If you've had a good look around our store, you might have noticed that we don't have any rawhide chews for sale. There is a very good reason for that: We won't sell anything that we wouldn't feed to our own dogs—Bilbo Beagle and Marvinnotabeagle.
So, is rawhide bad for dogs? Why won't we give it to our dogs? Most people think it's a type of beef chew—the name certainly suggests that. It's cheap, it's long-lasting, so what's the problem?
🚫 Why Rawhide Isn't a Treat: The Chemical Journey
First up, it isn't meat. It's the hide, usually from cattle, although other animals may also be used.
From Tannery Floor to Pet Store Shelf
When the hide goes to the tannery, it is treated with chemicals to preserve it. They are then treated to a nice acid bath to remove the hairs—no-one wants hairy leather shoes, do they?
Once the top part of the hide has been removed to be used for leather goods, the tannery is left with the section below the 'grain'. Rather than waste that, they came up with the ingenious idea of turning it into a hard chew and selling it to dog owners.
Bleaching, Dyeing, and Glue
So how do they make it so hard and chewy? This is the really disgusting part (well, the first part was pretty gross, but this is worse).
It gets washed with bleach. Now, I know what you're thinking: Sometimes, you see rawhide and it's a nice meaty colour, so that must be okay, right? WRONG. It's been dyed. And those great bone shapes they come in? Well, they do that by glueing the pieces together, and that glue also helps it last a long time.
So that tasty rawhide chew, marketed specifically for dogs, isn't meat, has no nutritional value, and has been through a chemical bath, an acid bath, been bleached, painted, and glued.
⚠️ The Serious Dangers to Your Dog's Health
Choking and Internal Blockages
Your dog's stomach often can't break down the rawhide. If your dog swallows a big chunk of it, there is a good chance it will cause a dangerous internal blockage. This is often an expensive, emergency vet visit—or worse.
Chemical Ingestion
Even if it doesn't cause a blockage, by chewing on a by-product of the leather industry for several hours, your dog may have ingested heavy metals and toxic preservatives. Lead, arsenic, mercury, and formaldehyde have all been detected in rawhide dog chews.
So, are there any rawhide treats I can give my dog? The quick answer is none of them — rawhide always has the potential to cause your dog serious harm.
✅ The Safe Chew Solution: Why Bonza Dog Treats Are Different
We stand firmly by our promise: We only sell the highest-quality, safest chews. When you buy treats from us, you can be sure that the dehydrated treats are pure meat (or fish) that have been air-dried. Nothing added. 100% meat.
And that meat will be from animals raised here in Australia. Our products are not just packaged here in Australia, they are real Aussie meat. We only sell the best, the best is never the cheapest, and we make no apologies for that.
STOP worrying about blockages and chemicals.
Click below to explore the 3 most popular, safe alternatives to rawhide used by thousands of Aussie dog owners:
- ➡️ For Long-Lasting Chews: Shop Goat Horn
- ➡️ For Heavy Chewers: Shop Air-Dried Beef Tendons
- ➡️ For Dental Health: Shop Natural Dental Collection
