Dogs love to chew not just as a habit but also as a necessity, although many dog owners think this is not good for their pets. Chewing can only become a bad habit when your dog chews your shoes, furniture, and other objects around the house.
There is also some fear most dog owners feel when they see their pet chewing on something they did not place for them.
To avoid chewing your pieces of furniture and making you scared each time you see them chewing something, you have to provide your pet with a better alternative.
How can you keep your furniture, shoes, and household items away from your dog and keep their teeth busy, strong, and active? Most dog owners are asking this question.
Well, chew toys are the best option. In place of bones, you can give your dog chew toys as they are safer, durable, and non-consumable, thereby reducing choking and other hazards.
Apart from keeping your furniture and household items safe, chew toys have other benefits, and they include:
- Improving dental health, that is, getting rid of tartar and helping produce more saliva in the mouth.
- Getting rid of boredom, stress, and frustration associated with anxiety. Certain activities and events can make your pet anxious; one way of helping it get through these times is by providing chew toys.
- They are durable and can last longer; your dog must chew these toys for a long time before they become worn out.
- Keeping your little friend busy and occupied, especially when you are not chanced to play with it. You will notice the benefits of chew toys when you have important work to do, and your dog needs to play.
One of the play toys you can get for your dog is a leather chew toy, and we will try to answer the question of if these are good for your dog.
What Are Leather Chew Toys?
Leather chew toys are play toys made from the inner layers of cows’ and horses’ hides. They are processed and made into different shapes.
Leather chew toys have many flavorings, like beef, bacon, chicken, or even liver. The spice makes it enticing for your dog to spend more time on these toys and find them appealing always.
Leather chew toys are trendy as they are made from animal hides, which makes them suitable for your pet’s teeth. The different sizes of leather chew toys make it easy for any dog to use them.
Are Leather Chew Toys Good For Dogs?
We can answer whether leather chew toys are good for dogs by explaining these toys’ good and wrong sides. Let us get into them.
Leather chew toys are good for dogs as they give these pets a unique and thrilling experience during playtime. The good sides of leather chew toys include the following:
- They are Tough
Leather chew toys are made from the inner layer of hides from animals that have been processed and made into different shapes.
The parts from which these leather are cut are so tough and intense that it will be difficult for dogs to destroy them quickly. It will take constant chewing me the strength of an aggressive chewer to destroy these chew toys.
The toughness of leather chew toys makes them last longer than other chew toys that are destroyed quickly. With leather chew toys, you can skip changing your pet’s chew toys from time to time.
- Best Texture
Leather chew toys have a fantastic texture that creates a sensation on dogs’ teeth when they chew these toys. While chewing leather chew toys, your dog is not harming the gums or teeth but giving them a fantastic feeling that complements primal instincts.
Your dog will maintain and satisfy its primal instincts with leather chew toys. It is one thing to give your dog a chew toy that will keep it busy and another to give it a chew toy that stimulates the teeth and gums while offering other benefits.
There are some downsides to giving a leather chew toy to your dog. A dog owner is expected to take note of these bad sides when giving their dog a leather chew toy. These downsides include the following:
- Toxic Chemicals
Leather chew toys may be obtained from natural sources – cows, pigs, and horses but during processing and preserving, many manufacturers add chemicals to these rawhides.
Adding these chemicals to the leather chew toys makes them longer and stronger. However, these chemicals can be toxic and dangerous to the health of these pets.
A type of bacteria known as Salmonella is usually found in rawhides. When your dog chews on a leather chew toy infected with this bacteria, it is taken into its body, and your dog becomes sick. One thing you should know is that these bacteria do not only affect animals but humans as well.
- Swallowing and Choking
Leather chew toys may be tough, durable, and string, but it is somehow easy for an aggressive or extreme chewer to bite off leather pieces and swallow them.
So, instead of chewing on the leather chew toys, your dog can bite off large chunks and swallow them, resulting in choking.
Choking can result in pieces of leather chew toys blocking your dog’s windpipe and respiratory tract, causing breathing difficulties and even death in severe cases.
- Digestive Problems
For some dogs, leather chew toys are like meat; they bite off large pieces and swallow them quickly. With time, these pieces accumulate in the stomach, and digestive tract as their body is not made to work on large chunks of rawhides. This accumulation results in blockage of the digestive tract, leading to indigestion, pain, and other issues.
- Allergic Reactions
Some leather chew toys are exposed to allergens, which can pose a problem. Also, some dogs can be allergic to rawhides as they are constantly exposed to these toys.
Some may have reactions like sneezing, hives, rashes, itching of the eyes and mouth, diarrhea, watery eyes, runny nose, and others.
Before choosing any chew toys for your dog, you should consider some factors:
- Size of your dog
- Chew the personality of your pet
- Texture and durability
- Coatings
- Price of the chew toys
Bottom Line
From the highlighted points and explanation, leather chew toys are good for dogs judging from the benefits. However, your dog needs supervision when using the leather chew toys to avoid choking and swallowing.
It would be best if you only get leather to chew toys that do not contain toxic chemicals or cause allergic reactions in your dog.
