Is Rawhide Bad for Dogs?

You’ve seen rawhide chews in pet stores, and maybe you’ve even watched your pooch chew gleefully on a few. However, it doesn’t take too much searching to see that many people insist rawhide is a delicious but dangerous deathtrap for dogs. On the flip side, you may also see rawhide touted as a natural, healthy chew that cleans dogs’ teeth and enables dogs to have pro-longed chewing session.

With such differing opinion on rawhide and dogs, it’s easy to be confused about whether or not you should stock up. Talking with your veterinarian is the best course of action, but going through this list of rawhide FAQs will also help you get to the bottom of things.

What is rawhide anyway?

Though it often comes in a bone shape, rawhide is really the skin, or hide, of an animal. Whereas the top layer of animal hide is usually tanned or treated to make leather, rawhide comes from the inner layer and is untanned. The majority of rawhide dog chews come from cattle hide, but you can also find versions from buffalo, deer, pig, and other livestock animals. In addition to the traditional bone shape with a thick knot at each end, rawhide can be twisted and braided into a wide variety of shapes and different sizes.

Now, it’s important to be aware that not all rawhide products are created equal. Most involve leftover animal hides from the leather industry, which often uses skins that have been sitting for weeks or even months in salt brines for preservation. The skins may also be treated with chemicals or bleached prior to being used for rawhide.

Is rawhide dangerous for dogs?

Many rawhide chew brands claim that their product is perfectly safe and even beneficial when used properly. There may be some truth to this, particularly if the rawhide was used quickly after being harvested from the animal, is unbleached, and has not been treated with harmful chemicals. However, most veterinary sources agree that there is still some danger to be wary of.

“The two main concerns with rawhide are potential for choking or intestinal tract blockage, and contamination with chemicals or bacteria,” says Dr. Sarah Nold, Trupanion veterinarian. “There were arsenic contaminated chews many years ago. More recently, bacterial contamination (campylobacter and salmonella) is a bigger issue.”

Sure enough, the Food and Drug Administration has highlighted various rawhide recalls over the years due to both chemical and bacterial concerns. And in 2017, United Pet Group issued a recall after levels of a quaternary ammonium compound (a cleaning chemical for food processing equipment) were discovered in its rawhide products.

The good news is that cases of dogs getting sick as a result were limited, but the correlation remained.

Can dogs digest rawhide?

Since chemical and bacterial contaminants are such a concern, does this mean pet owners can mitigate risks by choosing “natural” or “unbleached” rawhides? Not necessarily. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC), the main risk with rawhide actually comes down to the dog’s chewing habits and their ability to digest it.

While meat and animal skin in general are very digestible, rawhide is not easily broken down in a dog’s stomach. This means that a buildup of smaller pieces or larger break-offs can cause an obstruction anywhere along your dog’s digestive tract. However, slower, gentle chewing can help. Pet owners should also immediately pick up any pieces torn off of a rawhide bone.

As the AKC states, “dogs that truly take their time chewing on rawhides and do not swallow large pieces” are less likely to have digestive issues.

What about the dental benefits of rawhide?

The scraping of rawhide against teeth does act to remove tartar and plaque buildup during chewing.