My boss (head vet with 30+ years in practice) says pig ears are 'doggie junk food' full of salt, preservatives, and likely to cause obesety (which can lead to diabetes), and possible allergies to the ingredients. Imported pig ears can harbor somonella which is harmful to people and animals.

Here is what a pet nutritionist says about pig ears...

In most cases, pig ears are no problem for a dog; however, there is not one kind of "pig ears". The product is not considered a nutritional product or food if there is no nutritional statement made on the product. Therefore, it is not regulated like a food by AAFCO although clearly they are "consumed" by the dog.
Some contain a very high percentage of fat and should not be fed to overweight dogs or those intolerant of fat. If the dog swallows a piece too big, they have caused esophageal and small intestinal obstructions, and have to be retrieved by a veterinarian.

Pig ear products imported into the USA may and have carried in Salmonella, and kids have been become infected with the microbe after handling the pig ear product. So be forewarned ....


Here is information about her company and her credentials...

Founded in 1989 by Dr. Rebecca L. Remillard, Veterinary Nutritional Consultations, Inc., is an independent consulting business for professionals in the practice of veterinary medicine, for individual pet owners seeking advice, and for companies selling nutritional supplements and pet foods.

VNC makes independent nutritional evaluations and recommendations to companies on existing and potential products and also informs them of new scientific developments in veterinary nutrition. VNC receives no revenues from pet food or supplement sales


Dr. Remillard holds a B.S. and M.S. in animal science from Purdue University and the University of Maine, and in 1983 she received a Ph.D. in animal nutrition from Colorado State University. In 1987, she earned a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition in 1991. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Surgical Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1993. She has been the Clinical Nutritionist at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, a major metropolitan referral hospital serving more than 50,000 dog and cat cases annually, since 1993.

Dr. Remillard is founder and president of Veterinary Nutritional Consultations which has been incorporated in Massachusetts since 1993. There are fewer than sixty individuals in the world with the combined qualifications of a PhD in animal nutrition, a DVM, and Board Certification by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. Her interests primarily lie in the area of nutrient utilization as altered by disease processes. She continues to train veterinary students, interns, residents and provide continuing education to practitioner on the subject of canine and feline nutrition. In 2004, she was an invited guest speaker at seven veterinary schools in Japan.

She served on the Executive Board of the American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (www.aavn.org) between 1999 and 2005. Concurrently, she has served on the Executive Board of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (www.acvn.org) since 2000; culminating as chairperson until 2006. She is considered a legal expert in the field of clinical pet nutrition, has conducted numerous clinical studies at several universities in the actual use of nutritional pet products, and has authored more than 45 publications in the field of nutrition for veterinarians. She has co-edited two editions of a major nutrition textbook, Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, for veterinarians and veterinary students. Edition IV has been translated into five languages for worldwide distribution.

Dr. Remillard has extensive relationships with professionals in veterinary medicine. She speaks annually at national and international veterinary conferences on the topic of nutrition. She has been conversing regularly with veterinarians worldwide as a Nutritional Consultant on the Veterinary Information Network since 1997, and therefore has a wide network of resources and experiences in the practice of veterinary clinical nutrition.