Howbone Twist Braid Chicken Rawhide Dog Chews - 270g

Howbone Twist Braid Chicken Rawhide Dog Chews - 270g is a braided chicken-flavour chew. Howbone's own description lists rawhide as the base, which is what makes it last longer than the softer sticks in the range, and the pack carries a grain free and gluten free mark. Rawhide needs more care than a biscuit treat, so the notes below are worth reading before you buy.

Key Features

• Braided rawhide: plaiting the strands makes the chew hold together longer than a single stick.
• Longer occupation: the reason to choose this over a soft treat is time; it keeps a dog busy rather than disappearing in a bite.
• Chicken flavour: enough to get most dogs started on a chew they would otherwise ignore.
• Grain and gluten free: marked on the pack.
• Added calcium: Howbone lists calcium and a prebiotic (MOS) in the recipe.

Rawhide, And How To Give It Safely

• Rawhide softens and swells as a dog works at it. A piece that is bolted rather than chewed can choke a dog or lodge in the gut, and that is the main risk with any rawhide chew.
• Stay in the room. Take the chew away and throw the end out once it is small enough to swallow whole.
• Give it to one dog at a time. Two dogs competing over a chew will both swallow faster than they should.
• A heavy chewer that strips a braid apart in minutes is not a good match for rawhide. Pick a chew made to be ground down slowly instead.
• Retching, drooling, repeated swallowing, a dog that goes off its food or strains without passing anything are reasons to ring a vet the same day.

Good To Know

• Rawhide is not a dental treatment. The chewing helps, but it does not replace brushing or a vet's dental check.
• Treats are extra calories. Keep them to roughly a tenth of what your dog eats in a day and take the difference off the main meal.
• Introduce any new treat over a few days. A sudden change can give a dog loose stools even when nothing is wrong with the food.
• Keep the pack sealed and dry. Damp rawhide spoils.
• Puppies, old dogs with worn teeth and dogs that have had gut surgery are the ones to ask a vet about before offering rawhide at all.