Cheap source for rawhide chews?

[TheJenners]

My boys love them, and if it were just the Kelpie, I wouldn’t mind buying them. One double knotted chew will last him three or four days. But my Border Collie, he of the piranha jaws who ate a Kong toy in less than an hour, can have one done in half a day. And then mopes and sulks while the other enjoys another two days of rawhide bliss…

Anyone have any secret sources for rawhides? Preferably the kinds with knots, lots of knots. The planks or chips or whatever they are called don’t even last 30 minutes.

[lizathenag]

I would be concerned about impactions with that much rawhide. As an aside when we raised the guide dogs they were not allowed rawhide. We give the nylabones which last a very very very long time.

of course the nyla dinosaur has no head, feet or tail anymore but is still loved and chewed.

[glfprncs]

I’ll 2nd the Nylabones. They last James months!

I worry about dogs that eat rawhides very quickly. Once they get into the stomach and are moist, they tend to swell. Could cause an impaction…I’d prefer not to have to pay for that surgery!!

Also have very good luck with kongs…stuffed with peanut butter (and even better, throw them in the freezer overnight so the pb is frozen) they’ll keep them entertained for quite some time.

[TheJenners]

The Kongs are a no-go unless I get the super Kongs (black). And so’s peanut butter, the BC is allergic. Not sure what else I can put in there other than PB or the expensive treats they sell with the Kongs.

Will give nylabones a shot!

[JumpQH]

I use i-pets.com for rawhide. Our dogs go through them so quickly! I get the irregulars, which are cheaper. The dogs could care less what they look like!

[babecakes]

I will not buy hide products from China! Look at those labels. It may be a case of dog eat dog.

[Tap2Tango]

Anyone else have a dog who likes to turn their nylabones into weapons?? My guy will chew it into a very sharp point then casually leave them in areas of frequent foot traffic. One time he managed to get one stuck in the carpet, pointy side up! It would have pierced my foot if I stepped on it!!

[Phaxxton]

@TheJenners;5837939

The Kongs are a no-go unless I get the super Kongs (black). And so’s peanut butter, the BC is allergic. Not sure what else I can put in there other than PB or the expensive treats they sell with the Kongs.

Will give nylabones a shot!

You can put anything and everything in a kong. I even come up with kong “recipes” and freeze them for my dogs. I’ll stuff them as full as I can with some of their dry dog food mixed with cheese cubes, hot dog pieces, mashed potatoes, Bil Jac, or any number of other treats. I seal the opening with a piece of hard cheese or some smushed Bil Jack and keep them in the freezer.

You have to think outside the kong marketing - You don’t have to only use PB and kong treats in the kongs. Stuff them with whatever fits! :yes:

I have a super power chewer Doberman Pinscher, so I understand your frustration with chews and toys. I always, always go up one size of Kong and get the black ones. I also use Nylabones. They are great, but my dogs don’t love them as much as bully sticks. (I don’t do raw hide personally.) Then again, they last a heck of a lot longer than a bully stick does! They love the stuffed kongs, though, once I figured out I wasn’t limited to peanut butter and Kong-brand stuffing.

[PiaffePlease]

I agree with the other posters about rawhide being dangerous. I hate how it doesnt break off in pieces, it gets wet and breaks off in a huge chunk. Scary.

Theres tons of stuff you can put in a kong. Wet dog food, cream cheese, etc. all best when frozen.

Some people have had luck with bully sticks, but even my really really old dog had it gone in 5 minutes. My power chewer really loves this:

http://www.smartpakequine.com/bristle-bone-dental-brush-7575p.aspx?cm_mmc=paidfeeds--amazon--NA-_-17575

[Claddagh]

Add me to the list of those who think rawhide is dangerous. I had first hand experience in just how dangerous it is. My dog was happily chewing on his rawhide when I heard choking sounds. I luckily was in the same room with him and so was right there to help. As he had been chewing the rawhide (the kind with the knots) he was swallowing as he chewed. Only the rawhide was still in one long piece - INSIDE OF HIM! When I went to take the rawhide away from him I ended up having to pull out about a foot long piece of chewed and swallowed rawhide that was lodged in his throat. Thank goodness that I was right there when this happened, if I hadn’t heard the choking, he would have died. There was no way he could have gotten that rawhide out by himself.

This was many years ago and we haven’t had a rawhide in the house since! My vet told me some horror stories about rawhide and said that if anyone insists on giving their dogs rawhide they always advise using only the “shredded” and compressed types (NEVER the rolled and knotted ones because of the choking danger).

[bdj]

[QUOTE=Tap2Tango;5838085]
Anyone else have a dog who likes to turn their nylabones into weapons?? My guy will chew it into a very sharp point then casually leave them in areas of frequent foot traffic. One time he managed to get one stuck in the carpet, pointy side up! It would have pierced my foot if I stepped on it!![/QUOTE]

That’s why I don’t give my Nylabone loving beasties the Nyla-dinos anymore! That darn stegosaurus was pokey to begin with and got even worse after my big black dog chewed on it for a while, and then I stepped on it in the dark one night, resulting in a torrent of Very Bad Words… We stick with the plain old bones and the Y-shaped bones now.

As far as Kong stuffings? Low fat cottage cheese, mixed/layered with kibble and then frozen. It’s cheaper and lower-fat than cream or spray cheese, and I think a little less apt to cause digestive upsets - plain lowfat yogurt would probably work too. (Big Black Hairy Dog does. not. get. regular cheese, as it gives him epic gas…)

I don’t give rawhides very often (usually just for an hour or two, during crate time), but the ones that Whole Dog Journal recommends are “Wholesome Hide” brand: http://www.wholesomehide.com/
They’re American sourced and produced, and generally seem to be a good bit thicker than some of the other brands.

[danceronice]

Anyone have a cheap source on pig ears besides butchering ones own hogs? Thosre are gone in about two minutes. As are little rawhide sticks, which are all I give them (big bones, one polishes off in minutes, the other doesn’t, so we end up with dogfights over the remaining bone, so no one gets any. This is why we can’t have nice things.) I like giving the pig ear as an occasional treat (it’s Puff’s favorite) but they’re not cheap.

[Tap2Tango]

Any ideas on kong stuffing to give a dog who is on a grain free, fish protein diet only??

Maybe puree some veggies then smoosh them in the kong and freeze it?

[JB]

Stuffing Kongs with bananas and/or peanut butter, then freezing, is pretty awesome

[vtdobes]

Be careful about “cheap” rawhide…they’ll make that stuff with all sorts of bad stuff.

[twelvegates]

I would second JumpQH – try i-pets for both the rawhides and, danceronice, for the pig ears. You can choose USA made, they are inexpensive and I get the chip rolls because they break into small pieces as the dogs devour them.

http://www.i-pets.com/

[Tap2Tango]

[QUOTE=JB;5839303]
Stuffing Kongs with bananas and/or peanut butter, then freezing, is pretty awesome :)[/QUOTE]

I will try the bananas. He has had issues in the past with peanuts so I want to stay away from peanut butter. Same goes for dairy.

[RougeEmpire]

Rawhides are bleached and highly processes. I never recommend them for dogs, espcially the ones that come from China or India.

[glfprncs]

[QUOTE=Tap2Tango;5838085]
Anyone else have a dog who likes to turn their nylabones into weapons?? My guy will chew it into a very sharp point then casually leave them in areas of frequent foot traffic. One time he managed to get one stuck in the carpet, pointy side up! It would have pierced my foot if I stepped on it!![/QUOTE]

Yep! When James is working on one that’s nearing the end of it’s Nylabone life (i.e. it’s getting dangerously pointy), we always comment that James is getting his ‘shank’ ready. It does, however, take him a good couple of months. I buy the really big ones (the one above ‘wolf’ size) although he’s only a 50 pound dog.

[Mao]

[QUOTE=JB;5839303]
Stuffing Kongs with bananas and/or peanut butter, then freezing, is pretty awesome :)[/QUOTE]

Sorry for hijack, but thanks for this suggestion. I stuffed kongs with peanut butter & Kong cookies and put in freezer. My 5 month old Deerhound puppies - who are teething at the moment - LOVED it!

But how in god’s name do you get peanut butter into Kong without making a mess? I’m also going to try Kong stuffed with low-fat cottage cheese & kibble & see if they like it. : -)