Life's Abundance Pork hide Bones are gourmet chew treats made with 100% natural pork skin and have a lasting, mouth-watering flavor your dog will love! These yummy treats are naturally high in protein, low in fat and are highly digestible, available in 3 sizes; small, medium & large ~ one for every dog.

The shape of the bone fits inside the mouth for maximum contact, which helps promote healthy teeth and gums. And they are safe for dogs of all ages. Your dog will love these safe, healthy and delicious treats!

Pork hide Bones are the safe and healthy alternative to Greenies and Rawhide treats and chews. Rawhides are cured with harsh chemicals (like ash-lye solutions and bleach) and are known to cause choking, throat irritations and intestinal blockages. Why risk the safety of your precious pup on an inferior product, when there’s a better option?

As a dog trainer, with studies also in nutrition, I have wondered for years how Greenies remained on the store shelves, and how many more unsuspecting pet owners might have their innocent dogs harmed or even die from these products. In talking with a Nutro rep not too long ago, it was disheartening to listen to her complete acceptance and defense of this product that has offered no true benefit, yet introduces the potential for great harm.

Greenies main ingredient is Wheat Gluten. Dogs being omnivores, and Cats,true carnivores, are designed to eat meat, they have little tolerance for wheat, which is a known allergen to both canine & feline species. Wheat is a cheap filler. Wheat gluten is known to swell in moisture (the throat, esophogas, stomach, and intestines) which may cause life threatening blockages..

Greenies brand dog chews does make another product called Lil’ Bits, treats for "pocket pets". They are made out of the same ingredients as the Greenie dog bones (toothbrushes) but are small bite-sized pieces. The manufacturer says they are recommended for puppies less than 6 months old, toy breeds, dogs weighing less than 10 pounds, dogs who have difficulty chewing or dogs known to "gulp" food or treats. While this may solve the problem of large size pieces getting stuck in the dog’s throat or intestines it does not address the problem of being hard to break down and indigestible or the fact that the processed wheat gluten and powdered cellulose are not native to a carnivore’s diet and can swell up inside the esophagus, stomach and intestines.

Another product by the same manufacturer is Feline Greenies. These are little fish-shaped pieces smaller than a dime. The ingredients list chicken meal, ground rice, ground wheat and corn gluten meal. There is NO nutritional reason for these 2 ingredients, as wheat and corn, two indigestible and unnecessary grains for omnivores (dogs) and obligate carnivores (cats). 

It's as simple as: "cheap fillers create higer corporate profits, at the expense of your pets health and saftey.

You may have noticed you can no longer find those trendy green dental bones at your local grocery store, feed store, or large corporate chain stores.

Now finally, NUTRO Products, Inc. says it is pulling its Greenies line of pet dental chews from supermarkets and other mass markets. Beginning in June, the Greenies -- which have been blamed for illness and deaths in some dogs and cats -- will be distributed only through veterinary hospitals and pet specialty retailers.

It's the latest attempt to resolve highly-publicized incidents of pet deaths attributed to the popular treats. Pet owners said the treats failed to be properly digested and led to fatal intestinal obstructions.

This is a voluntary move on the part of the manufacturer. The company has pulled their product from the shelves of supermarket and mass merchandise-type stores, but will continue to supply pet stores and veterinary offices.

“We believe that pet medical professionals at veterinary hospitals and well-trained, knowledgeable staff at pet specialty stores are best equipped to answer pet owners’ questions about our products and to make the right recommendation,” said Carolyn Hanigan, vice president of marketing for Nashville, Tenn.-based NUTRO.

It seems NUTRO is saying their green dental chews should only be sold to pet owners who have received training in how to use them.

A dental bone that comes with expert instruction? Why? 

NUTRO has been trying to fix problems with their product for years -- first in 2006 by clarifying package instructions, followed in 2007 by a reformulation which was supposed to make the chews easier to digest, particularly for dogs.

And now in 2009, they have decided to sell Greenies only through veterinary clinics and specialty retail outlets where instructions will (hopefully) be handed out to pet owners.

Investigation Exposes Pet Injuries and Deaths from Green Dental Chews

In 2006, the Cable News Network (CNN) investigated consumer complaints about the product and uncovered 40 cases over a three year period in which veterinarians extracted Greenies from dogs.

In all 40 cases, the chews had become lodged in either the esophagus or the intestine. Tragically, 13 of those dogs could not be saved.   

RAWHIDE

Most every pet product store has them. Some rawhide bones are packaged, and others unwrapped in open bins. There is no guarantee where these rawhide treats are made and there are no clear, enforced standards of what is used in making these rawhide chews. Salmonella bacteria, for example, can be found in some of these rawhide products. Since there are no standards in production, there are times when arsenic is used as a preservative. Dangerous unmonitored antibiotics may also be used in rawhide. If you give your dog rawhide, you may be giving your pet a small amount of poison. What might be the result of an accumulated amount of arsenic, ingested over months and years?

Ask your veterinarian (or your Veterinary Emergency Hospital how frequently they treat dogs for choking, intestinal blockage, diarrhea and other problems, as a direct result of contact with rawhide? Ask your veterinarian to list some of the dangers of offering this treat to your dog.

Rawhide is available in a wide array of colors and shapes, from bleached, to added carcenegous artificial coloring and many other harmful chemicals and shapes. These shapes may appear "cute" to the human eye, however you should keep in mind the safety of your pet, with knowledge that your pet doesn't care if it is shaped like a shoe, lollipop, or anything else. He simply wants to chew on something, and trusts you to provide what is safe and healthy for him.

A lurking danger to your pets

From Raw Hides to Rawhide Treats                                 

By Dusti Summerbird-Lockey                                             

I am an Oglala Lakota artist and craftsperson. I have been doing Traditional work such as making rawhide, tanning leather, beadwork and quillwork for over 30 years.  It is because of my knowledge of making rawhide and my deep love for all four legged creatures, most especially my Great Danes, I felt compelled to write this article for you. Hopefully it will help save lives.

We see them in all the pet stores, the grocers, the feed stores. Everywhere. So we assume they are safe for our pets. They must be, they are sold everywhere. Right?

Think again.

Rawhide treats are a danger to your pets, and to your children if swallowed.

Rawhide is just exactly what it says, a raw dried out animal hide. This includes not only the rawhide bones & chews but also pig ears, pig snouts, bull tails, cow ears, lamb ears, choo-hooves, etc.  The vast majority of rawhide pet treats are not made in the United States. But even those marked “Made in the U.S.” are a hazard.

A piece of rawhide purchased as a treat for your pet is a hide, usually bull, cow or horse obtained from slaughter houses, that has been scraped clean of all vestiges of meat, fat and hair. Rawhide, however, can be made from just about any animal. For Native Americans and early Europeans, it was the sheet metal, nails and binding material of the day.  Rawhide was used to repair items such as horse gear and broken gunstocks. It was used in cabin construction as door hinges, windows and truss bindings and Mandan Indians used rawhide in the construction of their boats. As you can see, rawhide is a very strong, durable, heavy-duty item that does not easily break down

Still want to give it to your pets?

 How is it made? Rawhide is made for commercial use from bull, cow and horsehides obtained from slaughterhouses as a by-product of the meat industry.  The flesh side is scraped clean of all remaining meat, membrane, fat, etc. Traditionally this is done by hand, using a drawknife and scraper. Modern day tanneries use a form of a band saw to speed the process up and make a nice clean piece of leather. Commercial manufacturers of rawhide products have machinery to do this.  Once the flesh side is cleaned, the hair must be removed. There are two traditional ways of doing this. One is to “dry scrape” by hand. This is extremely time consuming, not to mention the amount of good ol’ fashioned elbow grease! Commercial makers of rawhide do not use this method.

The other method is to soak the fleshed hide in either an Ash-Lye solution or a Lime solution. The Ash-Lye involves covering or soaking the hide in a mixture of wood ash and water, which creates Lye. The hide soaks for approximately. 3 days in the Lye solution, then as much of the hair as possible is scraped off. The process is repeated until all hair is removed. 

The Lime solution is the quickest and most often utilized by manufacturers. This utilizes ordinary builders powdered (hydrated) Lime. The hide soaks for 1-3 days and the hair is scraped off. This process is highly caustic but the most efficient for mass production.

To remove all traces of the Lime solution and to sanitize the rawhide product, commercial makers then rinse the hides in a bleach solution before creating whatever shape is to be used (most everyone knows how toxic bleach is). The bone and other shapes used to attract you and your pet are created while the hide is still wet.  The “treats” are then either dried or sent for “smoking” to further entice the unsuspecting owner and pet. A processed rawhide can shrink up to half its original size when dried.

If the chemicals used to make these “treats” haven’t convinced you to stop, please consider this:

When rawhide is again wetted, usually when your pet salivates over this chew you have provided, it will slowly regain its original size. When your pet tears off and swallows a piece, that piece then has the potential to swell inside your dog’s stomach. Your dog’s gastric juices WILL NOT break down the rawhide. Once swollen, the piece then has the potential to cause anything from mild to severe gastric upset, to death.

Been giving rawhide treats for years with no problems?

My friend, you have been extremely lucky. But your luck WILL run out one day.

Are you certain that you want to gamble with your beloved friend’s life?                                            

Don’t believe me?

Take the rawhide challenge. Cut varying sizes from different rawhide products and set them in a bowl of water to soak before going to bed. In the morning you will see the sizes that they have grown to. They will vary, but the increase should be noticeable.

What should you give as a chew treat?

Picking the Right Dental Bone for Your Dog Isn’t as Easy as You Might Think

A high-quality Holistic Veterinarian formulated  dental chew like Dr. Jane Bicks' Pork Hide Bones for Dogs, along with Life's Abundance Premium health food, Daily Whole Food Natural Supplements, regular brushing of teeth and a professional cleaning by your veterinarian as needed, will insure the long-term health of your pet’s teeth and gums.

Everything you offer to your pet, including bones and treats, are just as important as the food you feed to them. Please check all ingredient labels.

Check here for our Pork Hide label ingredients (100% pure, no additives). No China imports ~ Ever! It's simple, it's healthy, and dog's love the taste, while the shape helps to keep teeth and gums clean, as your puppy/dog naturally chews.

 No Bones About It: Real Bones are Unsafe for Your Dog

Quoted from: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The idea that it’s natural for dogs to chew on real bones is a popular one. However, it’s a dangerous practice and can cause serious injury to your pet.

“Some people think it’s safe to give dogs large bones, like those from a ham or a roast,” says Carmela Stamper, D.V.M., a veterinarian in the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the Food and Drug Administration. “Bones are unsafe no matter what their size. Giving your dog a bone may make your pet a candidate for a trip to your veterinarian’s office later, possible emergency surgery, or even death.”

“Make sure you throw out bones from your own meals in a way that your dog can’t get to them,” adds Stamper, who suggests taking the trash out right away or putting the bones up high and out of your dog’s reach until you have a chance to dispose of them. “And pay attention to where your dog’s nose is when you walk him around the neighborhood—steer him away from any objects lying in the grass.”

Here are 10 reasons why it’s a bad idea to give your dog a bone:

1. Broken teeth. This may call for expensive veterinary dentistry.
2. Mouth or tongue injuries. These can be very bloody and messy and may require a trip to see your veterinarian.
3. Bone gets looped around your dog’s lower jaw. This can be frightening or painful for your dog and potentially costly to you, as it usually means a trip to see your veterinarian.
4. Bone gets stuck in esophagus, the tube that food travels through to reach the stomach. Your dog may gag, trying to bring the bone back up, and will need to see your veterinarian.
5. Bone gets stuck in windpipe. This may happen if your dog accidentally inhales a small enough piece of bone. This is an emergency because your dog will have trouble breathing. Get your pet to your veterinarian immediately!
6. Bone gets stuck in stomach. It went down just fine, but the bone may be too big to pass out of the stomach and into the intestines. Depending on the bone’s size, your dog may need surgery or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, a procedure in which your veterinarian uses a long tube with a built-in camera and grabbing tools to try to remove the stuck bone from the stomach.
7. Bone gets stuck in intestines and causes a blockage. It may be time for surgery.
8. Constipation due to bone fragments. Your dog may have a hard time passing the bone fragments because they’re very sharp and they scrape the inside of the large intestine or rectum as they move along. This causes severe pain and may require a visit to your veterinarian.
9. Severe bleeding from the rectum. This is very messy and can be dangerous. It’s time for a trip to see your veterinarian.
10. Peritonitis. This nasty, difficult-to-treat bacterial infection of the abdomen is caused when bone fragments poke holes in your dog’s stomach or intestines. Your dog needs an emergency visit to your veterinarian because peritonitis can kill your dog.

“Talk with your veterinarian about alternatives to giving bones to your dog,” says Stamper. “There are many bone-like products made with materials that are safe for dogs to chew on.”

“Always supervise your dog with any chew product, especially one your dog hasn’t had before,” adds Stamper. “And always, if your dog ‘just isn’t acting right,’ call your veterinarian right away!”

This article appears on FDA's Consumer Updates page⁴, which features the latest on all FDA-regulated products.

Date Posted: April 20, 2010

Our favorite chew for dogs, formulated by Dr. Jane Bicks DVM; are HelathyPetNet's Porkhide Bones, as they are designed to fit the dogs mouth for satisfaction and chewing effectiveness, and are 100% natural pure pork hide. Dr. Jane's Prokhide bones are known for:

• No Chemicals
• No Additives
• 100% pure pork
• Digestible
  

Pork Hide Bone Treats, the safe alternative to chemically treated non digestible rawhide, Greenies, and real bones.

Because we treat pets like family!

Ask the Vet ~ Dr. Jane Bicks. You may join in on a live conference call with Dr. Jane Bicks every other Wednesday evening at 8:30pm Eastern time. Dr. Bicks is the formulator of Life's Abundance natural pet food and products. She invites all of your questions.
The number to call is (218) 844-0860, pass code is 626116#
at 8:30pm Eastern time