This is our latest post in the series covering foods that your dog can / should eat or avoid completely. We break it down into bitesize articles and will cover everything from artichokes to antelope! These are all extracts from Jo’s upcoming book called “Can My Dog Eat This?”

This is a really important post about rawhide!

***These commercial products are not good for your dog and can be downright dangerous.***

People often think rawhide is a by-product of the beef industry, made of dehydrated meat. It is not, it is a by-product of the Leather Industry, so theoretically it is a leather chew!

To make the chew, the leather is bleached, chemically preserved, has colour added to make it look nicer and is then finally glued together to give it shape! When tested lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals have been detected in rawhides.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog chews it, the rawhide softens, until it is the consistency of bubble gum. As your dog swallows pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the oesophagus or other parts of the digestive tract.

Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.

Stay tuned for more "Can My Dog Eat This?" posts.

About these posts...

Well, a sea change is taking place in the world of pet nutrition. More and more owners are moving away from processed dry and tinned foods towards more natural, healthy diets for their pets. With this shift comes considerable confusion and misinformation. Are blackberries poisonous? Is garlic good or bad for dogs? What about avocado?

There is an important distinction between what dogs can eat and what dogs should eat. As with humans, dogs need a balanced diet to thrive. These posts will hopefully give you a steer in the right direction!