Now, The Story… How Long Does Rawhide Take To Digest In Dogs?
Another school of thought on this matter, of which the American Kennel Club is a member, is less alarmed about rawhide and its digestibility in dogs. Although they agree that rawhide isn’t easily digested in dogs and might take longer than normal food, they definitely do not subscribe to the idea that it is not digestible at all.
In this school of thought, how rawhide digests in dogs is dependent on a number of factors and only poses a risk if the dog swallows a huge chunk at a time. Like the first school of thought asserts, the AKC believes that swallowing a huge chunk of rawhide at a time could cause intestinal blockage.
If it, indeed, happens that your dog swallows a huge chunk of rawhide bone, they advise that you manually dislodge the chew before your dog can digest it.
If the dog swallows it, this chunk of rawhide can cause either intestinal or esophageal blockage. But even worse, this chunk would remain in the stomach for months at a time and this would definitely cause grave gastrointestinal issues.
While these are heavy consequences, this school of thought assures dog parents that as long as their dog takes their time to chew the rawhide first before digesting it, they shouldn’t have any gastrointestinal issues.
Plus, they also mention that manufacturers of rawhide, these days, use more digestible ingredients when making their chew toys. Though these do not last as long as real rawhide, they are a safer alternative as your dog is less likely to come down with any health complication when chewing such.
Here are the factors AKC lists as affecting how your dog digests rawhide.
Why Rawhide Might Be Dangerous For Your Dog
The story is told of a dog owner who lost her dog to a rawhide chew toy. The most painful part of this story, however, is that this dog was her last link to her daughter who had died.
So, she comes out in the morning to find her beloved dog dead. How?
Well, apparently, there was a rawhide chew toy kept in her bed. This particular night, the poor dog decides to chew on it (probably like she always did) only that this time she chokes on it.
From what the vets say, the dog must have tried to swallow the knuckle end of the bone but unfortunately, it was too big and won’t go down.
So, you guessed it, the piece got lodged in the throat, blocking her windpipe and cutting off her air supply.
Since she couldn’t breathe, the dog died from asphyxiation not too long after.
Tips to Make Rawhide Safer to Use
Having said that, if you decide to provide a rawhide to your canine then make sure to wash your hands so that there are no chances of contamination.
Follow these steps to forestall the aforementioned troubles.