What do I do if my dog swallowed a rawhide whole? Here’s What to Expect

Signs a Dog May Have Swallowed Rawhide

What you see:	What might be happening:	What to do:
Your dog is in distress, choking, drooling, or frantically trying to remove the stuck piece with its paws.	The rawhide might be stuck in the dogs trachea (windpipe).	See a vet immediately.
Drooling and regurgitation shortly after eating; undigested food comes back up in large pieces, often in an oblong tubular shape.	The rawhide may be lodged in the dogs esophagus.	See the vet.
Vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain; the dog may assume a hunched-up position and strain to defecate.	The rawhide may be lodged in the stomach.	See the 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).

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.

How Long Does Rawhide Take To Digest In Dogs? — FAQs

Small amounts of rawhide will breakdown in a dog’s stomach eventually, especially if they chew it properly. However, it takes a really long time as 24 hours would have seen rawhide digest only 85% of the way.

That said, if rawhide is consumed in too large a quantity, your dog’s system would be too overwhelmed and that ingested rawhide would lead to a blockage. And we cannot begin to tell how devastating a blockage can get.

Bullmastiff puppy swallows entire rawhide! 12 weeks old

It all depends on whom you’re listening to. The question “how long does rawhide take to digest in dogs?” can give you anything from mild discomfort to full-on mid-life crisis.

On a more serious note though, the pet community seems to be divided on just how digestible rawhide is and whether, therefore, it is safe for dogs to consume. But there has been some research done on this and the quick result is that:

In this post, as we work to answer the question — “how long does rawhide take to digest in dogs?” we will touch on every important conversation that has been had on this. In the end, it would be left to you to decide whether or not rawhide is something you’re comfortable with your dog chewing and ultimately ingesting.

Companies who advertise their rawhide say it’s great for your dog’s teeth and some experts agree too. According to this school of thought, rawhide can help to scrape away plaque and control the buildup of tartar. Additionally, rawhide is said to be great at improving doggie breath not to mention keeping your dog occupied for hours unending.

To learn other ways to keep your dog’s pearly whites in pristine condition, click here to read our article on dog dental care.