Veterinarian Is Warning People: “Don’t Give Rawhide Bones As Gifts”

Veterinarians don’t always agree on everything but it seems as if many of them are saying the same thing about a popular gift for dogs.

One of those veterinarians is with the Animal Clinic of Kalispell, Dr. Jevon Clark. He is telling people that, even though Rawhide bones are loved by many dogs and are popular as gifts, they are not the safest choice.

“Oftentimes dogs are able to get those things all soft and gross and gushy and swallow great big chunks of them which can pass through their esophagus into their stomach, but then they can’t get out of their stomach,” Dr. Clark ” rel=”noopener noreferrer” target=”_blank”>explained.

“And so, they can either get an intestinal blockage in their small intestine. Or, they actually just stay in the stomach and we have to go in and get those things out,” he added.

The suggestion from Dr. Clark is that nylon or rubber chew toys are a much better choice. Dogs will have a harder time breaking them into smaller pieces so they are less likely to lodge in the dog’s stomach.