# Rawhide & Pigs Ears Etc



## Pinkchi (Nov 21, 2008)

What is the deal with rawhide?
Firstly what exactly is it? I've tried googling it but can't find what it is...
Isn't it just like animal skin or something? I don't know :S

Things like rawhide & pigs ears and dog sausages and all the sort of animal products like that, are they okay for chihuahua's to eat? I've heard mixed opinions on them being safe or not for dogs. To me they don't look that appealing but then online you can buy things like Deer Sinews. They are along the same lines as pig ears and vennison ears etc so i am assuming they are okay? And as they are 'meat' products i am also assuming that they are kind of healthier than alot of products on the market as alot of them say they are 100% meat. 

Just trying to find a few things out so i know whats good and whats not



The stuff i'm on about is the 100% meat treats
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_treats_chews


----------



## rocky scotland (Jun 15, 2008)

Rawhide is a hide or animal skin that has not been exposed to tanning. It is much lighter in color than leather made by traditional vegetable tanning.

The skin from buffalo, deer, elk or cattle from which most rawhide originates is prepared by removing all fur, meat and fat. The hide is then usually stretched over a frame before being dried. The resulting material is hard and translucent. It can be shaped by rewetting and forming before being allowed to thoroughly re-dry. It can be rendered more pliable by 'working', i.e. bending repeatedly in multiple directions, often by rubbing it over a post, sometimes traditionally by chewing. It may also be oiled or greased for a degree of waterproofing.

It is often used for objects such as whips, drumheads or lampshades, and more recently chew toys for dogs

Hope that answers your question, copy and paste is great lol!!

Rocky gets rawhide, he goes mad for it, its the only thing that will keep him busy. He only gets it with supervision and he only really chews it, he doesnt eat it. Its not good to eat too much as it can swell up in their tummy. It goes pretty soggy and can be a choking danger. So it gets binned if it is too yukky! He only gets thicker pieces of it so it takes longer to go soggy.

I tried him once with pigs ears and he the most unbelievable diahorrea!! Did not agree with him at all!!!!! He loved it tho and was really pretty aggressive when I took it away from him. Needless to say he doesn't get that anymore lol.

I have heard of bully sticks but have not seen them over here in the UK???


----------



## Pinkchi (Nov 21, 2008)

I haven't seen bullysticks either.
I've seen stuff like dried Trachea's and tripe sticks if they are like the same sort of thing? Tripe just grosses me out.

Copy & paste is wonderful....am now wondering about my google skills....lol


----------



## Pinkchi (Nov 21, 2008)

Ooooo Bullysticks are 100% Beef
They look good
Wish we could get the decent stuff in the Uk


----------



## Ciarra (May 6, 2008)

Rawhides and Pig Ear are my saviors for my funiture. Not only that but it keeps my dogs teeth nice and pearly white, and some fight bad breath. Plus mine lately have been rough on vinly and stuffed toys. They rip them open and having fuzz parties all over my house....raw hides they lay there and chew. Keeps them busy....works for me lol no negative here.


----------



## ahra1284 (Sep 3, 2008)

bam loves it all - rawhides and bully sticks and pig ears! but i've read that bully sticks are better because they are more digestible than rawhides. i buy bully sticks at this nice little pet boutique that specializes in organic foods becuase the ones from petsmart smell so terrible!!! they are kind of expensive - bam's 6 inch one was $8-9? but it has lasted him forever. he loooooves his bully sticks!


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Pig ears can be kind of fatty/greasy so some dogs get upset stomachs. The other stuff, bully sticks, tracheas, etc. are fine. Rawhides are fine with supervision as they can get gummy, as Rocky Scotland pointed out.


----------



## carrera (Oct 8, 2008)

ahra1284, how long would you say a bully stick lasts? carrera can finish a pig ear in about 2 hrs if i let her...


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

By the way... some bully sticks are made from tendons of a cow, but some are bull penises. Just so ya know. *wink*

Brodysmom


----------



## *Princess* (Feb 7, 2009)

all these sound disgusting to me :S

Elise tried Tinkerbells pigs ear last night though, but she has runnyish poo now


----------



## catz4m8z (Aug 28, 2008)

My two love edible chewies. Pigs ears, which I give half each, also deer sinew and dried liver pieces. Im gradually working my way round the internal organs of various animals for them to try, much to my vegetarian friends disgust!LOL
They also like filled rawhide rolls, especially the yoghurt or cheese varieties. I dont give those often coz I imagine the filling is abit fattening.


----------



## *Chloe* (Feb 6, 2006)

mine have flat rawhide i dont think they ingest much of it tho they just chew it till it goes soggy then it goes in the bin - ive been tempted in the past to buy pigs ears etc but i think they look disgusting and im sure as much as Twig would probably go mad for them i know it would upset her stomach


----------



## ahra1284 (Sep 3, 2008)

carrera - bam gets a pretty thick 6 inch bully stick for about 1-2 hours a day. it's been a week and a half and its 2/3 gone? and he's a very very powerful chewer so bully sticks, for him, last way longer than raw hides.


----------



## rhaubejoi (Dec 10, 2008)

Zoe can zip through a small rawhide treat in no time flat. she does eat them, which is why she only gets small ones. now, the bigger ones she has partially eaten and leaves most for the next day. she always has plenty of water available and has never had any issues. she is also one that is tough on stuffed animals.


----------



## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

my baby loves bullysticks. it lasts him almost a month because i get him about 4 everytime. the price isn't bad. in fact they're having a sale at dog.com today. i'm getting 3 more for 2.99 each.


----------



## jesshan (Sep 15, 2005)

Brodysmom said:


> By the way... some are bull penises. Just so ya know. *wink*
> Brodysmom


Ha ha...I was going to mention that! At the shows they call them bull pizzles! LOL. You can get ALL sorts of things, my vet is australian and he sells ostrich stuff.

They have started selling pigs snouts too at some shows.


----------



## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I just ordered a small dog sampler pack off this website...

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/

They came highly recommended and use only brazilian cattle (nothing from China, etc.) Their prices are great too.

Here's the small dog sampler...

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/home/bbs/page_3003_21/small_dog_sampler_pack.html

For $20.72 plus shipping you get 8- 6" Bully Sticks, 4- 6" Braided Bully Sticks, 2- 6" Trachea, 2- curly bully sticks, and 2- beef tendons. That's 18 chews! 

Hopefully that will last him awhile! 

Brodysmom


----------



## Pinkchi (Nov 21, 2008)

Wow Brodysmom that sounds great!
Wish we could get them in the Uk
*Sulks*
Hopefully by the time i get my chi they will


----------



## Guest (Feb 27, 2009)

My dogs don't get rawhide because it gets gummy and is a choking hazard. They don't get pigs ears or anything else, except bully sticks. They don't get them when I'm not home, but they will chew on them consistently and they help keep their teeth white.


----------

