While snacks and little dog treats are always a great training reward for your dog, after a full training session, a long walk or maybe after grooming, a top treat for any dog is a tasty chew bone.
These chew bones come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and flavors. They provide more than just a quick bite, but rather they provide that satisfying chewing activity dog’s need. They also help with dental hygiene by providing a scraping action on the teeth and gums, helping to remove plaque and keep your dog’s teeth in top shape.
Avoid Rawhide Chews
While it is true that many dogs do not have any specific health issues in eating rawhide, research into digestive issues with these products has raised alarms for veterinarians. In digestibility studies, rawhide alternatives for dogs made out of baked pork skin and other nutritious ingredients where 99.9% digested in 24 hours.
Rawhide chews, on the other hand, were between 15 and 50% undigested in the same time period. This increases the risk of blockages, digestive upsets, and discomfort for any dog.
By providing rawhide alternatives for dogs, choking risks are also dramatically reduced. With a crunchy texture, these chews are enjoyed by the dog more like a real bone, not swallowed in a soggy mass or in lumps and pieces that can swell and lodge in the throat.
The rawhide alternatives come in different sizes and shapes. Most dogs enjoy all the options, including different flavors, but ensuring the bone is large enough so the dog cannot swallow it will be an important consideration for any type of rawhide free chew.
There is a good selection of rawhide alternatives for dogs in many pet food stores as well as through online retailers. Simply read the label and look for the terms 100% rawhide free to make the best and healthiest purchase for your dog.