Photos of 48hr test on Rawhide Swelling?

[onyx'girl]

I use to give rawhide way back when(80's!) and it never swelled when it got wet, it would get slimy and nasty, but wouldn't swell. Clover use to bury it and then dig it up to chew, as she liked it aged.
I quit giving it to her when my senior Stomper died, and I thought maybe the rawhide caused him to bloat. At that time, I was giving the dogs flip chews often to occupy them.

[SukiGirl]

All I know is that we stopped giving rawhides when our dog started puking up pieces of undigested hide DAYS AFTER INGESTING IT. Yea, that was enough of that.

[Maggies Dad]

Originally Posted by wildo

I think it's a great test, BTW. I see written on these boards concern for swelling just as much as chocking/blockage. Awesome of you to test it out!

Thank you Willie that's nice of you to say.
I'm the guy in the office who always checks the "OMG Emails" against mythbusters. haha...

[GatorBytes]

The risks are just as great at the open end causing choking...

This is a story of a dog who died the next day

Ask the Veterinarian: Sudden Death in 1 Year Old Golden Retriever, pseudomonas infection, megaesophagus

The Vet said it could have been something there from the day before considering he hadn't eaten anything that morning. It could have been lodged and then dislodged when he moved and was greeting my Parents at 6:00 AM......

.....So what happened to Willie, to put it in layman's terms, was that the chunk of rawhide had become lodged under his epiglottis, which is the flap that covers the trachea when we eat so we don't get food in our lungs, and then it became lodged over his trachea which then suffocated him.

Such a tragic accident for such a young and great dog. I really appreciate the follow up and I will not let Willie's death be in vain. I will spread the word around and we will call it Willie's Rule. "Always stay with your dog while they are chewing on rawhides and then take them away and put them up if you leave. That way they can't get one stuck like that when no one is around."

[jae]

Originally Posted by JeanKBBMMMAAN

I don't know that it's the swelling that is the issue, but the size of the pieces that can be torn off and swallowed: ASPCA | Position Statement on Dog Chews/Treats this is odd, but states that.

I still do not feed them any more, but was advised by my vet that they are "perfectly safe" as long as they are gnawing at it, and as long as huge chunks do not come off and are eaten. When the dog gets to the end of a trachea or bully he just swallows a 3 inch piece - then pukes it up (he doesn't learn and continues to do so)

I know that the swelling is not a big thing, I have seen one left in the rain for days, and the dog found it, ate it, and he was fine.

Does any one have an opinion on pressed rawhide?

[arycrest]

I stopped letting the Hooligans have any type of rawhide products because of choking. More than once I had to pull out a slimy piece of rawhide from someone's throat who was choking, the final straw came when I could bearly get the piece out it was so far down his throat I had to pinch a tiny tip, the only part I could touch, with my finger tips. And the chopped type rawhide products made several of them sick. Rawhide products aren't worth it in my opinion.

[Maggies Dad]

Choking is my biggest concern actually my only concern really?

It's really to eaches own really and I do appreciate everyones two cents on the topic.

All my life I've fed my dogs those big beef bones until the vet told us that one of them splintered and tore through the esophagus of our 120lb Great Pyrenees killing him. Fluke? Probably. After all it was only one out of maybe 7-8 dogs in my life before him... All the same, I wouldn't give a animal bone or antler to a dog ever again.

[msvette2u]

It doesn't digest easily

Yes, this, and the size of the pieces. They can be a real choking hazard.
Now, thousands of people give the stuff to their dogs, obviously, or it wouldn't be sold in stores like it is.
But once you've had a rawhide issue, you tend to avoid it for life.

When I was much younger, 19 or so, I gave my Springer a rawhide "chip" (2"x2" square) and she was chewing away. Well, once things get to a smaller size, dogs like to gulp them down, as you know.
She must have done that once it softened a bit on the edges, because she just swallowed and I noticed her start gagging and choking.
I got her over to me and slapped her on the back and it came up on the carpet.
I threw it out, and the rest and never gave her another.

I don't use them because of that, and I will always remember the terrified look on her face when she started choking

[Maggies Dad]

Originally Posted by msvette2u

Yes, this, and the size of the pieces. They can be a real choking hazard.
Now, thousands of people give the stuff to their dogs, obviously, or it wouldn't be sold in stores like it is.
But once you've had a rawhide issue, you tend to avoid it for life.

When I was much younger, 19 or so, I gave my Springer a rawhide "chip" (2"x2" square) and she was chewing away. Well, once things get to a smaller size, dogs like to gulp them down, as you know.
She must have done that once it softened a bit on the edges, because she just swallowed and I noticed her start gagging and choking.
I got her over to me and slapped her on the back and it came up on the carpet.
I threw it out, and the rest and never gave her another.

I don't use them because of that, and I will always remember the terrified look on her face when she started choking

Very well put... "But once you've had a rawhide issue, you tend to avoid it for life." Same with Bones, Pig Ears etc....

[msvette2u]

That's true