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Rawhide Chew Sticks


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Good morning everyone. And it is a great one. Last night I had a bit of a scare with Tolinka. He had been chewing on a rawhide chew stick for about 10 minutes. Normally I hold it when he chews, this time I didn't. All of a sudden I noticed he was trying to swallow something and it definitely wasn't going down. He was obviously choking on it. I gave him some water and that didn't work. He let me gently open his mouth to investigate. There was no pull back on his part. I think he knew he was in big trouble. What I found was a piece of the chew stick lodged in the back of his throat half way down. Still trusting me, he let me put my hand in his mouth, fingers reaching into his throat, to pry it out. There was no gag reflex happening, and I know I was deep enough to have that happen. It turned out to be a flat piece of the chew stick, about an inch square. I was really lucky that there was enough to grab a hold of rather than not. He sat quietly as I worked the piece out of his throat and when all was done, ran to his bed. That would also be my bed. Eventually he collected himself and went for water. I am so thankful he was quiet the whole time with out fighting me because that would have made things very difficult. It could have sent this object further down his throat where I couldn't reach it and I hate to think about the "what if's" on that one. The chew stick that he was chewing on is the kind that is wrapped in a cylinder. He chews on it every night while I hold it. Wouldn't you know the first time I let go something like this happens. Just be careful with what you leave for your pups to chew on alone. Wheeeeew! its all over now and everyone slept soundly. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Thanks to the Monks of New Skete for suggesting to inspect the pups mouth at an early age, as part of the education process, so they establish that trust in you. That piece of the training probably saved Tolinka's life.

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Wow, that sounds scary. Is there such thing as a doggy Heimlich Maneuver? We have been giving Lola raw hide chew sticks w/o holding them (see photo) they turn into big flat soggy chinks. This has worried me. Now I am really concerned. There seems to be mixed opinions on weather they are OK or not.

chew_stick.jpg

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We use the bully sticks. They sort of stink, but the dogs love them, and they shred, they do not break in chunks. They are also more digestible. We had a few problems with the rawhide, and read some bad things, so switched.

 

Nothing like your experience.

 

So glad all turned out well.

 

There is nothing quite like having your animal trust you to help.

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Wow, that sounds scary. Is there such thing as a doggy Heimlich Maneuver? We have been giving Lola raw hide chew sticks w/o holding them (see photo) they turn into big flat soggy chinks. This has worried me. Now I am really concerned. There seems to be mixed opinions on weather they are OK or not.

 

 

Jerry, that's the exact rawhide chew stick Tolinka was chewing....I'm switching to the bully stick for sure. I just don't trust the rawhide ones.

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Jerry, that's the exact rawhide chew stick Tolinka was chewing....I'm switching to the bully stick for sure. I just don't trust the rawhide ones.

The bully sticks are better. Another very bad and dangerous thing are the greenies. We had two dogs up here die from choking on them. It was the same thing - they got stuck and no one was around to help them. While the chewies occupy them, they can be extremely dangerous. Again, just my opinion.

 

Judy K in Michigan

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The bully sticks are better. Another very bad and dangerous thing are the greenies. We had two dogs up here die from choking on them. It was the same thing - they got stuck and no one was around to help them. While the chewies occupy them, they can be extremely dangerous. Again, just my opinion.

 

Judy K in Michigan

 

 

I just spoke to the feed store owner, his suggestion was to take the chew sticks away when they get to the size where the dog can swallow them and cause a big problem. (The type of chew stick doesn't matter). That size would depend on the size of your dog.

Edited by miz molly
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L0L-

Oh wow! Sudden flashback!

ROFL

When they began expressing safety concerns about rawhide (Many years ago) I told my parents, with whom I was temporarily staying when I had Gyps (see previous stories)

My Father's response was "Well, she's family and we want her to be safe." And he proceeded to help me find all the rawhide bits strewn about the house.

The next day (and here is my father's warped sense of humor- wonder where I get it from?) he came back from town with an entire-whole Cow hind leg bone for Gyps to chew on.

I 'bout died laughing at the look on my dog's face.

 

Cow Leg Bone - $1

Awestruck look of worship - Priceless!

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I did not know that about the Greenies. We have had trouble with those--swallowing too large of a piece.

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Rawhide chew sticks are not recommended for dogs and are a major no no for puppies under 12 months. The rawhide is not really meant to be consumed and actually expands in a dogs stomach, long after it has been digested. A bully stick is much better for a dog's digestive system because they are made out of muscle and do not expand in the stomach (it is actually a dried and stretched bull penis).

 

Some do comment that they smell bad but you can buy brands that are low or no odor online for a fraction of the price you see in stores.

 

This is what I have discovered over the past months and found to be very good advice.

 

Also, if anyone has heard of them, himalayan bones/chews are also very good alternatives. They are made out of petrified yak milk, don't smell too bad, and they drive Beta crazy. I would also recommend them to anyone who is interested. They can be consumed quite quickly by older dogs but puppies love them and they last quite a while for them.

 

Good luck!

Chelsea

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Okay, I'm looking for those.

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The bully sticks are better. Another very bad and dangerous thing are the greenies. We had two dogs up here die from choking on them. It was the same thing - they got stuck and no one was around to help them. While the chewies occupy them, they can be extremely dangerous. Again, just my opinion.

 

Judy K in Michigan

 

 

I too have recently read an article from a vet who said that the rawhide and greenies are not digested easliy and has found them in their stomachs. She said for those who have horses, save the hoof trimmings they are ok for them to chew on because it easily digested. Chhaya loves them! I stick mainly to raw bones though. The man that owns a local meat market saves them for us...no charge!

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Thanks everyone for your great advise. Rawhide is now out for Tolinka.

 

Joe and Chelsea thanks for the web site for the Himalayan bones and chews. I'll check it out. Maybe I'll have to get a miniature donkey for the hooves. B) I do give raw bones to him, and he LOVES them. I don't like them in the house though. They are a bit messy with the marrow and all. I guess I'll have to find something else for "the share bone." (That's where I hold the bone and he chews it...this little event has been going on since he was a puppy just before lights out at night). :blink:

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Not only the raw hide chew but greenies have been found by vet not being digested I use all natural pigs ears those twisty things I thing it intestent I get a mixed bag of what I call body parts bones ears twisty its call hungry dog its a red bag runs me $11.99 last me a while cionsidering I have three to give to also cows tail are good better with the fur :Bwahahaha: I stopped years ago using raw hide my pug chokes on them every time beside I dont wont a vet bill I was surprised greenie were not being digested

 

Thanks everyone for your great advise. Rawhide is now out for Tolinka.

 

Joe and Chelsea thanks for the web site for the Himalayan bones and chews. I'll check it out. Maybe I'll have to get a miniature donkey for the hooves. :Bwahahaha: I do give raw bones to him, and he LOVES them. I don't like them in the house though. They are a bit messy with the marrow and all. I guess I'll have to find something else for "the share bone." (That's where I hold the bone and he chews it...this little event has been going on since he was a puppy just before lights out at night). :rolleyes:

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  • 1 month later...
Happiness is...bully sticks...

 

L0L0L Looks like he is telling you all about the virtues of bullies :)

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We vote for bullies, too--stinky and digestable!

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I know these posts are about a month old, but I thought I would share my rawhide story anyway. I used to have a Jack Russell Chiuaua mix (I probably spelled both of those wrong, but you know what I mean) He was a little dog so I got him rawhide sticks that were maybe 6 inches long and approximately 1/2 inch in diameter. They were white and had a slight spiral look to them. He loved chewing on them all the time and it saved my couches so I bought him tons! Well, one day when I let him out to go to the potty he started scraping his but across the grass. You know how they do on the carpet sometimes. He got up and started to run around. I saw this weird looking green thing that looked like it was stuck to his fur. I called him over and upon further inspection I realized it was one of his rawhide sticks!! It was its original length and a bit thinner. I had to PULL IT OUT OF HIS BUTT!!!!! It was sooooooo gross!! I really had to pull too. It put up a really good fight. My dog handled it really well though. I think he was glad to get it out. I mean can you imagine having something like that stuck in your butt and there's nothing you can do about it! I still laugh about it to this day! :Bwahahaha:

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You are so lucky that it didn't cause a blockage which is a major problem, and get into real big trouble. Glad everything came out o.k. ....so to speak :)

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My hubby vetos chew-hoofs.

 

(Mina gets 'hoof-gas' which is a nasty odiferous sticky lingering heinous.. well, you get the picture)

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You are so lucky that it didn't cause a blockage which is a major problem, and get into real big trouble. Glad everything came out o.k. ....so to speak :D

 

 

Yeah I know. It was scary when I first realized that he must have swallowed it whole, but at that point there was nothing I could do about it but pull it out. He could have choked on it or he could have been blocked up but he just pooped it out. We were really lucky. We didn't use those sticks anymore after that. It was just one of those things that wasn't funny at the time, but was funny later.

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Yeah I know. It was scary when I first realized that he must have swallowed it whole, but at that point there was nothing I could do about it but pull it out. He could have choked on it or he could have been blocked up but he just pooped it out. We were really lucky. We didn't use those sticks anymore after that. It was just one of those things that wasn't funny at the time, but was funny later.

They are extremely dangerous as are the 'greenies'. He probably would not have been able to poop it out. You're real lucky that you were there to help him.

 

JudyK

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Raw bones and sticks is all I will give Chhaya! Our Yellow Lab had stomach issues for the better part of her life...I blame it on rawhide.....the fact that a year before we lost her she swallowed a peach seed from one of our fruit trees and she had to have emergency surgery didn't help....we lost her a year later (this past November) from a twisted stomach "the bloat". I never want that to happen again! So Chhaya is stuck with raw beef bones and any stick she can find....a treat of horse hoof trimmings on occasion makes her happy too!

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I have never even heard of using horse hoof trimmings. Can I buy those anywhere?

 

Raw bones make me nervous too though. I just remember my dad saying chicken bones splinter and dogs can't eat them, so I associate that with all bones now. I have heard of people giving beef bones, but it still seems odd to me. I like Kong toys and synthetic bones. If there is something bad about that that I am not aware of PLEASE let me know!! I don't want to give my new dog anything that could hurt it.

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I have never even heard of using horse hoof trimmings. Can I buy those anywhere?

 

Raw bones make me nervous too though. I just remember my dad saying chicken bones splinter and dogs can't eat them, so I associate that with all bones now. I have heard of people giving beef bones, but it still seems odd to me. I like Kong toys and synthetic bones. If there is something bad about that that I am not aware of PLEASE let me know!! I don't want to give my new dog anything that could hurt it.

 

Hi Chickasaw, and welcome to AID world. Can't wait to hear about your new pup, which one you get and the adventures that follow.

 

The bones.........Tolinka gets raw beef bones on occasion, (he usually takes them and buries them outside for another chew time). You can purchase the hooves at a pet store or feed store, or if you know someone that has a horse, have them give you some cuttings. The dogs love them. My vet told me that anything that the dogs are chewing on should be taken away when it gets to the size where they can swallow it whole (as in a chunk). I was also told that chicken bones splinter....but it has never been clarified whether that happens when they are cooked or raw. On the other hand, living in the country, the dogs find various bones by the river, and on the mountain. Sometimes I see them and sometimes I don't. Deer, bird, raccoon, or what ever, so my feeling with chicken bones is that they dry out when cooked and that's when then splinter. Anyone, please correct me if I am wrong.

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