my yellow is almost 19 weeks and doing the teething thing. few questions. first, how bad or not so bad do you think rawhide products are? she doesn't get too excited about any non-edible items but rawhide keeps her busy for hours. is it pretty benign in terms of some of the renal issues and others potential downsides. Any better options for keeping those jaws busy?

thx

I don't know a whole lot about rawhide other then our own experience. Sawyer is a big chewer even today at 4 years of age. About a year ago, we gave him a large rawhide and he chewed it down to about 5-6 inches long so we started watching him to make sure he just chewed it because he is a gulper. Suddenly without warning, down it went and we had to pull it out of his throat. No more rawhide at our house. He gets marrow bones from the meat shop and we still supervise him. I also have a hard Nylabone he chews on a little.

Austin is 7 mos. and chews constantly. One of his favorite (and cheapest) chew toys are empty plastic soda/water bottles. Squeeze just a little air out to soften the sides, and reseal the cap. One bottle can last a couple of hours. Just don't give one when you're trying to nap.

Rawhides get slimy when wet and can slide down the throat pretty easily so it's a choking/obstruction risk.
Having said that, I periodically give them to my boys and keep a close eye - as soon as the 'bone' gets smaller than my knuckle, I take them away.

Also make sure not to get imported rawhides - many use chemicals to treat which aren't good for them. Look for ones made in the US without chemical processing.

Another alternative is bully sticks. They don't last as long but they don't get slimy and are safer and my dogs love them even more.

My pup is only a couple of weeks older than yours. He really liked the nylabones I got him, especially the ones with the knots on the end. His absolute favorite though is a filled kong.

We don't feed rawhide at all, had a scary experience years ago with them and from a lot of what I've read, so do a lot of other people.

Bully sticks are a great alternative. If you get the braided ones, they tend to last a little longer, and they are MUCH healthier than rawhide.

You can also give fresh marrow bones - the fresh marrow inside them is really great for them and the bones don't splinter, so no choking worries.

For non-edible ones, filled kongs are good, just be sure you feed less the day you give them, so they don't pack on extra lbs.

Good luck!

We've always given our dogs rawhides, right from puppies. Ours don't gulp, and are always supervised.

But if you want a safer option, I probably wouldn't even recommend a raw marrow bone until the pup had ALL it's adult teeth.

... But if you want a safer option, I probably wouldn't even recommend a raw marrow bone until the pup had ALL it's adult teeth.

Sorry, I skimmed too fast about the age - I agree about waiting until they have all their adult teeth. Kongs and some nylabones are a great alternative, if they capture your pup's attention. Two of my four, don't give either a second look, and never have.

Good luck! :)