puppies and rawhide question

how old does a puppy have to be before he can chew on rawhide?

 

Personally I wouldn't give rawhide to any dog. After they chew it for a while it gets slimey and it can easily choke a dog, my uncle had his dog nearly choke on a piece.

Rocky gets ground rawhide sticks, made from the same material but they ground it up and compress it into a stick so it flackes off in small pieces. Less of a choking hazard.

 

I would agree. I use to give my little Pom a rawhide until one night, she choked on it. My 7 year old daughter took her to bed with her and noticed she was making some weird noises. She brought her in to me and I looked in her mouth and wedged in her throat was a huge piece of rawhide. I freaked!! I pulled it out (luckily I could get my nails on just a tiny piece of it and pull it out) and threw it and ALL the others away and have never bought another one!

 

I also would never give rawhide to any dog. Why not try something like an edible Nylabone or a bully stick?

 

Forget the rawhide. Go to the butcher shop and get a real bone. Try a Nyla bone, although some dogs won't chew on them, or a Kong toy.

As for age; when they have some teeth, they are old enough to chew. When they're losing baby teeth and cutting adult teeth, they REALLY NEED something to chew.

 

Not to mention a lot of rawhide is heavily treated with chemicals. It can also cause blockages and can be fatal. I'd definitely consider the other suggestions

Jas

 

Our dog is a strong chewer. So we got Maya this chew toy made by Nylabone called a Double Action Chew. Its bacon flavored on the ends and mint flavored in the middle. Its actually a non-edible chew... but its like the other nylabone products where just a rice size sliver comes off at a time making it easy to pass. The thing lasted for months... Maya loves them. We tried everything and it was all destroyed in a day. We haven't had to get her a new nylabone in almost three months! Also puppy kongs are great for little chewers. We would close the small hole with peanutbutter then fill it with water, freeze it, then let Maya have at it. It would numb her gums and she would be able to chew.