What Exactly Are Rawhide Dog Chews?

Rawhide is produced from the inner skin of beef cows. Hides are processed by tumbling in huge wooden drums containing water and hydrogen peroxide. This process removes the hair and cleans the hides, after which, the hides are rinsed in clean water and put through a splitting machine to remove the top layer of skin. This process does not use any chemicals that would be harmful to the health of your pet. While the outside or top layer is used for car and furniture leather, the inside layer is semi-dried, cut into pieces and hand made into different shaped rawhide products. The products are put on racks and then placed in a huge drying room with de-humidifiers and heat. Days later the products are finished and ready for your pet’s enjoyment.

Available in many types, sizes and flavors, most dogs love chewing rawhide treats. As with any new product, keep a close eye on your dog’s chewing activities, until you are sure that your dog is not one of the few that will tear off a large chunk and try to swallow it. If this is the case, or when the rawhide is chewed to the point that it is too small, and becomes a choking hazard, take it away from your pet and discard it where your hound won’t be able to sniff it out and retrieve it.

Rawhide treats are available in many varieties, such as bones, rolls, chips and sticks. Double knot bones are quite long lasting, as well as retriever rolls, while rawhide chips and sticks will be consumed in quite a short time. Pressed rawhide cannot be crunched up quickly and will last much longer than regular rawhide. Crunchy rawhide sticks are not very long-lasting, but many dogs really seem to enjoy it. You may also want to consider pig ears, bacon rolls, and other unusual rawhide items that your dog may love. But always remember, rawhide softens as it is chewed, so your dog should never be left unsupervised with any type of rawhide. Another point to keep in mind is that while rawhide should be considered a healthful addition to your dog's diet, as it is high in protein content, it is NOT a substitute for food!