Rawhide

Mavis · Apr 12, 2015

Okay, this is my last post today. I apologize for hogging the forum. I am most active on weekends, however.

I gave Bambi (and Ginger) a rawhide chew stick because she was chewing on a stick from the yard. It was kind of "sappy," and being a nervous new mommy, of course I was afraid she might be poisoned by it! :facepalm: I picked one out for Bambi that was really thin. She was so happy, just chewing away. Last time I looked, she had kind of unrolled it but it was still in one piece. Next time I looked, it was gone. I asked my husband where it was and he said she must have eaten it (!!!). Now I am a wreck thinking that she's going to have trouble passing it. My crazy mind has us at the emergency vets tonight. I will just have to watch her and her poops for the next 24 hours or so. Ugh; these kids!

Tgirl · Apr 12, 2015

I see too many dogs at work that have been given rawhides and have to have surgery to remove them. All you can really do is watch her. If she is acting normal, eating, no vomiting or diarrhea she should be fine. There are lots of safer alternatives to rawhides. The Nylabones are good. I have heard good things about the Himalayan chews, but I haven't ever used them. If you have a dehydrated, sliced sweet potatoes dehydrated make good chews too.

Mavis · Apr 12, 2015

Tgirl said:
I see too many dogs at work that have been given rawhides and have to have surgery to remove them. All you can really do is watch her. If she is acting normal, eating, no vomiting or diarrhea she should be fine. There are lots of safer alternatives to rawhides. The Nylabones are good. I have heard good things about the Himalayan chews, but I haven't ever used them. If you have a dehydrated, sliced sweet potatoes dehydrated make good chews too.

Thanks,, Tgirl. I didn't mean for her to eat it, but I guess they eat everything and I should have watched her. I am going to get rid of the rawhide. I am going to be a mess until she passes this. Please keep your fingers crossed.

2bullymama · Apr 12, 2015

I so hope she passes it without issues! no to rawhide..... use antlers, Nylabones or marrow bones -- they do not splinter

Tgirl · Apr 12, 2015

I know you didn't mean for her to eat it. I wasn't implying that you did. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I know how dogs can be, the little piggies! I just always like to mention that so anyone who comes along and reads it will know how dangerous they can be. I am sure she will be fine. I will be crossing my fingers for her, for sure! I've seen dogs that have swallowed all kinds of crazy things and ended up just fine. Please keep us updated.

blushy · Apr 12, 2015

I always gave our pitbull rawhides so naturally I got Isabelle one. She did good when she was a baby, but once she was bigger forget it... She would try to eat much too big of pieces.

Titan has a rawhide right now, and they both have antlers which Isabelle DEMOLISHES I have to watch her like a hawk. I'm not sure how but those antlers practically disappear!

I'm sure she'll be okay, just keep a close eye & take her to the vet if anything seems strange!

Mavis · Apr 12, 2015

Tgirl said:
I know you didn't mean for her to eat it. I wasn't implying that you did. I'm sorry if it sounded that way. I know how dogs can be, the little piggies! I just always like to mention that so anyone who comes along and reads it will know how dangerous they can be. I am sure she will be fine. I will be crossing my fingers for her, for sure! I've seen dogs that have swallowed all kinds of crazy things and ended up just fine. Please keep us updated.

Hi Tgirl, no worries; I did not interpret your post as negative but helpful. Ginger, our dobie mix, loves rawhide chews and has never had a problem, but she is much bigger than Bambi. It's been several hours and she is napping peacefully and otherwise acting normally. Dinnertime may tell more of a story. No more rawhide for either of them.

Alice Kable · Apr 12, 2015

2bullymama said:
I so hope she passes it without issues! no to rawhide..... use antlers, Nylabones or marrow bones -- they do not splinter

We don't allow rawhides here either.

MickieBlue · Apr 12, 2015

Yak sticks and bully sticks are much better options. I am sure she will be fine.

davidh · Apr 12, 2015

Rawhides and bully sticks are bad, bad, bad for them. We give Nylabones and Kong toys for them to chew on, plus no pig ears either.

Cbrugs · Apr 13, 2015

blushy said:
I always gave our pitbull rawhides so naturally I got Isabelle one. She did good when she was a baby, but once she was bigger forget it... She would try to eat much too big of pieces.

Titan has a rawhide right now, and they both have antlers which Isabelle DEMOLISHES I have to watch her like a hawk. I'm not sure how but those antlers practically disappear!

I'm sure she'll be okay, just keep a close eye & take her to the vet if anything seems strange!

I stopped giving Jax the antlers because instead of him just chewing on it, he would practically eat it until it was a little nub. And I don't think they are meant to be eaten.

Squishy Walnuts · Apr 13, 2015

I used to buy bully sticks but Wally eats them when they are still large so I stopped as I was worried he would have health problems. I now buy antlers that have a bully stick stuffed inside it so he can't swallow such a big piece. He likes to chew on the antler slowly. His other chew toy is a Nylabone.

mmclean · Apr 13, 2015

If I give Radar a bully stick it's always supervised because he does try to swallow it whole and will choke on it. I prefer hooves, antlers and Himalayan dog treats as they break down small enough and he can't choke himself on them. He sometimes like his nylabone but most often ignores it.

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Jakeyjake · Apr 13, 2015

25 years ago, and before I knew any better, I gave my 15 mos. old bull terrier a raw hide bone. I came home to a very sick dog. Turned out she had gotten it soft enough to swallow and it ripped her esophagus. She had to be put down. So needless to say, we do not give our dogs bully sticks, pig ears, or hooves. My vet has even said he has had to do surgery on dogs that have ingested a piece of antler. No stuffed toys either. They love nylabones and Jake's favorite toy is an empty water bottle! I hope your Bambi is okay. I'm sure you would see signs if she was in any discomfort, so I'm sure she will be fine.

shortstuff · Apr 13, 2015

Our shepherd mix, Shasta, absolutely loved rawhides. She has jaws of steel and would crunch them like candy... Bisou is a whole other story. She'd shove the whole thing in her mouth, gnaw on it until it was a yucky gummy mess, then swallow the thing whole. So we said NOPE! Ever since we took the rawhides away, her gas isn't as stinky and I'm a worry-free mama with her chew toys. The girls share a large deer antler, about 8 inches long with a diameter of 1-2 inches, so there's no way they're swallowing any bit of that since we take it away when it's small enough to fit completely in either of their mouths. Shasta is the only one that makes any progress on it to get down to the marrow, and Bisou more or less just sucks on it and leaves shavings all over the place.

We didn't have any luck with nylabones after Shasta crunched one into splinters and swallowed the whole thing...

Anyways! Depending on the size of the rawhide, I'm sure your baby is just fine - but definitely keep an eye out on any behavioral or bowel changes.

Mavis · Apr 15, 2015

Bambi ate the rawhide on Sunday afternoon. She had her dinner on Sunday night but didn't eat her breakfast on Monday morning. I came home at lunch and tried again but she didn't want to eat (she eats like every meal is her last, normally). She did a couple of poops during the day and that part was good. I was starting to get concerned but then she ate her dinner on Monday and all seems to be well since then. Thank goodness. No more; I am going to stick with her puppy chew. That little peanut is going to be the end of me.

Jakeyjake · Apr 15, 2015

Mavis said:
Bambi ate the rawhide on Sunday afternoon. She had her dinner on Sunday night but didn't eat her breakfast on Monday morning. I came home at lunch and tried again but she didn't want to eat (she eats like every meal is her last, normally). She did a couple of poops during the day and that part was good. I was starting to get concerned but then she ate her dinner on Monday and all seems to be well since then. Thank goodness. No more; I am going to stick with her puppy chew. That little peanut is going to be the end of me.

So glad she is fine! Thanks for the update.