A good reminder to all about Rawhide. Long but important!!!

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

Please read! Especially if you are giving your dogs Rawhides.

https://www.facebook.com/PlanetPawsPetEssentials/posts/883417478399...

THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!

How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.

Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.

Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!

A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?

“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.”TheBark.com

So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?

Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:

STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.

(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)

Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.

(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)

Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.

The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)

STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus! 
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)

STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.

“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com

“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com

Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.

STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!

Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.

When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!

Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.

Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides: 
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“

(Oh, how lovely…)

And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.

How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?

Here is world-renowned veterinarian Doctor Karen Becker's take on the matter:

“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.

At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“

P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?

An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com

Rodney Habib - Pet Nutrition Blogger

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

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

I stopped giving rawhides years ago, having become educated here on DK. I have since been making sweet potato dried chips and jerky type treats for my two. Easy, less expensive, safe, nutritious, less addicting.  I do use organic sweet potatoes. but you certainly wouldn't have to.  My dogs still go crazy for them after 5-6 years of getting them everyday as their treat.

[Sally M]

I sometimes give my dogs rawhides. but not regularly. Because when the piece gets chewed to a smaller size, they tend to want to swallow it and gag. Fortunately, they haven't choked. I watch themclosely. Plus, my girls get very possessive with their chews and it can get ugly. I did not realize the toxicity of chews! Our vet knows we sometimes give them chews (usually only on rainy days when I need to keep them occupied) and he hasn't said anything about the the toxic chemicals, etc. Thanks for the info!

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

Could it be your Vet does not know about the toxicity either? Share this information with him. You could be saving a lot of dog owners and dogs a lot of misery.  I would have to ask him how often he has to remove stuck rawhides from his patients also, or see other health issues from rawhide consumption, just saying, there could be a financial reason he / she doesn't see a big deal about these chews.   But, lets go with he just doesn't know all the facts.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree; vets don't even know much about dog food, they may not know the facts about rawhide either. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks for the reminder.

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

I feel I may be preaching to the choir on DK, but we have enough new members that I hope it helps those who haven't read about this.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the reminder, Sue. With so many newbies, it's always a good idea.

I always gave my previous dogs rawhide with no ill effects, but with Jack, I've learned better. 

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

I've used Merrick products for years, they are USA made in Texas and there are a lot of substitutes for rawhide or items you can get that still provide that chewing sensation. I used to give my old guys hoofers but my dogs were really good at not breaking them apart or chewing off big pieces. Every dog is different, if you have a dog that is going to swallow this stuff whole, don't give it to them. Mine chewed on the hoofs but never broke them apart and never ate them. They never went unsupervised chewing anything I gave them.  Rawhide can be a bad thing.  I had a lab once that would take his bone outside and hide it until it became soft, then he would go out, find it and eat it. Bad thing! I was very lucky he passed the rawhide and it didn't cause a blockage! There are so many other substitutes out there & chew treats you can make at home. 

There are still going to be dog owners that give rawhide no matter what warnings are out there... so with that said,  I would warn to never let your dog go unsupervised while chewing and take it away once it starts getting soft. Don't buy any product not made in the USA and try to buy products without all the chemical processing. Those products will carry an expiration date since they are not chemically preserved & they won't be pretty and white or cream color.   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Made in the USA" still doesn't mean that a product doesn't contain anything that comes from China. You really want to know that the product is sourced in North America. That applies to chews, food, treats, everything that a dog consumes. When in doubt, I call or email the company to ask if they use anything imported from Asia. 

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

There are only four companies that I know of that only use USA hide, without heavy processing and they are not cheap. A lot of companies say USA rawhide but then they send it overseas for processing or they import the meat and process it here and they don't say it on their bag either!  Wholesome Hide is one USA company I would recommend for those still insisting on rawhide chews.  There is also one that is made with chicken hide that is more digestible and doesn't leave that gummy stuff in the stomach. 

Please remember, I just mentioned this because some pet owners are still going to give rawhide and if you do, at least do it the safest way possible. Don't let them chew unattended, remove the chewy when it starts to get soft.  Even the most quality rawhide can still gum up in your dog's stomach, sit there and eventually can even cost you your dog's health, blockages and expensive surgery. 

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

Regardless of sourcing, processing or treating, it still is something that can be a choking or blockage hazard if made out of mostly leather. There are so many other less risky, healthy treat alternatives out there, it just doesn't make sense to me to give a dog ANY rawhides. The Wholesome Hide might be different, IDK, but thanks for the information for those who still insist on rawhide. Maybe Karen has more info on this company and it's products.

[Patty, Duffy & Oliver]

Wholesome Hide can still cause blockages just like any other rawhide. The only difference is it is all USA products with minimal processing. I only mentioned it because there are going to be pet owners that will ignore the warnings and that will still give rawhide chews. 

There is a chew bone made out of chicken hide that is digestible, vet approved that is suppose to be better but I haven't done a lot of research on it yet. Anyone else know more about the USA chicken hide chews?  This is the one I'm trying to find more info on or if anyone has tried them?  http://www.earthanimal.com/earth-animal-treats-and-chews/no-hide-ch...;