Let's talk about Rawhide and why you shouldn't be feeding this to your dog ..
Let's face it Rawhide treats are cheap and can last forever with some dogs, which is why people like to buy them, and in times when pennies are tight it seems like an option for many dog owners.
But - and it is a BIG but - we all know that just because they are cheaper it doesn’t necessarily mean it is better for our dogs. It is a similar concept to fast food and ready meals - Rawhide is packed with preservatives and chemicals to make them last longer but they only horrible things to our beloved dogs bodies.
I am sure most of you have heard an awful story or two about dogs choking on Rawhide or needing an expensive trip to the vets because some of it has become blocking in their stomach.
But what is Rawhide?
Many people believe that it is meat from a cow, but it really isn’t. It's not dehydrated meat and it's not a by-product of the beef industry.
It is, in fact, a by-product of the leather industry - the left over bits that they do not use when making leather products.
The name Rawhide is given to the untanned hide of animals - typically from cows, horses, sheep, pigs and sometime buffalos. The outer layer of hide is constructed into leather products, like handbags and shoes etc. The inner layer of the hide is turned into dog treats.
This is how rawhide is made:
Step 1 - Transport
Cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to the leather tanning factories for processing by a refrigerated container, but before their journey, they are treated with a chemical to preserve the hides and slow down the decaying process.
Step 2 - Removal of Hair & Fat
Once they get to the factory, they firstly go through a special factory treatment called degreasing, which strips away the fat and hair of the animal that are attached to the hides themselves.
Step 3 - Splitting Process
They are then treated with chemicals that ‘puffs’ the hides to make the process of splitting the skin layers easier. The cattle hides are then split into two layers, the inner layer is what rawhides treats are made of and the outer layer is what they use to make leather products like car seats, clothes and handbags.
Step 5 - Hydrogen Peroxide Bath
The inner skin layer undergoes a hydrogen peroxide (bleach) bath for sterilisation to ensure all bacteria and germs are dead. This process also helps to remove the rotten smell of the leather and the hydrogen peroxide baths is what gives the chews their distinctive white/yellow colour.
Step 6 - Cutting & Shaping
The bleached hides are then set onto cutting tables to be sheared into strips and when this process is complete, they are sent to a different area of the factory where the strips go through the ‘tying’ process. This is where machines create the various shapes like twists, rolls, sticks and bones and sometimes glued to help retain their shape.
Step 7 - Drying
The newly-shaped, damp rawhides are placed on trays into a hot, drying room where the remaining moisture is removed and the treats become hard and firm.
Step 8 - Flavouring & Decoration
The dried rawhides finally go through the last process before they are sent out for distribution. They are flavoured and sometimes coloured depending on the type of rawhide chew. They get a coat of artificial flavouring such as chicken, beef, lamb or fish to make them tasty and appealing to dogs.
Why is this bad for my dog:
❌ Not Digestible Rawhides start off as hard but get softer as your dog chews and saliva soaks it. Similar to the consistency of bubble gum or taffy, the rawhides are not easily digested by dogs due to the gummy texture.
❌ Choking Hazard Due to being very hard and firm to begin with, if your dog manages to shallow a segment, the rawhide can get lodged in the back of your dog’s throat, blocking their airways. There’s even the potential risk of tearing of the oesophagus lining, especially when they are trying to cough the treat up out of the throat.
❌ Poisoning As you know, rawhides go through an extensive amount of chemical processing, more than what actual shoe leather goes through. The potential poisoning from toxic chemicals from rawhide is so high and because the chew lasts such a long time, your dog goes through slow chemical poisoning which can make your dog sick and can result in a fatal outcome.
❌ Swelling Since they are not digestible, rawhides can swell up to four times bigger than their original size in the intestines and stomach. This swelling can then lead to gastrointestinal distress and life threatening blockages with causes your dog to vomit, experience diarrhoea and pancreatitis - which is an inflammation of the pancreas which causes a whole, new range of problems.
❌ Contamination Made from animal skin, it is evident that contamination would be a concern. During the manufacturing process it is possible that the chews can be contaminated by bacteria such as salmonella and e coli.
❌ Not Considered a Food Technically not a food, rather a dog chew, Rawhides are not covered by any processing, labelling or content laws, which is why they are free to use any chemicals they’d like on the chew, how scary is that?
So what can you give your dog as a healthy alternative?
ANYTHING from the Chester’s Kitchen range!
We are proud to state that we do not (and never will) stock any Rawhide products. We aim to have “something for everyone” from small to large, big bones to small crunchy chicken feet.
Our product range is always expanding, so if there is something that you would like but can’t see on our website the chances are we may already have it, it’s just not made it onto the website yet.
We are constantly source new and varied treats that we think your dogs will love, this can be something softer for those with teeth loss or huge bones for those who like to chew and everything in between.
Please browse our products here:
From the Team at Chester's Kitchen
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