OwnedBySummer Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 No, not in this house. With a previous dog, I've twice had to retrieve rawhide from down her throat and I'm not willing to put another dog through that. Or myself! It's too frightening! And I never gave the chips, these were those white knotted things. HOWEVER, I never had a problem with the pressed rawhide "cigarettes". But I'm not going to try them on Summer -- she's just too accident prone so I simply avoid anything which has the potential for being an accident. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Jayne has a deer antler she's had for several months. She's been able to scratch up one end of it, but that's it. Hers is a whole antler and she loves it. She sometimes tosses and play bows to it before chewing and once tried to stab DH in the fact with it when he was playing with her! If you know any hunters or outdoorsy people you might ask them. Hikers can find shed antlers in the woods in later winter or early spring and might be willing to pick one up for you. A hunter who gets a buck with a smaller rack, might be willing to give it to you as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I have never had any "shards" from the deer antlers..what I find sometimes on their beds is some smearing of the morrow from the center of the antler, but it wipes right off. I pay about $10.00 each for mine, but like I said they last for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zombrie Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Big no to rawhides in this house. We give them bully sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tequila Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 LOVE deer antlers. My vet recommended them, and Tequila's teeth are sparkling white from chewing on them, so it's got multiple benefits! (something fun to chew on, and an automatic teeth cleaning, for free!) I order mine online from either Pet Expertise or Elk USA (I think!) I order a few at a time, and give her a new one every couple months just so she has something "new" -- but she has never finished one, they seem to last forever. One of the websites, I think Elk USA, also sells "Sliced" deer antlers, with more marrow visible. These are good for greys (or any dogs) who are not familiar with deer antlers yet, or maybe they don't "take" to them right away. The exposed marrow entices them to chew. Tequila has chewed the marrow out of the sliced antlers I've given her, but the actual antlers seem to indestructable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snoopycomehome Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 No to rawhide because of what I have read about the dangers, but Dragon just LOVES the dried tracheas I give him. They only last an hour, but I sit and watch him eat it because of the look of sheer delight on his face! In fact I just gave him one and now he is sleeping with what appears to be a smile on his face!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) No rawhides, hooves, or greenies here,, we use bully stix,, dried gree tripe, or tendons, and moo tubes Edited January 16, 2011 by kydie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snakes Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 i give them occasionally (no more than 1x/week), never a problem with any of the 6 dogs who have migrated through this house. i don't give them often, and never the flat 'chips' (they seem to get choked on), and never the skinny little sticks, i had one choke on them. I give the pressed 4 in bones with no problems. I only give them while i am watching. I never buy the white ones, only the 'natural' ones since the white ones leave a 'glue' on the floor/beds that never comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beledi Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I recently found antlers at my local pet supply store. They were loose in a small bin at the register. They were various sizes, and cost about $1.50 an inch. They were a monotone gray. The clerk wasn't able to tell me anything about them, other than she had heard they last a long time. What do I need to know before I buy one? What country are they are from? They may be old. You can rough them up with a rasp file and use peanut butter to entice them to chew if they aren't interested in chewing them. Quote "Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the day comes God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man." Persian Proverb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beledi Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 No! Bullys ticks, deer antlers and turkey necks here. Now our local Wally world no longer carries turkey necks grrr. Quote "Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the day comes God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man." Persian Proverb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahsBlackPack Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Rawhides are a big no-no in my house! I've had a dog choke on them once they start getting small. Quote Sarah, mom to Stella and Winston . And to Prince, Katie Z, Malone, Brooke, Freddie, Angel and Fast who are all waiting at the Bridge!www.gpawisconsin.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pabozem Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I recently found antlers at my local pet supply store. They were loose in a small bin at the register. They were various sizes, and cost about $1.50 an inch. They were a monotone gray. The clerk wasn't able to tell me anything about them, other than she had heard they last a long time. What do I need to know before I buy one? A friend gave me two small sections of deer antler for my pups to chew on, and they're like petrified wood!!! One of my girls destroys any kind of chew toy/stuffy you can imagine, and believe me, I've dropped a bundle on them since I've had her. She can't chew up the antlers though. All my greys love gnawing on them. I'd check them out and see what animal they come from and if they've been treated/dipped in any kind of chemical. If you know someone who hunts and doesn't save the antlers, you might go that route to find some. I'm thinking I'm going to have to contact a cousin in Alabama whose husband and son hunt to see if they can send me some. You don't want any of the pointy parts that stick out though. Ask me how I know this. I've been giving my dogs rawhide for 50 years no problems. HOWEVER! the problem is the potatoe chip thin cheap imported garbage that big box pet stores call rawhide now adays. Magnus can tear up a foot long double knot from Pet Smart in a couple hours... that's NOT GOOD We DO NOT give our dogs that junk anymore. It's a chokathon waiting to happen. We get our American rawhide from a mom and pop pet store. It's thick and HEAVY, and sometimes I even have to saw it in half to give the pups a starting point. They last several weeks to sometimes months. We always put it up if we leave, and when they finally get it to a piece that they are no longer holding down with their paws, we throw it away. The vet have always commented on how nice the three M's teeth look. Off topic, but I like Cody's picture in your siggy!!! I have to get over to see that sweet girl. Quote Waiting at the bridge: Blaze, Rodney, Lady, Spice, Sarahlee, Callie and Baby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest katethegreyt Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Disclaimer: I don't have any long term personal experience with greys and chews since I just got my first girl a week ago = ) I've heard so many horror stories about rawhide that I've decided to stay away. Plus a lot of them go through a nasty chemical process to get all of the hair off of the hide, and I'd be concerned the wash afterwards maybe isn't sufficient. I think it also depends a lot on how your dog chews on rawhide. If you have one that can demolish them quickly, they may be getting more in their system than is good since rawhide doesn't really digest much or they may get big hunks off that can cause choking. If you have one that just sort of nibbles on it, it might not be so bad. There are so many options out there, that I've chosen no on rawhide for my girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KsFrets Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Off topic, but I like Cody's picture in your siggy!!! I have to get over to see that sweet girl. Warning, she will steal your heart! I've never been a fan of small dogs, but she won me over. I still can't believe someone could abandon such a sweety. Which leads me to the rawhide connection. While at the vets, I asked about rawhide, and how often they see blockages. She said she's seen two or three cases in her career vs. hundreds of cases of injesting household items and dog toy fragments. My own hypothisis is that if rawhide was as bad as the myth people perpetuate, dogs would be dropping dead all over the place, no one would buy it, and the stores would stop selling it. Paranoia, stories and assumption seems to outweigh fact and experiences. But then, as always, I reserve the right to be totally wrong too. As with everything in life, common sense goes a long way. Big dog+ big thick heavy rawhides+ moniterd = happy dog with clean teeth. Big dog+ mass produced thin small piece rawhide+ unmonitered = trouble and heartache BTW, this weekend we tried pig ears. Lisa and Maggie choose the pig ears over two new rawhides. Magnus and Cody took the rawhide bones. The pig ears lasted all of about 10 minutes! Pat, I've been talking to the guy I got the deer antlers from, and he said that one of his hunter connections save all his antlers, and has a room with hundreds piled up. He's going to try and talk them out of some more! Edited January 18, 2011 by KsFrets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kydie Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I agree with the rawhide vs the toy fragments,,,, but I am not willing to take the chance one of my dogs will be one of the satistic,,, so no rawhides here,,,, I have known 2 people who's dogs got blot after eating greenies,,, not that this is a true picture of greeniesmm but no greenies here either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Consuming rawhide may not be as common as ingestion of household items, but that doesn't mean it isn't a bigger risk. Not everything that's is a health risk is immediate in it's action. If you're thinking of feeding rawhide, watch some video or read a book about hide handling at a tannery. That rawhide once had fur on it. It comes into contact with and is soaked in more chemicals than you can imagine to make it "clean," hairless, malleable, and white. The difference between what hides look like and how they end up is not a testament to healthy chemicals you want in your dog. The true concern with rawhide is just how difficult it is for a body to even attempt to digest it. You can use acids a whole lot stronger than what's found in a dog's stomach and do very little damage to hide. Even in small pieces is swells exponentially and takes a very long time to break down. Rawhide's redeeming qualities really begin and end with being comparatively inexpensive and readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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