29/05/2022
This is Poppie. She is one of my clients. A little while back, She had eaten a rawhide treat which she choked on and got lodged and swelled up in her oesophagus which resulted in her being rushed to an emergency vet for surgery to remove the rawhide. Thankfully the surgery was a success, and she is now fighting fit ❤️. Please think twice about giving your dog anything that contains rawhide, if in doubt read below why …..
Rawhide: What Is It?
It’s skin (typically from free-range grass-fed cows) that has not been tanned.
To get from cow to dog treat, the rawhide is processed in chemicals, cleaned in water, bleach (do you really want your dog ingesting toxic chemicals like bleach?), or hydrogen peroxide, and dried. Sometimes they are smoked for added flavoring.
Why is rawhide bad for dogs?
For one, rawhide bones and rawhide chews are famous for causing issues to the digestive tract as well as intestinal blockage. They can even get stuck in the oesophagus. Some dogs swallow such large pieces of it without chewing and end up at the vet. This requires the large chunks to be removed via surgery.
Other reasons rawhide chews are bad for your dog
Digestive Distress & Intestinal Blockage: When dogs swallow rawhide the effects can be dangerous. Rawhide swells in stomachs and can swell up to 4x its original size!
This swelling, combined with the inability to digest this material, can cause blockage and indigestion for pets. Not to mention making it difficult for them to poo. Small dogs are especially at risk.
Symptoms of intestinal obstruction can include continuous vomiting, lack of eating, and severely decreased energy. Treatment of intestinal obstruction typically involves surgical intervention.
