One of the responsibilities of being a pet owner is to choose healthy options for your dog, both in the food you select, as well as for treats and chews. Selecting the best dog rawhide alternative no longer as difficult as there are products on the market that are 100% rawhide free.
When choosing a dog rawhide alternative, it will be important to consider the ingredients and the manufacturing process. A quick review of the packaging and a search on the internet can provide all the information any dog owner needs to make the healthy choice for their four-legged friend.
Healthy Ingredients
Rawhide is not only potentially dangerous to give a dog, but it provides extremely limited value when it comes to nutrition. Rawhide is the inner layer of beef hide, typically stripped just before the hide is turned into leather at a leather tanning plant. Imported rawhide, which is common throughout the United States, may also be made from the inner layer of horsehides from horse slaughter plants throughout South America.
Baked pork skin is a very healthy option as a dog rawhide alternative. It has 70% of the fat removed, which means it still provides natural flavor as well as essential nutrients for the dog. The flavor is similar to natural pork rinds, which are a popular snack for people as well.
Baked pork skin becomes hard and offers the same chewing benefits for dogs. It is fully digested in the dog’s digestive system within 24 hours, while up to 15% of rawhide will remain in the system during the same period of time.
Always check to make sure the facility producing the rawhide alternative is GFSI certified. This means the plant uses Global Food Safety Initiative standards, which is required for the production of human foods. When dog chews are made under these same exacting standards, quality of production is never a concern.
