Beef cheek turns white after cleaning, though. Granted, looking into the cleaning process to make sure no dangerous chemicals were used to clean the product is something I recommend with every chew before buying.
It is important to look for transparency when buying any kind of chew from any company. Redbarn, for example, is a company that provides Beef Cheek Rolls without bleaching, and their product specifically lists “Beef Cheek” as the first ingredient. It is also important to make sure that there is no “hide” listed in the ingredient list.
Secondly, the AAFCO is very strict about what is allowed to be labeled as “natural.” If a pet company has an all-natural product and wishes to display āALL NATURALā on their label, then, by AAFCO standards every single ingredient must be natural.
There are definitely bad companies out there who take advantage of the super small details that allow them to deceive consumers, but writing off an entire chew as bad because of unethical companies is also not the solution to that problem.
Making sure that the chews do not have any indigestible ingredients is an important step in the process of finding a reputable product from a reputable company. Second, looking into their process. How do they clean their products? Do they use any bleaches or harsh chemicals to clean or dye their products? How processed are their products? Is it like Rawhide, where leather makers wanted to make money off of product they would otherwise have to throw away? Is the main purpose of that company to create safe and healthy dog chews, is it a secondary goal, or a front to make more money? A huge part of the reason Rawhide is so bad for our dogs is because the skin is turned into something that our dogs’ digestive system isn’t capable of recognizing and digesting due to the intense processing it undergoes to become leather. Rawhide is treated with the same process our leather is up until tanning, so all of the chemicals that go into leather go into rawhide as well. Skin can absolutely be dangerous for dogs, but it usually has less to do with the actual skin and more to do with how the skin was processed before getting into a dog’s digestive system. At the end of the day, I have yet to encounter a chew that doesn’t pose a choking hazard. Evaluating the dog and making sure that they are healthy chewers is incredibly important, as well as constant supervision.
Another important understanding to have about rawhide specifically is that it shrinks to about half its size when it is dried. So, if your dog takes evem small chunks off of a rawhide chew, it will double in size while it is in your pet’s stomach. While this kind of concept is similar to a lot of different chews made for dogs, the biggest issue is the lack of digestibility. When you pair a chew that doubles in size when it sits in your dogs stomach with the lack of ability to digest said chew, you are leaving your dog with a blockage. While Beefcheek Rolls will expand in your dogs stomach, if bought from the right comapny with completely digestible ingredients and no harsh chemicals, your dog will be able to break it down before it starts to move towards the back end of your dog.
While our research into products and companies shouldn’t have to be as indepth as it is, we live in an industrial economy that does not value our lives or health, and that unfortunately applies to our pets and children as well. Using the resources we have to find the companies who care enough to do it right is very important, and unfortunately that also includes using the research to avoid companies who take advantage of the unawareness of pet parents simply trying to enrich their dogs. That being said, while due diligence is absolutely necessary, faulting pet owners for being in dark is not something I will ever support. Holding these companies liable and supporting our fellow pet owners should always be on the top of the priority list. We are stronger together than we are divided, and where we, as a community, put our dollar can be a very powerful and heavy weapon.
