"Zoe"

 

DANGER WITH RAWHIDE BONES /ALSO YELLOW JACKETS/Bees

I would like to make the public aware that rawhide bones are/can be dangerous. Even fatal!

Yes, they can be good for exercise of the gums and helping a dogs teeth to stay cleaner, but rawhides (as told to me by my vet), do gum up the intestines and can also cause blockages, which can require expensive surgery!!!

My one year old Jack Russell , Zoe, is very lucky to not have needed surgery. She was really enjoying her rawhide bone, but after chewing it for several hours and breaking off little pieces, she started to act strange. Even her facial expressions were different.

Zoe laid around, soon began throwing up. She vomited every hour or so and it was a thick yellow liquid. This was on a Sunday so I watched her closely. She had some diarrhea and of course she also wouldn’t eat or drink.

The next day I called my vet (after Zoe vomiting half the night) and by morning she hadn’t gotten well. On calling the vets office I told them what all she had eaten etc, the day before. Then I was informed that rawhide bones are like feeding a dog a leather belt! They do not digest well if at all in some cases. Zoe may have a blockage and this was why she had been vomiting.

I had to work that day but the vet said if Zoe had not improved by the time I got off from work to bring her into his office. I prayed and when I got home, Zoe indeed was active again and drank water and ate her supper. No more vomiting! Yahoo!!

I called the Hartz pet products 1-800 number and all they did was to praise their product and to tell me that this was a ‘one in million chance of happening.’ They said dogs need supervision when playing with toys or eating. Well I do supervise my dogs, but the point is: Rawhide bones and other rawhide products do not digest and can damage a dog!.

I wonder how many dogs have gotten sick or died with causes unknown due actually to rawhides? I gave them to my dogs over the years for their pleasure and enjoyment as treats.

As I told Hartz, it is not worth the risk to me….. now that I am aware.
Rawhide bones/products need to have warning labels and I advised them of that.

Normally I would have acted on a thing like this sooner, but last year my Jack Russell 'Rufus' was attacked and killed by over 40 yellow jacket/bees!

I spent over $1,600.00 trying to save his life. He had plasma transfusions, oxygen etc., and they tried everything. Before he died he vomited up 20 bees. I do wonder to this day if pumping his stomach as soon as got to the vets could have saved him. They said the venom would have been distributed on first contact, I am not so sure that the dead bees weren't still toxic. No one knew that bees had went inside of him.

I hope if anybody else's dogs are stung like Rufus was that they will suggest/insist upon pumping the stomach. After he threw up he went into cardiac arrest and died. My Rufus hung on for 3 days. He was only one year old and weighed 11 pounds. They couldn't figure out why he still seemed so poisoned after all of their efforts.
That is why I waited to take my Zoe to the vet, $$$$$ money.....