If your dog has swollen a rawhide and is showing any of the signs like choking, gagging then you can help him to vomit it out or ingest it else you should immediately take the dog to the vet.
If the rawhide is ingested then you need not worry about it as rawhide would be digested within 1-2 days. If you see any of these signs after the digestion, you should contact your vet.
What are dog Rawhide Chews and how are they made?
Dog Rawhide chews/bones are made from the inner layer of animals’ hides, generally from the hides of cows and horses. The making of the rawhides goes in these steps:
- Animals are slaughtered and their hides are made ready for transportation to processing plants. To make them ready, all the excess fat and meat is removed from the hide and it is salted throughout to slow the decay process. After this process, hides are taken to the processing plants.
- At processing plants, hides are split into two layers (inner and outer layer) after they are cleaned with detergents and chemicals. The cleaning process removes all remaining fat and hairs from hides and gives it yellow-white color.
- After this splitting and cleaning, rawhides are cut into different sizes that could be rolled and folded to make various shapes of rawhides (bones, sticks, etc).
Can Dogs Digest Rawhide chews?
Rawhide treats are digestible by the dog’s digestive system and will dissolve in the stomach. Rawhide is meant to be chewed and not to be eaten but if the dog swallowed a rawhide and he isn’t choking, he would be fine as rawhide would be digested within a few days. If Rawhide is not of the standard quality it may swell up in the digestion track instead of breakdown causing severe threats to your dog’s life.
Signs your dog has Swallowed a Rawhide?
It is always advised to give rawhides to your dog under your supervision. If a dog tries to swallow a large piece of rawhide, there is a chance that it will get stuck in his/her throat, and in that case, the dog will vomit it out but if the piece succeeds to pass the throat then it would be digested and dissolved in the stomach. If your dog swallowed a rawhide and you see any of the following signs, contact your Vet:
- Choking
- Gagging
- Pawing at their mouth
- Unable to swallow their food
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea / Fever
- Lack of appetite
- Abdominal pain
What to do if a Dog Swallowed a Rawhide?
As stated above, rawhides are desirable and able to dissolve in the stomach so there might not be an issue with that until you see a few of signs described above.
If your dog has eaten a rawhide, your dog will either vomit it or throw it out with poop but if it does not throw it out either way within 3 days or you see a few of these signs then you should be concerned and contact your vet.
In most of the case, if the dog is choking or gagging, he/she will vomit it out if not take him/her to the vet immediately. If the dog isn’t choking and the rawhide is gone down the throat, it will get broken down by the digestive system. If you see a lack of appetite, diarrhea, or abdominal pain then you should contact the vet.
Benefits of Rawhide
One of the best things you can do for your dog is to provide them with treats as treats make your dog happy. Rawhide as a treat not only makes your dog happy but it also has many health benefits, here are important health benefits that your dog can get from rawhide:
Dental Benefit
Dogs are descendants of wild canines and wild animals tend to chew and tear apart their prey. As humans domesticated dogs, they no longer use their teeth to tear and chew their prey, as a result, their teeth and gums become weak and home to plaque.
The plaque and weak gums result in mouth diseases and these diseases can build up over time and cause other severe problems to your dog such as tooth loss and kidney problems.
To keep the mouth of your dog healthy and clean, rawhide can be a great option, it will not only make your dog’s mouth clean but it will make the gums and teeth stronger.
More Active Dog
Dogs chew rawhide for hours resulting in mental and physical stimulation in them. If you have a lazy or older dog you can try giving him a rawhide chew and the chew will keep him busy and stay active for a long time resulting in better health.
Is Rawhides Dangerous for dogs?
Rawhide has health benefits and they also make your dog happy and busy. If the rawhides are small in size they are not dangerous for your dog.
If a rawhide is big and your dog swallowed it, and it got stuck in his throat then your dog is in trouble, you should take him to emergency treatment. But if the rawhide passes the throat then your dog would be fine, and the rawhide would be digested in the stomach (dogs won’t swallow most of the time but if your dog tends to swallow things, don’t give him rawhides ).
Hence if the rawhide is not very big it is safe for your dog as a chew.
Conclusion
Rawhides are healthy for your dog, moreover, your dog loves to chew rawhide for hours. It could be dangerous (like any other thing ) if it is big and your dog swallows it.
If it gets stuck in the throat take your dog for emergency treatment or help him remove the rawhide from the throat either by vomiting it or ingesting it.
If it did not get stuck in the throat and passed down in the digestive system, your dog would be fine as the digestion system of the dog can break down the rawhide, and it would be digested within 1-2 days.