Are Natural Dog Treats from the Pet Store Safe?

Well, for us, the owners, isn’t it nice to see the eyes of your beloved dog, constantly watching how incredibly delicious natural dog treats appear from the package: bovine root, pig’s ear, or brain bone?

But are dog treats from stores also useful and safe? Let’s look into this in our article below.

 

Natural Dog Treats from the Pet Store: Benefit or Harm?

I have always been skeptical about purchasing natural dog treats, justifiably considering their appearance on the shelves a very competent move by marketers from Cynology. Making money out of nothing by literally pulling millions out of the trash is worthy of respect.

And the problem is not that such treats are made from waste: with the use of appropriate processing technology, it is now possible to make sweets from sawdust. It’s about the quality of the manufacture and the potential harm to the health of the dog.

Many veterinarians are sounding the alarm, increasingly faced with the unpleasant consequences of the abuse of such delicacies.

Poisoning, allergies, digestive problems, cracks and chips on teeth, gum damage, and the danger of suffocation – this is not a complete list of problems arising from the use of unsuitable for a dog or simply low-quality products. What’s wrong with these treats? Why should we be careful when choosing and using them?

 

Treats Made of Rawhide Genuine Leather

These “bones” are made from dried animal skin, and since they are a natural product of animal origin, they are very attractive to dogs. At first, they are hard as bone, they soften after a couple of hours of gnawing and saliva treatment.

This is their main advantage: the “bones” from the skin help to satisfy the dog’s need for chewing, without hurting its teeth, since small sharp pieces that can damage the gums or teeth of the animal do not break off from such “bones”.

But at the same time, veterinarians pay attention that dogs often have serious allergies either to the skin itself or to substances used for its processing in production.

In dogs with sensitive stomachs, eating “bones” from the skin can cause digestive problems, including diarrhea and vomiting.

In addition, pieces of thick rawhide, which are gnawed off from the “bone” of the dog, cause asphyxia and sometimes cause dangerous blockages in the esophagus or intestines.

Often, the only way a veterinarian can remove them is through surgery. Experts also note that due to insufficiently strict control over the production of dog treats, checks often detect salmonella, E. coli, and toxic chemicals in rawhide products.

 

Calf, Cow, and Pig Hooves

The main reason why many veterinarians recommend their clients refrain from buying cows or any other hooves for dogs is the fragility of these treats.

Remember what they say about chicken bones? So, gnawing hooves, dogs often break off and swallow no less dangerous small and sharp pieces that can cause damage to the walls of the stomach and small intestine.

In some cases, it comes to the point that fragments of hooves cause obstruction or perforation of the intestines of dogs. Foreign experts in their articles talk about the extremely unpleasant consequences of gnawing hooves, and severe injuries to the oral cavity and intestines of dogs.

A veterinarian from Chicago, Dr. Karen Becker, in an interview with HealthyPets magazine says: “I know that many owners are dismissive of the danger of cow hooves.

They say that their dogs are happy to cope with such treats. It’s great. But from the point of view of statistics, operations on the oral cavity in dogs due to injury by a piece of the hoof are carried out much more than for any other reason.”

 

Deer and Elk Antlers

Elk or deer horns as natural dog treats have recently become very popular, and the reason is not only the interest in everything new or unusual: the owners consider them a bargain because, at a relatively low cost, the horns are stunningly durable and have a very long “service life”.

Anyone who has already bought horns knows that a dog can gnaw them for an incredibly long time without leaving even serious scratches on the surface. “It’s like chewing a rock,” the veterinarians say. But isn’t it harmful to the dog?

“The skull, teeth, and muscles of a predator, specifically a dog, are not designed to chew such hard objects,” says Dr. Kevin Stepanyuk, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, former president of the American Veterinary Dental Society.

“Excessive fascination with horns can cause chips and cracks in the teeth of a dog, resulting in severe pain and the likelihood of infection. Due to the peculiarities of the dog’s body, these problems can remain hidden for a long time.”

 

Know Your Dog

Before you throw all the natural dog treats into the trash, for the purchase of which a lot of money was spent, remember that no two dogs are the same.

Each pet is different. Dogs are like little children: someone needs an eye and an eye, because he can have a bite of a gum massager at once and swallow half, and someone is happy to waste a dental ring, enjoying the process.

Understanding the potential danger of toys or treats, the owner of the dog, like the parent of the child, should reasonably approach its choice and carefully monitor its use. The main problem, as always, is unreasonableness.

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