Dog Ate Rawhide: Dangers of Eating Rawhide Bones and Signs of Trouble

Rawhide bones basically consist of the inner part of the hide of a bovine livestock. Rawhide bones are typically sold in pet stores as chew treats and they may come in different shapes and sizes. Rolls, twists, sticks, braids or hand-tied bones are just a few examples. Advertised for scraping away plaque, controlling the build-up of tartar, massaging gums, diminishing bad breath and entertaining the dog for hours, there are concealed risks all pet owners must be aware of when purchasing these apparently innocuous dental chews.

Once a large piece of rawhide bone makes it through the dog's digestive tract (esophagus, stomach, and intestines), it can become lodged and is unable to pass, ultimately causing a blockage. The symptoms may vary from dog to dog, depending on the location of the obstruction.

The first place the swallowed rawhide may get stuck is in the dog's trachea (windpipe). If this is the case, you will notice your dog in distress, choking and drooling and often frantically attempting to remove the stuck piece with its paws. This is a life threatening condition and you should seek immediate emergency treatment.

Lower down the road, the rawhide may lodge in the dog's esophagus (basically, the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach) causing drooling and regurgitation shortly after eating. When regurgitation takes place, the dog will bring back up undigested food in large pieces and often in an oblong tubular shape.

Next, the swallowed rawhide may get lodged in the stomach, in the curvy areas of the intestine. Vomiting in dogs along with loss of appetite, and in some cases, diarrhea are a few symptoms affected dogs will encounter. They may also suffer from abdominal pain, assume a hunched up position and strain to defecate.

Symptoms suggesting an intestinal blockage should not be ignored. In some worst case scenarios, the swallowed rawhide may cause a hole to develop at the blockage site causing a life threatening infection, known as ''peritonitis''.

Problems mainly seem to arise when dogs gulp down the rawhide chews in large pieces or even whole. This is why supervising a dog when eating a rawhide is a must and why it is very important to select the most appropriate rawhide chews for the dog's size and weight. If the rawhide gets small enough that it can be swallowed, it should be removed to prevent problems, explains Debra Primovic, a veterinarian who writes for Petplace.com. Dog owners must also keep in mind that risks can never be completely eliminated and sometimes even with the closest monitoring, trouble may still happen when choosing to offer rawhide bones to a dog.