One of the most common mistakes first-time puppy owners make is to assume all puppy products marketed in pet stores or online are, in fact, safe for their pets. One of these types of products which does have some serious risks for a puppy is a rawhide chew toy.
At first glance, it is easy to see why first-time puppy owners make the assumption rawhide is safe. These toys are sold everywhere from grocery and department stores to pet stores and even online pet care websites. However, by simply doing an online search for “dangers of rawhide chews” it is easy to see why these are anything but healthy.
Many puppies and dogs are given rawhide chews and experience limited if any negative effects. However, it is impossible to tell if your puppy will be one who chokes or develops a serious and potentially life-threatening blockage in the digestive system which may require costly surgery to correct.
A Better Choice
There are some top rawhide alternatives for puppies on the market today. These products are made from baked pork and chicken skin with natural foods such as milk and peanut butter. They are also fortified with various nutrients, and vitamins dogs need for healthy metabolism and body.
As these rawhide alternatives for puppies are highly digestible, they are a healthy alternative. In studies, the pork and chicken chew toys have a 99.9% digestibility in 24 hours while rawhide was less than 85%.
With the choice of rawhide alternatives for puppies, dog owners can feel good about providing a nutritious and appealing treat. They can avoid the problems with rawhide while still giving their puppy, and later their dog, an option to chew on a safe treat which is fully digestible and safe.
