All About Rawhide/ FAQ’s.

Rawhide is the inner layer of the hide of any hoofed animal. The tough outer layer is used for leather shoes, garments and upholstery, while the softer, inner layer is cut and formed into different shapes for dog chews. Rawhide is high in protein, low in fat, and has fewer calories per ounce than a typical dog biscuit. That means you can satisfy your pet with a healthy treat that won’t add to its weight.

U.S.A. Beefhide
U.S.A. beefhide is premium rawhide made from corn fed cows raised within the U.S. for human consumption. This beefhide is typically thicker, longer lasting and is treated naturally. Unlike most imported hides, U.S.A. beef hide is fresher and produced under highly controlled conditions giving you peace of mind when offering rawhide treats to your pet.

I buy rawhide at a chain discount store that says it’s “Made in America.” Is it?
Probably not. Unfortunately, because rawhide is classified by the U.S. government as a “pet toy” and not a consumable food item, there is little content regulation and little enforcement of “country of origin” labeling laws. It’s a wide spread practice in the industry to apply “Made in America” labels on packaging when it contains product made in Mexico (North AMERICA) or Brazil (South AMERICA)! Imported products may be perfectly safe for your dog, but if the companies that make and sell them aren’t honest about WHERE their products are made, how much can you trust HOW their products are made?

You can check to make sure the products you buy are certified to be made in the USA with USA materials. We use USA-Certified which audits our supply chain to make sure what we say is the truth. Please be aware that not all certification companies audit supply lines. To the best of our knowledge, USA-Certified is the only one.
Of course to be absolutely certain, you can
always buy Wholesome Hide!

It’s only natural for your dog to enjoy chewing rawhide. After all, for centuries, wild canines chewed on the hides of their hoofed prey. Not only does it just “feel right” to a dog, chewing hide provides cleaning action for teeth, exercise for gums, soothing for older dogs, and is a source of sport for puppies. It’s better for dogs’ teeth Rawhide bones, chips, rolls and twists help improve dental health by scraping away plaque, controlling tartar buildup, and maintaining gum health. These actions reduce the incidence of bad breath, keep teeth whiter, and prevent gum disease which, if left untreated, can seriously affect the health of your dog. Your dog’s teeth should be examined by a veterinarian once a year and cleaned as needed. Many veterinarians recommend daily brushing to prevent plaque buildup. You can use beef hide chews daily to supplement brushing.

It relaxes your pet. For older, less active dogs, rawhide bones and chews are among the best treats you can provide. It gives them a non-destructive outlet to release pent-up energy by letting them do what they love to do—chew.

Rawhide is one of the most natural things a dog can chew on. After all, canines have been chewing it for thousands of years! But not all rawhide is the same. Rawhide chews made in the U.S.A. with high quality U.S.A. beef hide are cleaner, thicker and more durable. That means your dog can spend more time “wetting it down” and tearing off smaller
pieces than with other rawhide treats. Dogs chewing thinner, chemically processed rawhide treats can break off larger pieces of dry rawhide which can occasionally cause problems if swallowed. Your pet should always be supervised when using any toy and rawhide chews should be removed and put away when your dog is finished with them

How often you allow your pet to enjoy its rawhide treat depends upon how aggressively it likes to chew. A good rule of thumb is to let your pet chew a rawhide toy an hour a day. If your dog enjoys chewing rawhide frequently, make sure it always has two or three rawhides to keep it busy. By providing your pet with a variety of chewing activities, you make the experience more interesting. If your dog is a less aggressive chewer, providing one or two rawhides may be enough. Be sure to remove any rawhide treats that are left unchewed for several days.

Provide fresh treats, or experiment with different varieties, in order to find a chew that your pet will love. A special note about puppies: Puppies chew a lot! And chew on just about everything. Chewing is a completely normal activity and is needed to help them cut their new teeth and develop strong jaws. It’s best not to punish puppies for chewing— they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing! A better approach is to take away the wrong object and give it something good to chew on. Rawhide treats are perfect. Make sure you always supervise your puppy’s rawhide chewing activities to make sure it doesn’t bite off more than it can chew. Puppies should not be given excessive amounts of rawhide as growing digestive systems may not be able to handle large quantities of rawhide.

In the U.S., fresh hides are transported to processing plants in refrigerated trucks. The hide is then cleaned by tumbling it in huge drums (like giant washing machines) using water, and in some cases, hydrogen peroxide, which serves to kill bacteria. It is then rinsed in water for a minimum of one hour. The hides are then cut and formed into many shapes and dried over several days in climate-controlled drying rooms. In less developed countries, with a scarcity of modern roads and refrigerated trucks, preservatives are often used to keep the skins intact while they are being transported from distant rural areas to processing plants. It is difficult to know what chemicals or processes may be used in treating these hides as reporting and inspection requirements vary greatly from country to country.