When a rawhide toy gets soft and wet, it is time to lay it aside and wait until it dries to give it back to the pet to play with. This prevents large chunks from being digested. You can give them back when they reharden. Some pet parents rinse them before letting them dry.
Source: Drs. Foster and Smith
By Robyn Fed from Hampton, TN
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This is very good advice! I do the same thing. Actually what I do is I keep a container full of rawhides that I give my dogs. I also keep a second smaller container, and when the pieces they are chewing on now get soft I pick them up and put them in this container with water, and shake it up really good. Then I dump out the water and set the rawhide aside to dry. Meanwhile I give them a new piece. By the time that one is soft, the prior piece is dry and can be given back to them. I do this back and forth till the piece gets too small, at which time it's time for a new one.
Another thing to add to this is to watch that the pieces don't get small enough to swallow. Many times I've had to dig a chunk of rawhide out of my dogs' throats because they got small enough to swallow part way, but not small enough to go all the way down and they'd be choking.
Another thing I want to mention is that many years ago in Dog Fancy magazine I read a long article about rawhide that is made in Asia, South America and parts of Europe causing brain damage in dogs. I forget all the details, but it was bad. It said that the only really safe ones are the ones made in the USA. Since then I have made it a point to always check where they are made before buying. The article may or may not have been right, and they may or may not have gotten better from those countries, but I don't take the chance with my babies.
I am going to look for American made rawhides too. I did not think of that I am glad you posted that. I wish also I would get my doggies interested more in the nylabones, those are so wonderful but only the pups really use them as pacifiers before going to sleep. They are so wonderful, only I don't like the ones with points on them, just the plain ones, and you have to buy them according to size of the doggie and chewing strength.
I wouldn't give a powerful chewer a small easily destroyed bone, but a huge bone that they would really have to work at. And I would never give a small doggie a bone it couldn't get into it's mouth no matter how funny it looks in pictures.
Robyn
I have 2 large dogs so I have large rawhides and they have never had a problem with with the soften hides. My Mini Pin therefore also carries around a rawhide that is as big as he is. It is true with little dogs you tend to buy small rawhides and then they get smaller quicker and there is the danger. Better off to get the bigger ones.
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