Is It OK to Give my Dog Rawhide Bones and Treats?

Is It OK to Give My Dog Rawhide Bones and Treats?

ANSWER. This is a question that has been a hot topic in the past few years.

Many people fell that rawhide bones and treats can be prone to splintering and that can result in injuries to the mouth, throat stomach of a dog. But this in not the only reason they feel it is not good to feed rawhide chews to your dog. It has been proven that manufacturers use formaldehyde in processing the strips that they make into chews for dogs. While the levels are not toxic, Prolonged exposure could result in health issues but it has not been proven.

Lastly, rawhide does not digest in the stomach of a dog. In most cases this is not a big issues as the small peices will almost always pass through the system with any problem. But if the dog gets a big enough piece and swallow it, it could create a blockage in the bowel. If this occurs, surgery is the only way to remove it.

We suggest that if you have any question in your mind, you may not want to feed your dog Rawhides. Instead, you may want to use raw marrow bones or a raw beef bone from the local butcher shop.