Dogs love to chew rawhide but there are plenty of reasons why rawhide is not the safest natural chew for your pooch. Check our favourite rawhide alternatives to give your dog a safer and more nutritious chew.
Keeping your dog’s teeth clean and their breath a little more tolerable is easier when your dog has natural chews to remove bacteria and food that is hiding in between their teeth.
Dog rawhide has long been known as a superior dental cleaning chew, but concerns about the safety of the chews may have you looking for safer rawhide alternatives.
You might be wondering, are rawhides bad for dogs?
Rawhides are cheap and widely available, which is why they are still a popular choice, but it's important to make sure you understand the risks and are offering your pup the safest and most effective chewing treats.
We don't deny the dental benefits of rawhide chews, but there are many concerns about the safety of feeding your dog these less-than-natural chewing options.
This article will explain how rawhide can be dangerous and how you can choose a safe rawhide alternative to support your dog’s dental health, keep them occupied, and reduce destructive chewing behaviours.
We all have a rough idea of what rawhide treats are, but you might not really know the whole story. Questions like — what is rawhide made of? Is rawhide safe for dogs? How is rawhide made? — are all good questions to ask before you offer your dog one of these popular chews.
These are all things that rawhide manufacturers rarely advertise, so to help you better understand, we have done a quick breakdown of rawhide for dogs so you can make an informed choice.
Rawhide is made from the inner layer or outer layer of skin or hide of an animal, typically a cow.
They go through a manufacturing process similar to the outer side that is used to make leather. The same leather is used for furniture, purses, and belts.
Making rawhide requires some harsh chemicals to separate the layers of tissue and lye is also used to help remove hair, fat, and any other tissues that are attached to the hide.
Once the rawhide is separated, a solution using hydrogen peroxide or bleach is applied to sanitize and whiten the hide. Whitening the hide is for our benefit, not our pets, but is still a very common practice.
From here, the hides are flattened, cut, and shaped into a variety of rawhide styles. To make them more appealing to dogs (and to us), rawhide chews are often coated or sprayed with artificial flavouring and colours.
If you are going to make the best choices for your individual dog, then it's a good idea to know the pros and cons of rawhide.
In this article, you'll see a lot of reasons why rawhide is generally not regarded as good for dogs, but every dog is different, so the risks may be greater for some..
To answer the question — is rawhide good for dogs? — we need to look at the benefits of rawhide.
These four benefits are the key to why rawhides have continued to be one of the most popular natural chews for dogs.
Now that you know that there can be some benefits to rawhide chews for dogs, let's answer the real question - Is rawhide bad for dogs?
If the variety of chemicals used to make dog rawhide chews isn’t scary enough for you, we have yet to even touch on the number one reason that rawhides could be dangerous for your dog: intestinal blockages.
We’ve heard countless horror stories of dogs choking or getting intestinal blockages from swallowing a large chunk of rawhide and having it get stuck somewhere along the digestive tract.
A blockage is life-threatening and will more often than not require expensive surgery to clear. In some cases, the blockage is caught too late, or the surgery is too risky for the blockage to be fixed in time.
Well, your dog's stomach is designed to break down many things, including bones, so yes, rawhide can break down in the stomach, but it takes much longer than most foods and can cause issues if large pieces are swallowed whole.
The issue is in the texture of the dog rawhide. It starts as a durable, dense chew and quickly softens into a slimy, gummy mess.
It’s easy to soften but not so easy to tear apart, leading many dogs to swallow large pieces that are too big to break down quickly or safely.
Additionally, the glob of pressed rawhide can further expand in the stomach juices. From here, it can get lodged in the stomach preventing further digestion.
It's generally not recommended.
While rawhide product processing has some benefits and some concerns, the risks are much higher for puppies. Puppies often don't have good chewing habits, so the risks of choking on a soggy and gummy strip of rawhide are much higher.
Even if they don't choke, they are more likely to swallow large chunks that will be difficult to digest. Instead, puppies should stick to softer chews that will help to loosen baby teeth, massage the gums, and aid in the eruption of new teeth.
While all traditional rawhide chews can be risky depending on your dog's eating habits, there are some types that can be a little easier to digest and break down. Here are a few characteristics of rawhide that can make them a safer option for dogs:
Most traditional rawhides are pressed, meaning they have many, many paper-thin layers of rawhide that are pressed together to form a strong and solid chew. While this does make the chew last longer, it also makes it harder to digest.
Puffed rawhide is the best type of rawhide because it will have fewer layers that are pre-soaked to expand the rawhide layers. This is something that would normally have to happen in your dog's mouth or stomach during digestion, which can contribute to poor digestion and blockages.
It's still not 100% digestible, but it will break down easier than a pressed rawhide bone will, especially if your dog has a habit of gulping large chunks of the rawhide chew.
When it comes to satisfying your dog's chewing needs and keeping them safe, there are plenty of natural chew options to choose from. Many rawhide alternatives will offer similar benefits and fewer risks.
Every dog is different so a chew that works for most dogs may not be the best fit for your dog, so make sure you check out our list below of the 10 safest rawhide alternatives.
Before we get to the list, check out this breakdown of some common types of chews we are seeing many pet owners opt for instead of rawhides.
Natural chews is a broad term that refers to most edible chew treats for dogs. This can include a wide range of animal products. From long-lasting to crunchy and nutritious, natural chews are options most dogs can enjoy and safely consume.
They get lumped together as one type of chew, but in reality there is so much variety that you can be looking at drastically different products with different risks and benefits. Here are a few popular natural chews:
Each of these chews are very different from each other, so it's important to know what you are looking for in a chew. Ask yourself how long it should last. Does your dog need extra calories from chews? Is it safe for your dog's teeth? Will my dog chew this properly?
Check out our full selection of natural dog chews to learn more about each type.
Though the concept has been around for a while, no-hide dog chews are becoming more and more popular now that the risks of rawhide dog chews are more commonly accepted. But what is a no-hide chew?
A no-hide chew is a type of dog chew that is meant to mimic the taste, texture, and appearance of a rawhide giving your dog without actually having any rawhide in it. There are many brands that offer a non-rawhide chew alternative, but make sure that you aren't replacing one undesirable ingredient for another.
Look for no-hide options that use natural ingredients and avoid unnecessary sweeteners or artificial flavours. Here are a few brands that we think your dog might not mind giving up his rawhide for:
You'll find options for dogs of all sizes, including bully sticks, rolls, and chips in a wide variety of flavours to accommodate preferences and sensitivities. No-hide dog chews are gluten-free long-lasting, nutritious, and, most importantly, safe and an alternative to rawhide.
One of the newest styles of rawhide alternatives is collagen chews. These chews are quickly gaining popularity because of their similarity to rawhide.
Unlike many of the natural chew options you'll see in our list below, collagen chews look and taste more similar to rawhide, making them a preferred option for dogs that are accustomed to eating rawhide already.
The reason they look so similar is because they are. Like rawhide, it is a type of skin technically. Unlike rawhide, collagen comes from the inner layer of tissue and is much more digestible than rawhides made from whole hide.
Collagen also goes through a natural manufacturing process compared to rawhides that often require chemicals to process them.
Are Bully Sticks Better Than Dog Rawhide?
Bully sticks are quickly becoming one of the most popular chews for puppies, but are they really better than rawhide? In our opinion, yes! But that doesn't mean there aren't risks.
Rawhides and rawhide chews do share some features and benefits. Both are low in fat, making them an ideal chew for dogs that are watching their weight. Both are long-lasting and great for dogs that get stuck, bored and destructive. Both help to scrape away bad breathing-causing bacteria on your dog's teeth.
Where bully sticks take the lead, though, is in their digestibility. Bully sticks are a solid tendon, so while they will soften as your dog chews, they won't expand an alternative to rawhide and swell like rawhide. This reduces the risk of choking and makes digestion much easier.
So, are bully sticks better than rawhides? We think so! Learn more about the benefits of dog food in What are Bully Sticks Made From?
We spelled out the dangers of feeding your dog rawhide, but what else can you give them to care for their dental health?
Fortunately, many natural chews for dogs offer similar benefits to chewing rawhide but are much safer to feed. Here are our 10 favourite natural alternatives to rawhide for dogs:
They are offered in different lengths, thicknesses, shapes, and sizes to suit each individual dog's chewing on rawhide style. They are suitable for dogs of any size and are a safe chew for seniors and dogs that have fewer chompers than they should.
Bully sticks are great options for teething puppies as well. As they soften, they will massage the gums and help to work baby teeth out.
One of the ways that we manage our dental health is by flossing in pet stores. If you feed tendons to your dog, then they can floss too. The stringy texture of the tendon will allow the chew to sink between teeth as it softens.
Eldon's Beef Tendons are fully long-lasting digestible and are suitable for all dogs. Choose the size and protein that is best for your dog. The most common types of tendons available are beef, bison, and lamb.
Another popular option for dogs that love rawhide, but need long-lasting safer rawhide, is Fieldcrest Farm Nothin' to Hide chews. These rawhide shapes chew skip the hard-to-digest and chemically treated hide and stick to real food ingredients like natural bovine collagen and real meat to create tough natural chews that look and feel like rawhide.
Unlike other no-hide chews on the market, Nothin' to Hide chews use all-natural ingredients that are easy to digest and free of common food allergens.
For dogs love that love to chomp, this natural chew provides a satisfying crunch for powerful jaws and a long-lasting chomp session for more delicate chewers. Eldon's Beef Chompers come in bully sticks, braids, and strips.
They are made of the beef esophagus, so they are high protein, low fat, and easy on the tummy. The beef esophagus has a stronger odour than the rest of the chews on our list, so we recommend this as an outdoor treat or at least feeding it in another room.
Feeding raw dog bones fights bacteria on two fronts. The action of long-lasting chewing will loosen bacteria, especially in the harder-to-reach areas at the back of their mouth, and the enzymes from the raw meat will fight off bacteria and freshen your dog’s breath.
Not all raw bones are safe to feed, though. Stick to edible dog bones like chicken necks or softer recreational bones like beef ribs.
The toughest chew on our list is the Himalayan Yak Chews. It’s a thick stack of hardened yak and cow cheese that will be best suited for tough chewers. It will provide plenty of abrasions to remove bacteria from their teeth and will last longer than most natural chews.
Yak chews aren’t suitable for every dog. Puppies, seniors, and dogs with dental issues should avoid chewing on long-lasting hard chews like this to reduce the risk of damaging their teeth. Adult dogs with strong teeth are low-fat chew.
Silver Spur Cow Ears are made of cartilage and give your dog a tasty, fun treat for removing plaque and tartar from your dog’s teeth. For bigger breeds, a cow ear won’t be super long-lasting, but it will still stand up long enough for their teeth to benefit.
Cow ears are inexpensive and low in calories, and they are a great daily chew that won’t contribute to unnecessary weight gain.
Lamb horns are made of Keratin, not bone. While keratin alternatives are hard and give your dog, it is less dense than a rawhide bone and does not pose the same risk to your dog’s teeth as a harder chew would. As your dog chews, the horn will begin to break down into small enough to swallow digestible pieces.
Icelandic+ Lamb Horns are fibrous, which allows the chew to brush their teeth and gums as they chew. Unlike antlers that are very hard, lamb horns have some give, so they are suitable for outer-layer dogs of all ages and sizes.
Dogs love the bold fishy flavour of fish skins, making them an obvious candidate for rawhide alternatives. Additionally, fish skins are a great source of healthy omega fatty acids, so it's a snack and a supplement in one.
Unlike most of the chews on this list, these are not a long-lasting chew for most dogs but are a great option for dogs that aren't as aggressive with their chews and for small breeds that just can't handle a robust and dense chew like a bone.
Icelandic+ offers dried cod skins in a variety of shapes and sizes to allow you to pick the right one for your dog's chewing preferences. From the best-selling Icelandic+ Cod Skin Sticks to the Hand-Wrapped Cod Chews, you'll find tasty and healthy choices for your pet.
Other fish skin options include:
Although small, chicken feet are a great option for dog owners. In some ways, they are like a doggy toothpick. They will clean hard-to-reach places near the back of the mouth and scrape away plaque and bacteria near the gum line. Noah's Ark Chicken Feet are an excellent addition to your dog's regular dental routine.
It's important to note that no chew is without risk, so proper supervision and offering the most appropriate type of chew is still key to keeping your pet safe while chewing.
No chew is without risk. No matter the type, any chew that is not properly chewed, swallowed whole, or not the appropriate size for your pet can be a choking hazard. Follow these strict rules when feeding rawhides or any alternatives to your dog:
We can't stress enough that you should never leave your dog unattended with a chew. Monitoring them ensures their safety and also helps you understand how they chew so that you can offer the safest dog chews and best natural chews to improve their dental health.
Rawhide alternatives may be preferred because they are easier to digest, less likely to cause choking or blockages, and are often made from natural ingredients that are safer for dogs.
Popular rawhide alternatives include dental chews, bully sticks, natural antlers, nylon bones, rubber toys, and edible chews like sweet potato or chicken jerky.
While many rawhide alternatives are safe, choosing options appropriate for your dog's size, chewing habits, and dietary restrictions is essential.
Some rawhide alternatives, like dental chews, promote better oral health by helping clean your dog's teeth and reduce plaque and tartar buildup.
Dogs with food sensitivities or allergies may react to certain rawhide alternatives, especially those with added flavourings or ingredients.
The best rawhide alternative for your dog depends on size, age, chewing preferences, and dietary restrictions.