Raw Hides

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#1
Does anyone have any info about wether raw hides cause heart disease? A sales assoc at Petsmart told me that they do and dogs shouldnt have them....
 

felicity

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#2
fozziekaiser said:
Does anyone have any info about wether raw hides cause heart disease? A sales assoc at Petsmart told me that they do and dogs shouldnt have them....
Wow, that is a big claim, I wonder if she has any information to back it up. I have never heard of any such thing.
 

Lynn

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#3
I have never heard of that either. I would really like to know if that is true, because I'm sure that there are alot of people who give them to their dogs.
 

Brattina88

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#4
From what I know this is not true. Unlike humans dogs do not get heart conditions from there diet no matter how improper or fatty it is. Vets recomend certain rawhides for cleaning teeth and such. Why would they do that if raw hides caused heart disease? I believe your Pets Mart worker was missinformed
 
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#5
fozziekaiser said:
Does anyone have any info about wether raw hides cause heart disease? A sales assoc at Petsmart told me that they do and dogs shouldnt have them....
I have come into contact with someone at PetSmart corporate who is actually concerned about misinformation being passed on, so if you will let me know the location of the PetSmart that gave you this information, she would very much like to check on it and find out why someone would tell you this. She asked for the name of the associate, but, as long as she doesn't have that, she'll have to address the problem, not the person. (I've been hanging around with attorneys for too long.) Obviously, it's not something that PetSmart tells their employees; not only do they sell a large selection of rawhide chews, their website offers information that is truly useful to help you decide what type of chew would be best for your dog.

No, I DON'T work for PetSmart - I don't even shop there, but it really gripes me to hear about silly rumors being passed out as gospel to the consumer, and I like to give the people in charge a chance to improve their customer service - or prove that they don't care.
 
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#6
Thanks for the great information!

It is a shame all the disinformation being distributed about our
four legged friends. My take on rawhide products are like other
type digestable products made for dogs.... Don't over do it!
Rawhide treats in moderation shouldn't cause any concern. But if
you are feeding your dog 20 rawhide bones a day, that may be a
bit excessive.
 
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#7
It was at a Petsmart on Colerain Av. In Cincinnati Ohio. I was shocked too. I've always given my dogs rawhides-they love them and it's kept them from wanting to chew on anything that is off-limits to them.
 
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#8
I'll post a copy of the last communication from Heather, the PetSmart Customer Service Supervisor, along with my reply. I'd like to encourage you to check out their website for information on the rawhides. It is quite informative and should put your concerns in perspective. You've got to remember, when you are talking to a sales associate, especially in a chain store, you're talking to one of the lowest paid people in the organization. Sometimes you get to talk to a person who really cares about what they are doing, and sometimes you get someone who's just there to collect a meager paycheck on Friday. I worked retail for several years and I've had co-workers of both kinds. It's really a shame; how you perform at your job is a direct reflection on your character, no matter how poorly you are treated or paid by your employer. Poor performance ultimately hurts you more than it does the company.

From Heather:
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your feedback, and apologize that the service you received at your local PETsMART store was not what you have come to expect from us.

Along with our mission to help save homeless pets, we strive to provide a pleasant shopping experience with friendly and knowledgeable staff. The health and safety of your pet is a top priority, and I would like to have this situation reviewed with the store associate. If you could provide me with the location of the store you patronize, along with the employees name if you have it, that would be very helpful.

I thank you again for bringing this to my attention, and hope you will allow us to continue to service your pet supply needs. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or by phone at 1-888-839-9638 x756.


Sincerely,

Heather
Customer Service Supervisor
PETsMART.com - Where Pets Are Family!
www.petsmart.com

My reply:
"I found out the store in question is the one on Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Good luck, and thank you so much for being concerned. It's rarely remembered that the sales associate at the bottom of the food - and pay - chain is the only representation of a retailer that the consumer typically ever has any contact with; that is the impression that determines whether this consumer remains your customer or becomes someone else's customer.

While I am not personally a regular customer (we feed our Filas Innova, which I do not believe you carry), I will remember your concern and pass it on as a positive recommendation - and I will shop PetSmart on the occasions I am buying something that you do carry."
 
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#10
The last e-mail I got from the customer service supervisor indicates that PetSmart will be checking in on their Colerain Ave. store in the very near future. Sometimes things actually do happen!
 

Snuggles

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#12
Just a little more info, I was once told by a worker at another pet store that rawhide could clog the intestines of dogs and for little dogs it will clog faster and kill the dog. Since then I have talked to my vet (which is supposed to be the best in my area) and he said the raw hide is just fine for all dogs of all sizes.
 

mmslaman

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#13
Interesting reading guys - My policy (regardless of what the "experts" say is everything in moderation.) Human Health experts don't even get it right for us, let alone our 4 legged friends. As long as humans continue learning previous so-called facts will continually be debated and updated. Pure common sense keeps all of us alive. We are all derived from dust and flourish when we're back to basics and animals are the same.
 
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#14
Mmslaman has a very good point. Common sense is the benchmark of survival. Chews and treats, whether they are rawhide, pigs' ears or manufactured chews should only be a very minimal portion of any dog's diet. There are plenty of chew toys available in size and type appropriate configurations, so edible chews really shouldn't be more than an occassional treat. We probably don't give ours edible chews as often as once a month, and I must admit a preference for giving them the pigs' ears - they DEFINITELY come through, believe me. The dogs are just as happy with chew ropes and other toys on a day to day basis.

Dogs' digestion is an amazing thing, though. When I was a kid I had a little Jack Russell who went on "search and destroy" missions for those little green plastic army men the boys used to play with. There was never a trace left of one. When she was still a tiny puppy she even stole an entire bag of Hershey's kisses and UNWRAPPED and ate them - without harm! We'll never know how a 3 pound puppy got up on top of the table. The only thing that ever fazed her was when she got into the cracked corn we fed the ducks. She started to expand like a balloon. It took three of us to give her an enema (per the vet's instructions) and my Dad still got bitten. Fortunately, she was bright enough not to get into the ducks' food again. She died peacefully in her sleep at over 16. Without a doubt, she was the toughest dog of any size I've ever come across and a testament, if atypical, to their amazing digestive powers.
 
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#16
The Innova is far and away better food than the Eukanuba. Innova uses all organic, human grade ingredients. Eukanuba doesn't. You wouldn't believe the difference in our dogs since I put them on it. Go to the NaturaPet website at www.naturapet.com , where you'll find a protocol that lets you compare up to four different foods at once; it even lets you click on the individual ingredients to see what they actually are. I think once you do that any questions you might have will be answered. There are several excellent foods available, and you can compare them on the site to see which one you think will be best suited for your dog.

One thing, too. These high quality organic foods really don't cost any more than the Eukanuba or Science Diet, especially when you start to notice that your dog doesn't eat as much, since there is more usable nutrition in the food.
 
D

dragonsantar

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#17
Rawhides and their dangers

I have been training dogs for MANY years and because of that I work hand in hand with vets and petparents. 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.

Now I do give my dogs (I have four fur-kids) occassionally but I am constantly home to supervise them. I don't care if your arguement is: "I've been giving my dog bones since before you were in diapers", they are still bad and they are still dangerous.

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.

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.

If you insist on feeding rawhide, please be sure you are watching him/her. Find a rawhide that includes a list of ingrediants. Only buy the clear, unbleached rawhides. Some companies use a arsenic-based (yes, the poison) when processing them.

Do yourself a favor and form your own EDUCATED decision and go from there.

Nikita Nomaris
 
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#18
Hi Nikita, Welcome to Chazhound Forums!

Thanks much for the information. I go to Pet stores and see huge bags of pigears, leather chews, and of course the rawhides. They are everywhere :(

Chazhound
 
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#19
We never gave our dogs rawhides with any frequency at all, but my Mom's little Rat Terrier, Katie, loves pig ears. Unfortunately, she tears them off and wolfs them down. The other night, she ended up taking an emergency (11:30 p.m.) trip to the vet because she had vomited until she was vomiting blood, and had passed some in her stool. As it turns out, it was probably the pig ear she scarfed earlier, not bothering to chew it thoroughly. Needless to say, Katie won't be getting any more pig ears, and neither will my big dogs!
 

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