How do Rawhides rate?

Sage loves a good rawhide from time to time. I buy the ones from Trader Joe's that are un-bleached bone shaped and natural . They help me keep her busy and those teethies clean. Is there anything wrong with un-bleached rawhides?

no. I think they are fine if that is what you want to give them. Some people give them pigs ears, some bully sticks and the likes nothing wrong with them if you can stand them.

That's not entirely true.

Rawhides, bleached or unbleached, pose a significant choking risk. You should never give them to your dog without close supervision. Many dogs have broken off large pieces of the mostly undigestible rawhide and required surgery.

I have never given my dog a rawhide or pigs ears. We give him bully sticks or Sam's Yams (http://www.frontporchpets.com/) that are 100% digestible.

I believe pressed rawhides are the safest option.

On occassion we give our crew compressed rawhide- but never the "natural" stuff- too dangerous for the chewers in this house! They also get pig ears, which, if anyone has fed them, they know how soft they get and bully sticks (with our crew, I have to be more watchful with the bully sticks than anythiing else). Hope that helps.

I prefer feeding raw beef bones to rawhide or pig ears. In general they are safer and healthier and I find they do a better job of cleaning teeth.

These are pressed rawhide and she get's them real soft before she can even get a peice off no bigger than a fingernail...that's why they keep her so busy I guess they aren't natural since they are pressed into a bone shape but they are from Trader Joe's that sells natural and holistic food. I guess I assume they have no bad stuff in them.

We have a store by our house that has a freezer filled with raw bones, and food for the raw feeders. Squirt loves the raw bones, but they can be a little messy.

Yeah I wish I could do the raw bones but they are covered in ants and flies within 5 minutes. I so miss feeding her a raw diet where she gets plenty of crunchy bones to clean her teeth. With 5 girls sharing ONE fridge and freezer...not even MY food fits comfortably so she must enjoy her kibble.

My dogs get rawhide when it is a gift from someone..........but honestly I don't care for them much. They get a pig ear occasionally, but they don't last more than a few minutes no matter the 'quality'

Bones I have found clean the teeth best, and are a little more worry free.

What kind of bones do you suggest...the kind that they can actually devour w/meat on them or big bones that they just gnaw on?

I would recommend something like this

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54787

My dog sure love it more than any rawhide or greenies. He "hu" me like hell when I try to take it away : )

One thing I dislike is that there was some blood stain around his month after crewing

I go raw bones too , They don't mind the flies and ants ! I start in garage or outside and when clean of meat and dry , they can come inside . Hard to find today though ! No more butchers around ! Mine have always devoured raw hide too quickly ...one big chunk can swell 3 times it's size and cause major blockage ....not worth the chance to me . Small dogs may be a different story though .

I give raw bones outside and inside he gets pig ears, bully sticks, and pig snozzles............Caiza has a sensitive belly to rawhide

Tell me about it Grammy! I searched every grocery & small shop in this town.........NOTHING! I finally ran a Google and found a small mom and pop shop the next town over...........the town I work in actually!! They butcher and have great bones and liver........2 minutes out of the way on my way home from work, it is PERFECT!

I know that big food chains (Kroger for us) carries big soup bones in the "soup season" (colder months).........so stock up!

What bones you choose depends on what type of chewer you have. If you have a "bite and gulp" chewer you will want to get some nice big knuckle bones with or without meat on it. If you have a more patient chewer then you can get pretty much any size of bone you want so long as it isnt small enough for them to think they can swallow it. Igive my guys knuckle bones, leg bones, ribs, back bone, really whatever the butcher sticks in the bag! The rib tips they can chew right through and will eat the entire thing.