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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 31, 2009 at 7:03am

I've seen a dog chew a rawhide til it's soft, try to swallow it whole, get it caught in its throat and have to have it pulled out. Not fun and possibly dangerous. What I have heard is if your dog breaks off little tiny pieces and swallows those, it's probably safe, but if your dog is a gulper than probably not. Our vet does not recommend rawhide. There is also some question as to what chemicals are used in the treating process.

There are various opinions out there and there is probably not one "correct" answer to your question.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 31, 2009 at 8:38am

It really depends on how she consume the rawhide, some corgis have sensitive stomach and they will have runny poop from the bacteria, some tolerate real well but some piece might break up and scratch up the interior, causing obstruction or bleeding in the butt. My dog loves the rawhide, Vienna can tolerate it and digest it real well, Mocha on the other hand tend to constipate and sometimes just miserable afterwards. So I've eliminated them completely and bought their bully sticks.

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Permalink Reply by Irene (and Pancake) on July 31, 2009 at 5:19pm

hmm ive never heard of bully sticks but it sounds like a good alternative

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Permalink Reply by Derek on July 31, 2009 at 5:37pm

My dog loves bully sticks, I just don't use them as a distraction when I am not at home. Some people use them as a distraction when they are in the crate. I perfer to use Kongs with a little peanut butter way up inside it. Much safer for long term, but if I am home, bullies are great.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on July 31, 2009 at 5:39pm

Jack had bully sticks twice and got the runs both times. Blech.

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Permalink Reply by Aj on July 31, 2009 at 5:46pm

Have you tried antler chews? I love em since they're all natural, are clean, don't smell, and last a long time (it's been 8 months and my Ein's still chewing on the one I bought for him). Best $7 I've ever spent I think.

Here's a forum about good chewies

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Geddes on July 31, 2009 at 11:21pm

My vet has recommended, under my supervision, unflavored rawhides from the US. Bully sticks are great and quite an investment when you are talking about three corgis! Bear, Tasha and Linus really get a workout from a small amount of Cream Nut peanut butter schmeared all around the interior of a Kong. Gotta look into those antlers....sounds wonderfully neandrathal....

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Permalink Reply by Edward and Gemima on August 1, 2009 at 10:54am

My vet actually recommended rawhide, but wants us to make sure it is made in the USA which sometimes is difficult to find!!

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Permalink Reply by Zach and Lisa on August 2, 2009 at 11:07am

We have always just stuck with the antler chews. They work out great and Midas just loves them. They last forever and we haven't had any runs or sensitive tummys with them. We cannot find them in any pet store. We made the mistake of asking once and they looked at us like we were insane. So we just get them online. I have heard that some specialty stores carry them but we havent found any. I was always told that rawhides can be very dangerous because of how many dry layers they have. My vet said if they swallow pieces without making them gummy first then they could swell in the tummy and cause blockage. I just don't want to take that chance, scares me. Good luck for your search of a good chew, I would try an antler if I were you. Midas gives em 4 paws up!

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Permalink Reply by the Doaks on August 2, 2009 at 3:39pm

I had just researched rawhides because I was curious about getting them for our puppy. Overall they are safe, but it is important for the dog to chew them under supervision, so that way if there are little bits being chewed off, you can cut the soft parts off or simply toss it. I just bought a big jumbo bag of 14 chews for our puppy which are supposed to be good for his teeth. He rips them apart pretty easily, but I notice when they get really soft he doesn't seem that interested in them. Thus, I usually toss them once they're dismantled. I figure while he's a puppy, the more he can have to really really chew the better, because all his other toys are plush or rubber and he can't really chew hard on them. I recommend raw hides very much, but I would also recommend getting small ones in a big bag like we did so you can toss them regularly without wasting a ton of money. Hope that helps!

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on August 2, 2009 at 8:55pm

I use cow hooves and again it must be USDA...the others stink! This works wonderful for all my dogs and pups and it takes a long time for them to chew before they get so small they need to be thrown.

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Permalink Reply by Irene (and Pancake) on August 4, 2009 at 11:22pm

Bully sticks seem to work realllly well!!

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