How can I reuse or recycle small chunks of rawhide bones?
Wow, last week was lots of fun with all the giveaways (final draws at noon today!) but back to regular rescheduled programming now.
Readers of my personal blog (all three of you ;) ) and my personal Twitter feed will already know we’ve got a new addition to our household – a lovely old springer spaniel called Lily. We’ve wanted a dog for a while and have been actively looking for a cat-friendly rescue dog since November. The cat-friendly bit was the most important thing – we didn’t care about breed, sex, age etc – just that they’d be cool around our cats — and Lily is the coolest. The cats are doing really well too: they’re still a little wary when she’s running around but after a week, they’re comfortable enough to sleep near each other and the other day, Lily stretched out in her sleep and threw her legs around Boron and he was bemused rather than scared.
We’re both first time dog owners and we’ve got a lot to learn about everything – particularly food & toys. I nearly missed the once-an-hour bus the other day because I was in the dog food aisle of the supermarket for so long, looking at all the different options. Out of all the different things she’s tried so far, she loves rawhide bones the most but as a paranoid new dog owner, I’m worried about the potential choking hazard – small chunks can break off the chew and the dog, unable to chew them any smaller, swallows them then chokes – or the chunk swells in their belly and causes a blockage. I’d rather that didn’t happen to my Lily dog.
I’m quite happy to supervise her nibbling but wondered if there is anything I can do with the chunks I rescue – can I break them up smaller and add them to her food? will rehydrating them help?
I’ve also heard about smaller/older dogs soggying up the rawhide rather than actually chewing/eating it – are there any options then instead of just binning it?
Can they be composted?
We have always gone the natural route with our dogs and give them bully sticks which are 100% digestible since they are just beef protein and in stick for are easier for dogs to chew completely without little bits being left around the house.
sorry *in stick form
makes the post make sense
We always soak them a little bit, Makes them soft enough for the dogs to lick them and chew a bit… whatever they don’t finish, we through into the woods to break down.
Rawhide is safe and there is a difference between gagging and choking.
After watching my dog eat rawhide rolls and strips for 3 years, several times a week, I have never seen him choke on them. He is always by my side, and never eats rawhides outside the living room ;( He may gag a bit when he tries to swallow a piece that isn’t ready (soft enough). In that case he gags it back up and chews it some more until it is ready, and then he swallows it.
I get to pick up the yard after him, and in 3 years have never seen a piece of rawhide in any of his poop.
He gets bully sticks too, but not as often becasue they stink so bad. Same behaviour with them.
My dog works on the tasty covering or filling and then ignores them. If there were a sauce that revitalized interest, I’d try it.