MICHIGAN, USA — As the holiday season nears, rawhides big and small pack the pet store shelves wrapped in ribbons, shaped like wreaths or colored green and red.
While they may look like a festive treat for your furry friend, veterinarians warn rawhides can do more harm than good.
David Chase is a general practice and urgent care veterinarian at Family Friends Veterinary Hospital in Grand Rapids.
He said rawhides are made by taking a layer of the skin of an animal, usually a cow, drying it down with chemicals and then applying flavorings to it.
According to Chase, while rawhides can have benefits on a dog's dental health, there are a lot of risks involved with them.
The most common rawhide-related issue Chase sees is the dog swallowing a big chunk of the rawhide, which then causes an obstruction in its GI tract.
"That can be something that, unfortunately, we see a lot through urgent care," Chase said. "The piece, if it does make it to their stomach can get stuck in the intestines because they just really don't break down very well."
Chase said a sign your dog swallowed a piece and it's stuck somewhere will be them vomiting a lot.
Another risk, he said, is a small piece of the rawhide getting stuck in the dog's throat and making it harder for them to breathe.
If your dog is choking, Chase said you should not try to reach into your dog's throat and pull it out, because they'll likely have a reflex to try to bite down.
Instead, you should try to keep your dog calm and take them to a veterinary hospital immediately.
The third notable risk Chase mentioned is the dog having an allergy to the rawhide or something on it.
"These hides may be from a certain animal that the dog may not be allergic to, but a lot of these have different fats and things sprayed onto them to make the dogs want to chew them," Chase said.
According to Chase, the signs of a food allergy can be subtle, ranging from ear infections or more scooting to GI upset.
Chase said to keep your pets healthy this holiday season and year-round, there are safer alternatives to rawhides.
He recommended Yak Chews, which are similar to a bone but are made of cheese. He said if your dog does break off a piece of these treats, it has a better chance of passing through their system.
"One cool fun fact about those is, if they do break into small pieces, you can put them in the microwave and they blow up like a big cheese puff, and then they can have that as a treat," Chase said.
He also said dehydrated fish skins can be a good source of Omega threes.
Chase said any time your dog is chewing on something, they should be supervised for their safety.