economical they are in comparison to other chews.  I get them at my pet store or order them online.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=himalayan+yak+chews&a...

[F, Calla & Luca]

Anything you get at Costco may be suspect since many if not all their dog treats are from China. And many dogs get into trouble from undigested rawhide. I have not really found good chews since bully sticks tend to give my two looser stools. I worry about hard chews damaging teeth. I do let the dogs chew on sticks in the yard since the spit the pieces out.

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

George isn't what I'd call picky but she LOVES carrots, especially whole ones I put in the freezer. She's losing her baby teeth and we've been going through carrots pretty quickly as of late. She also likes her Himalayan dog chew, but it's not soft enough for her to sink her teeth into like the carrots. She has 6-7 antlers and likes those as well. I honestly don't plan on ever buying her bully sticks, they seem expensive and I sometimes feel dumb about shelling out $10 for the Himalayan dog chews... I've heard dogs like bananas and have some frozen ones I've been meaning to let George try, maybe with some peanut or almond butter.

[Kyoko]

I never buy rawhide. I hear too many scary things about them, such as causing blockage and choking. I give mine dog chews made of potato, or rice flour. Near by oet store sell them loose and they are like $2.00 each.

[Oliver & Elizabeth]

I would recommend beef tendons. They're about $2.00 and are great for dogs that are light chewers. They're favorites at our house and each lasts about a week.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

IF you choose to give your dog rawhide of any kind, you must make sure that it is a product of the USA. It is likely that any rawhide sold at Costco comes from China. Check the package; just an address in the US is not enough, it must say "made in USA" or better yet, "product of USA". 

Fortunately, JD does like antlers, and they last for weeks. They are also a good choice for dogs with food sensitivities or allergies, especially the elk antlers, as chances are your dog has never eaten elk. :) 

Another choice is beef tracheas. While they don't last as long as rawhide or antlers, they last longer than bully sticks, and are much less expensive. Also look for beef tendons. 

And don't forget good old marrow bones, also known as femur bones. We have several discussions here about these. They are very inexpensive, and they last forever. You can stuff them, and even run them through the dishwasher. 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

It says on the package it's a product of brazil or paraquay and says it's all natural 100% beef rawhide from free range cattle (they might as well label it gluten free as well ;–) ). I may take them back anyway.

Thanks for all the advise, I will out check out these options. I know a number of them I have used and she likes but I just don't want to be shelling out $5 on a regular basis for something that will only last 2 hours.

Marrow bones don't seem to be a big hit with her (too hard I think), but I haven't stuffed them.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would. There are a lot of rawhide products available that are sourced in the USA, but you won't find them at the "big box" stores. South America is better than China, but I still wouldn't feel comfortable with it. Costco is not known for selling pet food or treat brands from companies with good quality control.

I used USA sourced rawhides with previous dogs all the time, with no issues, but JD could never tolerate them. And there are people whose dogs have had serious GI issues from rawhides, so from a safety standpoint, I can't tell anyone to use them at all. 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I agree with you about Costco, however there is good stuff there as well. You just have to be smart about it.

I bought a huge bag of organic doggie cookies made by wet noses there in December. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would agree that if you know your brands and only buy the ones you know to be safe, you're okay there. But those are some big "ifs", lol. 

[Brittney & Cally]

Cally loves Himalayan Milk Chews! They are a little expensive but if you get the bigger ones they last longer. The nice things is they do not go to waste, once there is like an inch or two left you can microwave them and they turn into a cheese like treat. We do antlers (we do the split ones) and nylabones as well. I have been very fortunate, although Cally is a huge chewer she will only chew on appropriate toys and has never destroyed or messed with anything that was not meant to be chewed!