12/17/2018
Heads up dog lovers! A dog-friendly warning regarding the Xmas treats many stores are now starting to stock for dogs for the holidays.
Many of these so-called treats end up with the dog "enjoying" some time in a veterinary surgery over Christmas.
The vast majority of these rawhide products and treats come from China, where there are vastly reduced safety standards to those we rely on in the U.S.
The chews are made from cattle or horse hides and their journey starts with the hides being soaked in a toxic sodium sulfide to remove the hair and fat. More chemicals are used in order to split the hide into layers which is then washed with hydrogen peroxide to give the white "pure" look and remove the rancid smell. You may know hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to make dogs vomit up poisons but it can cause lasting damage to intestines.
Now come the pretty festive colors and the glue to form cute shapes. On testing, these chews have shown traces of arsenic, mercury, chromium, and formaldehyde! Yeesh - you would never knowingly feed these toxins to yourself or your dogs, right?
If that wasn't bad enough, these "treats" regularly cause intestinal blockages, poisoning from chemical residue and choking. The chews are slippery when wet and are near impossible to get hold of to save a choking dog.
Leave them in the shop where they belong or if some well-meaning person buys them for your dog store them safely away from your dog and then dispatch in the garbage bin!
