For many people, their dogs are a part of the family, and keeping them healthy and happy is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. Finding safe dog chews for your adult and senior pets, as well as for weaned puppies and juvenile dogs, is a priority.
To determine if a dog chew is safe, there are few essential categories to review. This information should be easy to find online, allowing you to know the brand and type of safe dog chews you want to buy before shopping online or going to the pet food store.
Ingredients
Safe chews for dogs are made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. These ingredients include real chicken, milk and peanut butter as well as baked pork skin. They also have nutrients, vitamins and minerals added.
Safe chews do not contain any rawhide. Always make sure they are 100% rawhide free for safe digestion and to reduce the choking risk.
Size
Some companies only make one or two sizes and shapes of dog chews. These are typically sized for small to medium dogs and can create a choking risk for larger or giant breeds.
Along with size, the shape of safe dog chews should be considered. They do not have various thicknesses and shapes that present a weak point where the chew can split and break.
Manufacturing Protocols
A lot of the dog chews, particularly those made of rawhide, are manufactured outside of the USA in unregulated facilities. This has led to massive recalls in the past due to chemicals in the chews that made dogs very ill.
Look for companies using production facilities with GFSI certification. These Global Food Safety Initiative facilities use protocols for handling, processing, packaging, and tracking that meet human food production standards. This standard allows you to feel confident in the quality of the dog chews you are giving your pet.
