We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

Here’s the deal: rawhide is literally the outside of a cow – the skin. Rawhide is not regulated in any way. Some imported brands (China, Philippines) have been reported as soaked in formaldehyde or contaminated with arsenic. These foreign hides may also contain other detrimental things such as antibiotics, insecticides, or lead- things you’d never knowingly want to ingest.

Also, choking is a hazard, and rawhide can cause canine gastric irritation when chewed on often, which can lead to vomiting and extreme discomfort.

Now the good news: there are great alternatives for purchase online. Or, thick pieces of dehydrated organic sweet potato is nutritious, delicious, and cheap if you have a food dehydrator. At the very least, buy a brand that is made in the USA and says something on the label about being natural. Good chewing!

This blog is contributed by Nadine M. Rosin, author of The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood http://www.TheHealingArtOfPetParenthood.com

Tags: canine gastric irritation, carcinogen, cow skin, rawhide, rawhide chew

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 10:34 pm and is filed under Cancer, Cancer Research, Canine Cancer, Dogs, Dogs Health, Loving your Pet, Pets, dogs health and wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.