Rawhide Chews??

Guzzler is more teeth than anything else these days.
I was wondering if it is ok to get him those rawhide things for dogs? I know this is just a passing phase of kittenhood but, thought a chewy would make him happy.

I don't know about cats....but rawhides aren't good for dogs.They have a tendency to break off and splinter in a dogs intestines and stomach.Also, if they chew off a big enough chunck, it can can get lodged in their throats.
What about a jinggley ball?Or a stuffed cat toy?

I never knew that about Rawhides, thanks.

You can get a lot of hard kitten toys that would probably be appropriate for this phase.

OK thanx. He has jingly balls and a catnip stuffed mouse. When I am holding him, I let him chew a plastic straw. The dog chew thing was just an idea I had. Best to check with you all 1st though. As I have said before most of my cats have been adults before I met them.

Blaze is the first indoor kitty for us, so we're ALL learning.
This group and you all have been such a WONDERFUL find. I've learned so much already.

We have rawhides for the dogs and the cats sometimes chew and play..havent noticed any ill affect

I am very interested in this answer myself! Zazu is a HUGE chewer...and not to mention an ear sucker! We don't mind the ear sucking...but the chewing is killing us! We were sitting on the couch last night...watching tv...and zazu was next to us chewing on his favorite kooshy pillow....the next thing we knew...there was kooshy stuffing EVERYWHERE ...and as you might know...the kooshy pillow filling is attracted to static electricity....it was clingy to Zaz like white on rice! I had to take him outside with a laundry dryer sheet and wipe him down with it....then I had to give him a bath so that he wouldn't lick off the dryer sheet stuff...what a pain!! Anyhow...if I could find something else...like chew sticks or something...that would be awesome! We have tons of stuffed kitty toys...balls...and stuff...but...he doesn't seem too interested in chewing those things! Let me know what you all think!
~Zazusmom,
and Mojo, too!

Here is just one article that I found on raw hides.
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/prin...php?t=43&pp=40

Rawhides are dangerous but you should know about them first and do your OWN research before accepting anyones opinion.

Rawhides are treated leather, so your dog is essentially eating your leather jacket. Most, if not all, rawhides are chemically treated so that they lose the hair that's on them. Since most rawhides you give to your pets are NOT made in the United States, the US can not regulate the chemicals used. If you notice on those precious rawhide treats, their is no ingrediant list or anything that describes what has been done to the product. So, what you are essentially doing, is giving your dog a chemically cleaned leather jacket.

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Ask your vet about this next part. Rawhides have been linked to Cancer in dogs. They are also a leading cause of blockages, and esphogase (sorry about spelling) tears. Rawhides are made from bi-products, and because of that they can have salmonella bacteria.

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Third and finally, 40% of dogs are allergic to rawhides and you may not even know it! The FDA has issued out warnings when handling rawhides just from you holding them. That should tell you something. If you want more information on that the website address is www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00692.html.

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I never knew the dangers of raw hides until we got our Cocker and I started doing some research on dangers.I also joined a few groups about dogs and learned ALOT of stuff.

its not only the choking hazard, Dogs should not be given rawhides, pigs ears or any other dried body part to chew on. These are a terrible choking hazard and many dogs have choked to death on raw hides. Rawhide has to go through several rounds of chemical cleanings in order to remove all the hair from the hide. These tend to not be rinsed off fully and the chemicals thus get ingested by the dog. Dried body parts (essentially leather) are also a bacteria hazard. Dogs' digestion systems are designed for fast processing of meat and bones, and that speed is their natural defence against bacteria. But dogs don't digest rawhide, it sits around in their stomach for some time before being passed in the same state as it went in. This can result in food poisoning, the mildest symptom of which is diarrhoea and vomitting.

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I think this like everything else, should be the individuals choice based on their Vets opinion

I am still thinking there has gotta be something out there for these kids to chew on. Other than toes, fingers, noses..........

We give Blaze card board toilet paper rolls, boxes ONLY while we are watching her.We've used a empty water bottle with a jinggley ball in it, again only while we are watching her.

Safe toys for your cat include ping pong balls, unshelled walnuts, empty cardboard toilet paper rolls, catnip filled socks tied with string, and empty thread spools.

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I don't agree with the "string" part though.We just tie the end of the sock.
http://www.hscipets.org/tipcat05.htm

OK, I have had dogs all my life and knew that rawhide was bad for them, But what about pig ears? My vet always told me that they would pass the test.

I've never used pigs ears, so I'm not sure.

Dogs should not be given rawhides, pigs ears or any other dried body part to chew on.

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(Go by what you and your Vet feels is safe )

Originally Posted by TobySis

Guzzler is more teeth than anything else these days.

I was wondering if it is ok to get him those rawhide things for dogs? I know this is just a passing phase of kittenhood but, thought a chewy would make him happy.

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Use as mentioned only US made ones .... I only use compressed , they are safer ... What breed is Guzzler??

Sharky, Guzzler is an abandoned baby I found at work. He is the center of my sig. That picture was before we got all the dirt off him.

dumb me..lmao.. what else is new...

there are teethers made by pet stages that guzzler can chew on safely..

Are the teethers something I can find at PetsMart? We are planning to go shopping next weekend and that is one of our stops.

Originally Posted by TobySis

Are the teethers something I can find at PetsMart? We are planning to go shopping next weekend and that is one of our stops.

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yes

Just got back from PetsMart and Petco. We got teethers, soft claws, a laser light and a hangy thangy for the door knob.
Guzzler is getting a manicure tomorrow. I love this site. I did not know about the soft claws and have to much heart to declaw. Also, before I found this site did not know what all declawing consisted of. Boy am I glad I did not ever do that. We are going to get used putting the soft claws on the baby before we try them on the girls.

my cat has chewed on our dogs raw hide sticks a few times (just carrying it around and biting it for a bit)..we have never had problems with raw hide bones/things and we've had dogs for almost 20 years, lol. but i know what you mean about the whole crazy teething thing my friends kitten bites like CRAZY! i just have a few toy mice for my cats, it would be funny if they had certain 'chewy' things specifically for cats..unless they do? i dont know, lol.

Originally Posted by gia_c

my cat has chewed on our dogs raw hide sticks a few times (just carrying it around and biting it for a bit)..we have never had problems with raw hide bones/things and we've had dogs for almost 20 years, lol. but i know what you mean about the whole crazy teething thing my friends kitten bites like CRAZY! i just have a few toy mice for my cats, it would be funny if they had certain 'chewy' things specifically for cats..unless they do? i dont know, lol.

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Gia
Yes they do make "teethers " and chew toys ... IMHO pet stages are very good and affordable ... youll need some with two bengals