Obstruction and sanitation

Most of us have given our dogs treats or semi-digestible goodies such as rawhide or marrow bones.  But what really happens to a dog’s digestive tract when something is too large or too sharp to pass through?  This can cause a dog to vomit, stop eating, behave strangely, have diarrhea, experience other digestive upset or potentially even die.  It’s not always the material that the chew toy is made of but rather the shape.   Some digestible or semi-digestible chew bones and chips can actually cause an obstruction, impaction or even death.

If you have children or grandchildren who are young and tend to touch the dog’s things or if your dog tends to lick people on the face or mouth, be careful of natural bones, rawhides, chew bones and bully sticks since bacteria can grow on these items and potentially transfer to your child’s face or mouth.  Additionally, be wary of using edible materials such as rawhide or other dental chews that your dog might feel protective over with children are around.  Dogs may be uncharacteristically protective over an item that a young child might try to take from them, whereby the dog may feel threatened and reactive.  We can’t always trust children around dogs.