WARNING: Stay away from Virbac C.E.T. Rawhide products!

[msmat]

Hi Everyone,

So after what was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life with my Aussie Bounce i have come across something that I feel every dog owner should be aware of.

I like most dog owners I know like to try and keep my pooch happy and his teeth as clean as I can. So about two weeks ago I bought a bag of Virbac C.E.T. rawhide chews for my dog to have as a daily treat. I had been giving him one almost every day and didn't really think too much about his poops starting to become a bit softer but then about a week ago he went potty and it was just straight diarrhea. The following two days it went from diarrhea to straight up blood! I was in a panic cause I wasn't home and out on a sailboat for the weekend doing my final race for the season while my friend watched him. So there I am stuck in the middle of Lake Michigan 60 miles from my dog while my friend is sending me pictures of the blood. I have take him to the emergency vet and they find nothing with X-Rays, and his blood work appears to be fine as well, with just slight signs of being dehydrated.

So this past week he's been on his normal food mixed with some prescription stuff and meds and appears to be fine with solid poops again. I then decide it's time that he can have a treat, one of his C.E.T. Dental chews. It was when I grabbed the bag that I noticed something on the very bottom well away from the company information which has an address in Texas. These rawhides are MADE IN MEXICO! Upon further research I've discovered that rawhide outside the US is generally bleached to give it that ghost white "pure" look.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT OR ANY OTHER RAWHIDE PRODUCT FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES! I spent close to $600 in one day on my dog at the vet because of this damn company thinking the US address meant they made their product in the US.

Here's a link talking about rawhide production in other countries and the US.

 

[stfrancis]

@msmat I want to dispel a bit of a myth here.

It isn't necessarily "bad" that they were both not made in the USA and that they were made in Mexico. In fact, for raw hides, Mexico is one of the better locations.

You have to understand: no raw hides are made in the USA. Raw hides are a product not of butchers, who deal with the meat itself, but with tanneries, who deal with hides and leather. There are zero industrial tanneries in the US, and haven't been for a few decades. They were basically run out of town by environmental regulations and simple industrial zoning.

Almost all tanning and leather work formerly done in the USA moved to Canada, Mexico, and several South American countries, where US meat producers ship their hides. The other major center of this industry is, of course, China.

For animal safety, the Chinese raw hides should never be purchased or consumed. We treat them as strictly forbidden because they are very untrustworthy- chemically speaking.

Additionally, the only raw hides one should give to their dogs are the kinds that are single rolled pieces, and not pressed products. Pressed rawhide is basically pulped scraps shredded, then pressed together before it is rolled. it is kind like plywood or something in its construction, and is much more likely to splinter and fracture while dogs eat it.

splintering is the primary danger, and can happen in any rawhide- those splinters may not soften before they're swallowed, and may cause internal injuries. But it is much more likely to happen with those pulped pressed rawhides.

All this is to say- if you are going to buy rawhides, certainly do buy them from Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe. Those are the "good ones." Don't buy from China, and don't buy any that are pressed.

The best answer, though, is probably not to let the pup have them when you're not keeping an eye on them, and to take them away if they splinter or break.

 

[brucee]

@stfrancis Thank you for this informative and accurate information. I'm sick of the demonization of products made outside of the USA.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@stfrancis Actually, you are wrong about not having USA made rawhides. There is one company called "wholesome hides" that are made in the USA, but there are very few stores that sell them and they are ALL online. Here is one store for people in the Northeast

http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.catshow/catid/482/cname/Wholesome_Hide_USA_Rawhide

 

[stfrancis]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Very very cool. I like being proved wrong in cases like this.

I'm not totally surprised, tho- this is a very small rawhide producer that doesn't seem to be putting out a tremdous volume of products, and to a relatively limited area. But this is great to see, so, thanks.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@stfrancis Yeah, they don't seem to deal with too many dealers but there still is quite a few in each state. I just noticed that there is actually stores that sell their products, just none of them are close to me. Here is the website that shows where to buy their products.

http://www.wholesomehide.com/index.html

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@msmat My vet told me to never give my dog rawhides. She said they can cause digestive blockages

 

[ericameeran]

@msmat It's a strange story, and I'll admit that I've used these as well with no adverse effects... Maybe you had a bad batch?

 

[msmat]

@ericameeran Bad batch or not, I'm not risking a $600 vet bill again. i'll spend the extra couple of dollars on products from the USA.

 

[mrloseit]

@msmat Sorry about your poor dog. I don't like giving my dogs raw hide, I prefer to give them antlers. They last longer, they don't splinter like bone, and no odor. I've had the same antler for over a year now. My dog's only get the antler for about an hour each day or every other day.

 

[msmat]

@mrloseit Yeah his giant foot long antler went missing a couple months back and I never ordered a replacement, until today. I agree that antlers are the way to go and after this whole fiasco will be the only way to go for Bounce's chew toy.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@msmat don't blame the origin. blame the product. rawhide is not good for dogs' digestive systems.

 

[solaymend]

@msmat Oh no!! I give these to my dogs all the time!! Are there other dental chew products that dogs will actually eat?? Mine scoff at the Greenies.