Made from the leather of cows, pigs, and deer, rawhide treats can be found in almost every store that sells pet supplies. This classic treat’s “natural” appeal to your canine buddies and ability to endure constant chewing make it seem like the perfect chew toy, but did you know that rawhide treats can pose severe risks to your four-legged friends? 

Here are 4 reasons why you shouldn’t give your dog rawhide treats:

1. Dental health

Some rawhide treats can be so dense and hard that they result in cracks and breakages in your dog’s teeth! While chewing plays an important function in your dog’s life by maintaining the dental health of your dogs, giving them rawhide treats that are too hard may actually cause more problems than it solves.

2. Choking hazard

Though rawhide is sturdy, prolonged chewing by your pooch can break it into pieces that are small enough for it to swallow. If your dog has tendencies to swallow its treats whole, this increases the risk of pieces getting stuck in your dog’s oesophagus, which could result in choking, or intestines, where your pooch could be at risk of serious injury or even death. In some cases, it might even require major surgery in order to remove these chunks of rawhide from its body. 

3. Digestive issues and allergies

Even if swallowing rawhide does not result in choking, it can still wreak havoc in your dog’s body. Rawhide is an inedible treat, and while some dogs are able to process it without difficulty, it can swell in your dog’s body and cause vomiting, diarrhoea, or even pancreatitis. 

In addition, if your dog has allergies to animal-based products, giving them rawhide treats can result in some nasty side effects that include skin irritation, ear infections, and inflammation.

4. Contamination

As with any animal-based meat product, rawhide can carry harmful bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Moreover, rawhide is usually processed with chemicals to separate the animal’s skin from its fat, and treated with dyes and flavouring, which are all harmful to your pet’s general well-being.

Though the rawhide is cleaned after this process, trace amounts of these potentially toxic chemicals can still be found in the final product, which put you and your pet at risk of becoming really sick. As a dog owner, you might want to consider non-raw hide alternatives, just to be on the safe side.

An alternative to rawhide

Source: @mochthecorgi

One such alternative is SmartBones, which are premium chew treats that are highly digestible and great for dental health. A great solution to teething puppies or dogs who love to chew furniture, SmartBones provide all the benefits of rawhide chews without any of the worries, even if it is ingested by your dogs!

Source: @smartboneschews

Made with real vegetables and meat, SmartBones has a range of products in various fun shapes that cater to dogs of all sizes, ranging from Mini to Large. With delicious flavours such as Bacon & Cheese, Peanut Butter, Sweet Potato, and more, these vitamin-enriched treats are sure to excite and captivate your dog!

For an added boost to your dog’s health, SmartBones even has a Care Chews range that supplements your dog’s dental, skin and coat, and hip and joint health.

If you’d like to try some SmartBones, Noble Advance supplies them to a variety of pet retail stores in Singapore. Simply contact them at 6367 7668 or sales@noble-advance.com to find your nearest store!

Address: #03-00 Block C, 6 Marsiling Lane, S739145

Telephone: +65 6367 7668

E-mail:sales@noble-advance.com

This article was sponsored by Noble Advance Pte Ltd