The Risks of Rawhide: Feed your Dog the Natural Way this Christmas

I admit, things have been a little quiet on here of late... Well, that’s because I’ve been busy trialling several new Christmas dog treat recipes over the past few weeks. Now I’m happy with them, I will be releasing this tasty trio, along with IOPE’s Christmas hampers, over the following weeks.

Talking treats, while we all know that Christmas can be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, we must still be mindful of what we feed our pets over the festive period. Dogs are no exception to this rule. In fact, charities and animal hospitals such as the Blue Cross and the RSPCA, respectively, have issued warnings about the pitfalls of giving your pets certain ‘off the shelf’ goodies.

Along with mince pies, Christmas cake, and chocolate, Rawhides are top of the list when it comes to toxic poisoning in dogs.

A Happy Tails Animal Rescue (2018) Facebook post informs us that “the vast majority of these rawhide products and treats come from China.”

The hides, which are soaked in a toxic sodium sulphide to remove the hair and fat, are formed from cattle and horse hides. The post goes on to say: More chemicals are used in order to split the hide into layers which is then washed with hydrogen peroxide to give the white "pure" look and remove the rancid smell. Now comes the pretty festive colours and the glue to form cute shapes. On testing, these chews have shown traces of arsenic, mercury, chromium and formaldehyde.

It is also reported that this type of treat: “regularly cause intestinal blockages, poisoning from chemical residue and choking. The chews go slippery when wet and are near impossible to get hold of to save a choking dog.”

Pretty horrific, heh!? In truth, this is what prompted me to start making my own treats in the first place. Not really knowing what I was offering my dog, especially when some of these products are as cheap as chips and as colourful as a brightly lit Christmas tree.

At Issy & Olly’s Pooch Emporium, nothing, absolutely nothing, toxic, chemical or artificial goes into our homemade dog treats. They contain ingredients that I would feed to my own family, are low in salt, and dehydrated and baked to laboratory and APHA standards.

If you want to treat your dog to something special this Christmas, make sure he/she stays safe, healthy and happy, and keep your eyes peeled for our new festive delights!

Reference:

Happy Tails Animal Rescue Inc. 'Christmas Dog Treat - ALERT'. 03/11/18. https://www.facebook.com/happytailsanimalrescueinc/posts/727333314287931?comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22O%22%7D