Rawhide Chews

[Quickasyoucan]

I posted this in puppy problems cos I'm a doofus. Don't even remember being in there since Jake is 5.5 years old!!

Any thoughts much appreciated.

We grew up giving out dogs rawhide chew sticks.

Jake my dog loves the Lucky Dog ones (the little ones that look like cigarettes).

I did not know until I read something here and then did a bit of research that they were so bad for dogs. Now I am worried, I am causing him irreparable harm. (not so "Lucky Dog" )

Can someone please suggest a similar alternative? Jake usually has one or two in the morning after his breakfast while I am still at home, so I am not talking about a large bone to chew on while I am out as he spends 99% of the time indoors (with a dog door) and puts himself to bed while I leave. If I am giving him a large bone, I prefer to be around to supervise.

I do give him chicken tips, but again I supervise him as he tends to try and swallow whole. He rejected the carcasses (he's a bit fussy).

Is there something chewy but not too big that is a safe alternative?

[jbbb]

I'm not sure how long you want them to last, but I give my girls fruit and veggies - their favorites are carrots and apples, but they'll also quite happily have some celery or brocolli etc. I use the carrots as special treats!

ETA: I give them whole.

Edited October 23, 2008 by jbbb

[Quickasyoucan]

I'm not sure how long you want them to last, but I give my girls fruit and veggies - their favorites are carrots and apples, but they'll also quite happily have some celery or brocolli etc. I use the carrots as special treats!

ETA: I give them whole.

I wish he would eat them but he is so fussy.

Just takes a look at raw veggies and looks at me as if to say - what are you trying to poison me.

Believe you me this is a dog that will turn his nose up even if he is offered the "wrong kind" of human biscuits!!

[ruthless]

Pigs ear?

[Quickasyoucan]

Pigs ear?

Apparently they are just as bad for dogs as rawhide chews

I'm a bit stumped really, as I want something chewy, but attractive to fuss-arse Jake

[ruthless]

Oh, ok, woops

Can you give him a Kong with something wholesome smeared inside it?

[ruthless]

If it was for cleaning his teeth, what about chicken necks or a frame? They don't last long round here!

[WreckitWhippet]

lamb shanks or a piece of lamb flap, chicken wings, carcass, whole fresh or frozen fish, brisket bone, roo tail

[Quickasyoucan]

lamb shanks or a piece of lamb flap, chicken wings, carcass, whole fresh or frozen fish, brisket bone, roo tail

For those of us city folk, where do you get roo tail?

What does it look like?

We have roo sticks here but I think they are just dried stuff again?

Is it true that nothing dried is good?

Just thinking about my carpets!!!

[Nekhbet]

whats wrong with pigs ears? if you monitor so he doesnt get fat or get those big rawhide knot bones I dont see the problem

theyre only skin

[Quickasyoucan]

whats wrong with pigs ears? if you monitor so he doesnt get fat or get those big rawhide knot bones I dont see the problem

theyre only skin

When I was reading said that there are bad chemicals used to dry and preserve the skin - lime (and I'm not talking fruit) bleach, formaldehide? Something like that, basically lumped them in the same bucket as rawhide.

Someone else will be more expert on the chemicals.

[laffi]

whats wrong with pigs ears? if you monitor so he doesnt get fat or get those big rawhide knot bones I dont see the problem

theyre only skin

When I was reading said that there are bad chemicals used to dry and preserve the skin - lime (and I'm not talking fruit) bleach, formaldehide? Something like that, basically lumped them in the same bucket as rawhide.

Someone else will be more expert on the chemicals.

I agree that the best (well most healthy) stuff would be raw meaty bones. My lot loves lamb necks (usually frozen). It takes them about 30-50min to eat one. They also love roo tails which a bit like lamb necks, maybe slightly smaller. There is heaps of meat on the outside and an bone inside. I get them from a petstore (buy them frozen).

Where are you located? Maybe we can help you finding some good meat suppliers?

[Quickasyoucan]

whats wrong with pigs ears? if you monitor so he doesnt get fat or get those big rawhide knot bones I dont see the problem

theyre only skin

When I was reading said that there are bad chemicals used to dry and preserve the skin - lime (and I'm not talking fruit) bleach, formaldehide? Something like that, basically lumped them in the same bucket as rawhide.

Someone else will be more expert on the chemicals.

I agree that the best (well most healthy) stuff would be raw meaty bones. My lot loves lamb necks (usually frozen). It takes them about 30-50min to eat one. They also love roo tails which a bit like lamb necks, maybe slightly smaller. There is heaps of meat on the outside and an bone inside. I get them from a petstore (buy them frozen).

Where are you located? Maybe we can help you finding some good meat suppliers?

In Sydney, Northern Beaches.

I would really like to find somewhere good for chicken stuff too actually as at the mo it is piecemeal for me to get it.

[ruthless]

Go to Burns on your way to Staffy Rescue, they're an abbatoir, cheap as

[Quickasyoucan]

Go to Burns on your way to Staffy Rescue, they're an abbatoir, cheap as

Is that the place up on the hill my friend Di calls "the glue factory". Bad taste I know.

Whereabouts are they?

[ruthless]

Sounds like "the glue factory" alright It's on the same road as SR, on a corner up a hill, on your LHS if you're on your way there. Don't know the name of the cross street. They sell raw meat and bones, incl. roo tails

[BigDaz]

What about Bull Chews, Bully chews or whatever they are called. Dried Bull's Penis, my staffys love them.

[kamuzz]

What about Bull Chews, Bully chews or whatever they are called. Dried Bull's Penis, my staffys love them.

haven't seen any of those at Burns. right now we have two "meaty" lamb tails lying in the garden that a certain pair of GSDs are ignoring.

Burns is on the corner of Windsor and Garfield roads, the entrance is off Garfield.

http://www.burnspetfoods.com.au/

[Nekhbet]

if they are anything by BlackDog then there should be no chemicals.

pigs ears would not have the same process as it is the whole ear not a skinned, scraped and processed hide. A pigs ear I thought would have to be manufactured in Australia because of the quarintine laws (well those really oily fresh ones anyway BlackDog make them too)

Manufacturers outside of the USA generally find it expedient to soak the hides in a solution of commercial lime and water for several days before scraping. Once the hide is soaked and scraped, it is usually rinsed in bleach water to remove traces of the lime and sanitize the hide before shaping and drying. In the USA, hides are tumbled in a hydrogen peroxide solution, and then rinsed with plain water before further processing.

After preparation, the hide is either cut or ground before it is pressed into its final shape. It is then run through a commercial dryer to give it that signature tough texture dogs love.

Lime is calcium oxide

Bleach is chlorine - hook up to any city water tap and see how much of that we drink. Chlorine is a fairly volatile chemical and wouldnt remain on the hide long especially bcause it's left in the open air

hydrogen peroxide is used to make chlorine free products. It also breaks down into O2 and H2O very quickly when exposed to light as it is not the most stable of compounds. It is able to be put directly onto wounds - it doesnt cause cancer or have hideous side effects and you can even drink a solution to make you vomit.

As for formaldehyde - well what that would be used for who knows. It is fairly expensive to just process a hide with. Unless its used as a preservative but even then that is not something that is ecanomical to use to preserve an edible product.

Edited October 23, 2008 by Nekhbet

[Quickasyoucan]

if they are anything by BlackDog then there should be no chemicals.

pigs ears would not have the same process as it is the whole ear not a skinned, scraped and processed hide. A pigs ear I thought would have to be manufactured in Australia because of the quarintine laws (well those really oily fresh ones anyway BlackDog make them too)

Manufacturers outside of the USA generally find it expedient to soak the hides in a solution of commercial lime and water for several days before scraping. Once the hide is soaked and scraped, it is usually rinsed in bleach water to remove traces of the lime and sanitize the hide before shaping and drying. In the USA, hides are tumbled in a hydrogen peroxide solution, and then rinsed with plain water before further processing.

After preparation, the hide is either cut or ground before it is pressed into its final shape. It is then run through a commercial dryer to give it that signature tough texture dogs love.

Lime is calcium oxide

Bleach is chlorine - hook up to any city water tap and see how much of that we drink. Chlorine is a fairly volatile chemical and wouldnt remain on the hide long especially bcause it's left in the open air

hydrogen peroxide is used to make chlorine free products. It also breaks down into O2 and H2O very quickly when exposed to light as it is not the most stable of compounds. It is able to be put directly onto wounds - it doesnt cause cancer or have hideous side effects and you can even drink a solution to make you vomit.

As for formaldehyde - well what that would be used for who knows. It is fairly expensive to just process a hide with. Unless its used as a preservative but even then that is not something that is ecanomical to use to preserve an edible product.

Thanks Nekhbet, I think the formaldehyde was mentioned in relation to products sourced from o/s (Lucky Dog Chews say made in Thailand) who don't have the same laws as we do.

Where would I find blackdog stuff? Is it common in petshops?