While out shopping yesterday I thought I would pick up some of those dog toy gift packs so that I had a large select of toys for our Chihuahuas to open up on Christmas morning. I noticed that the majority of the packs had cheaply made toys mixed with a couple of high quality ones, and of course, the notorious rawhide chews. I am here to give you a warning – Don’t give your Chihuahuas rawhide, especially those made in China.

A dog of any size can have issues with the bacteria often associated with rawhide, but with such a tiny breed, the issues are generally many times worse. The digestive problems can be almost instant with vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and lack of appetite. If there is a blockage it is even scarier! Swallowed rawhide will expand like rice in water and from there, the symptoms begin.

Please don’t get me wrong, puppies and even adults need things to chew on! Good dental health requires it and for keeping one’s furniture intact, it’s a must! To keep those pearly whites, white, I recommend you check out the Kong toy aisle at your local pet supply store – They love the tire shaped ones and the dental sticks. These toys cannot be chewed into pieces – of ANY kind, and the dogs LOVE them. So when it comes to toys you wish to pick up as stocking stuffers, go the hard rubber route – and stay away from rawhide.

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