Quote Originally Posted by Sophist
I've never used pig ears as snacks/chew toys for my dogs before. My husband just bought a couple to try. Just curious what everyone here had to say about them.
I agree with the Catlady post on the information posted about possible fat vs diet problems for diabetic, and for that matter dogs with past pancreatitis problems. They are probably loaded with salt which again could cause problems in some dogs with prior health problems. Healthy dogs with no prior problems should be ok if not given in excess. But for dogs with prior health problems you'd need to consult with your Vet.

As someone noted below if a dog ate a whole bag of pig's ears, or swallowed a lot of rawhide it might cause obstruction problems. But one pig ear? Probably not. I'm assuming the pig ear is not that large. My previous Golden/Lab mix would consume 1/2 of an 11" rawhide bone in a single night if I allowed her to- she could really work a rawhide bone over quickly, mostly the long stem part. Never had any problems when it occured. But I wouldn't want a toy breed dog try the same thing. My current two get raw hide chips every morning. They expect to receive them! The moment I head towards the bag, it's woo-woo-woo and bark time, followed by running up the stairs and waiting at the top of the staircase. It's either that or I later find a phone book shredded on the floor. The one knows how to get back at me.

Per rawhide I've always tried to look for American or domestic rawhide. I've seen mold and the like on S. American rawhide all too often.