Rawhide bones are available everywhere and Golden Retrievers and most all other dogs simply LOVE them. They taste good, feel good on the teeth and are simply irresistible for your fur baby. Some Golden Retriever parents have given rawhide chews to their babies for their entire lives and did not detect any form of problem. We in fact gave rawhide chews to all our dogs historically with no apparent problems until recent research taught us to be more cautious. The questions is this: Are they good things to chew on? For Golden Retrievers, maybe not so much but your mileage may vary.
Warning: This article will sound overwhelmingly negative towards rawhide chews. In fact you might never actually see negative side effects to giving your Golden Retriever rawhide chews but you should know all about what you give your loved pet and what is said below is based on research, not opinion. I will list healthier / safer alternatives at the end.
Wait! I Thought Golden’s Have a “Soft Mouth”?
First, know this: Despite the famous “soft Mouth” of a Golden Retriever, they are aggressive chewers. Knowing how to consistently train your golden to chew on the right things is a critical skill when you have one in your home, but chew they will. 
They, like most dogs also have a strong preference for chewing leathery things but anything in or around the home will likely go into their mouths at some time or another. 
While they are maybe not as aggressive as some other breeds, they can go through weaker toys, shoes and chew bones with amazing speed. Chewing is in fact good for your golden so the key is to provide “Good Chews” and then let them do their thing.
Chunks, Chunks and More Chunks
One of the biggest challenges with Rawhide Chews is that an aggressive chewer can break off chunks of it and swallow them. This can present a substantial choking hazard. Even if it does not choke them at first, the rawhide is VERY slow to digest and can stay in their systems for months, accumulate and block them up farther down the digestive tract requiring surgery to correct if you catch it in time. If you have another breed of dog that is known to be less aggressive chewers (usually small breeds), this bit may be a lesser issue but for Golden Retrievers, it can be. The blockage issue is likely the biggest risk to rawhide chews despite the other risks discussed below.
What’s In Them?
What a rawhide chew is made of and what it contains is another thorny subject. Most rawhide manufacturers have no real enforceable rules that force them to completely state exactly what it’s made of and how it’s processed. The vast majority of rawhide chews are sourced from China but some few are made in the USA with hides from the USA.
According to PetMD, rawhides are typically made from the inner layer of horse and cow hides that are cut, processed and sometimes ground up to be pressed into attractive forms. I’ve heard rumors of other types of hides being used (including dog hide) but have not been able to find that in recent research. Flavoring (not always natural) is often added to make them more appealing. The American Kennel Club relates that the hides are taken directly from the kill room floor and stored in a heavy brine solution to slow decay but that it may be weeks or months before they are actually processed. The brine solution does slow the decay but it does not stop it so you have no idea what state it’s in by the time it’s dried and processed.
Since most rawhides are sourced from China, there is also the risk of all sorts of chemicals in the chew. This is not to say that all rawhides from China are bad or dangerous but you just won’t know since their oversight is dramatically less effective than in the US. If you can find a rawhide that is sourced and manufactured in the US, it is much less likely to have dangerous chemicals or exotic hides in the mix.
PetMD recommends that you wash your hands after handling a rawhide chew. Keep children and especially anyone with immune problems away from them. To us that’s a really scary recommendation.
Rover.com calls rawhides the deadliest chew toy available. They go on to say that processing the hides often involves all sorts of chemicals with hydrogen peroxide and bleach being common.
My Golden LOVES Rawhide Bones, How Can I Make it Safer?
Again, rawhide chews may never be a problem but if you insist on giving them, there are a few safer practices that can help make them less risky.
- Wash your hands after handling
- Buy American made and sourced chews and read the label
- Watch to see if they gobble them down – stop if yes
- If you see a bit of the chew about to break off, remove it before they swallow it
- If you have more than one dog, give it to each in isolation. Having another dog in sight may encourage them to gobble it up.
- When they get down to a piece small enough to swallow, take it away.
Alternatives to Rawhide Chews
Alternatives to rawhides are manufactured chews that typically don’t last as long as a rawhide but are generally MUCH safer with more good stuff in them and our Goldens love them. Again, read the label but our research makes us feel these are good alternatives to rawhide. There are others of course but here are a few suggestions.
- Bully Sticks
- Himalayan Dog Chews (often referred to as “Yak Sticks”)
- Deer Antlers – note that deer shed their antlers every spring and grow new ones in the fall. these antlers are not harvested from the deer’s head. We gather them every year here on our property and the dogs LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them.. Just be careful walking around them barefoot. 😉Deer Antlers
- Nylabones
- Kong Toys – just put some kibble or peanut butter inside and they will go after them with gusto
- Mammoth Bones – our all-time favorite.
It is actually a cow femur and is huge (too big for a smaller dog), solid and long lasting! We cut one in half with a circular saw so that it would be small enough for a 6 month old Golden to pick up. We still have that same pair of mostly intact bone halves 2 years later and they chew on them constantly. We got ours at the local feed store but Google it – they are all over Amazon.
Edit 8/7/2020
Special warning about Bullibones
Bullibones are advertised as a nearly indestructible and “Ingestible” chew toy that is safer than rawhide. In 4 words: that-is-a-lie. My brother has a lovely, friendly American Bulldog (Ares) that nearly died from chewing one of them to pieces and swallowing it. It nearly cost Ares his life.
He only survived after a $5,000 emergency surgery to remove the bone from his intestines. According to my brother, the manufacturer was VERY friendly until they heard the problem at which time, they stopped responding to any form of repeated attempts to contact them. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you NEVER give one of these deadly, falsely advertised bones to your precious Golden Retriever.
Summary
Rawhide chews will be an absolute favorite chew for your Golden Retriever but you should do your own research as to what’s in them, where they are made, sourced and the dangers involved before giving them that treat. They depend solely on YOU to know what’s best for them. You may in fact never have a problem (that you can see) after giving rawhides to your precious Golden Retriever for life but there is some risk. There are many safer alternatives that the pups will love so shop around, research and make your fur-baby safely happy!
About the Authors
Bryan and Terri Curry love all dogs in general, especially Golden Retrievers. They have had dogs for all but 6 months of their long lives and all have lived happy and much longer than average. Bryan and Terri are co-owners of Texas TLC Goldens; a small responsible breeder producing high quality Golden Retriever puppies.
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