Opinions on pig ears?

[pitc9]

Hi, this is the first time I have EVER been in a talk group. My darling little dog died yesterday, and I need someone to talk to. She was playing with out neighbors dog, and all of a sudden, she backed up, yelped real loud, and fell over. when I got to her, she took a last breath and then died. I have cried constantly for 24 hours and dont think I can cry anymore. she was four years old, no health problems that I know of, but the vet, when I took her in to have her cremated, said it sounded like an embolism??? Never heard of this, does anyone else know of this?? thanks for letting me vent. Jan

Jan - I am so sorry for your painfull loss, all of us here at PetTalk love our pups more than life itself so we understand how painfull it is when we loose a pet. Especially when it's so unexpected and as quickly as you lost yours.
Please take comfort in knowing that your sweet pup is running free at the Rainbow Bridge with all of the other loved pets that have pasted before yours.

[lyonmild]

Thanks for the support, My Min Pin is a little better today, fever is down and she is off the IV, still not eating or drinking yet. I went and held her for about an hour this morning and she fell right asleep. I am so mad at myself. I should have known better with my education. Just wanted to make my pup happy by giving her something tasty and tough to chew on.. a pig ear.

Jan, I hope you remember all of the happy times with your pup. You gave her a wonderful life, remember that and smile through your tears girl.
Peace and love to all who are suffering with and for their animals.

[pitc9]

My Min Pin is a little better today, fever is down and she is off the IV, still not eating or drinking yet. I went and held her for about an hour this morning and she fell right asleep. I am so mad at myself.

Glad to hear she's doing better today!
What is her name?
Don't be mad at yourself! It was a freak thing that happened! Tons of people give their pets pig ears and nothing happenes to them! It's not your fault!

[finn's mom]

I don't claim to know any scientific reasons or real safety issues with pigs ears or rawhides. I just know that the pig's ears smell like crap. I walked around sniffing the carpet for almost an hour one day when I had a roommate with a young Siberian Husky. I could have sworn I smelled urine, but Nikolai was already nearly 100% potty trained. Turned out, it was the pig's ear he was eating outside! That was the last time I ever bought one! As for rawhides, I just think they're gross. They get wet when the dog chews on them, then they dry in the carpet, and blech. I wouldn't give them stuff like that inside anyway, but I did give a rawhide inside once and saw what it did, and again, I'll never get another one. Any treat or food or toy can be dangerous at some point, nothing is 100% safe, really. And I don't claim to know if pig's ears or rawhides are any more dangerous than anything else. My reasons for not giving them are just that they're nasty.

[Vela]

The main problem with pig ears and rawhides, if they get a chunk off, or try to swallow it before its small enough, they can get stuck in the throat or intestine and can't digest,which often leads to be breeding ground for bacteria that can make them really sick. No chew is 100% safe, but safer choices are raw meaty bones and/or bully sticks (100% digestible as it is muscle and not the skin [rawhide]). Even if they do end up getting a bigger piece down, it will digest and is less likely to get caught in the throat or intestines. ANY chew can be harmful, for myself personally there are some that just aren't worth the increased risks they may pose. I also don't feed greenies, but many do without incident, I just choose not to. I only give mine bully sticks or the inedible nylabones. I also watch for any signs of breakage or damage and remove them if needed.

[finn's mom]

inedible nylabones.

haha, that's funny. i wish finn and freckles realized that those are inedible!

[Vela]

haha, that's funny. i wish finn and freckles realized that those are inedible!

LOL I hear that. Some dogs just can't have things like that, they just chew too aggressively. I only used the nylabones when they were puppies anway, they chew through anything now haha. I gnerally just give the raw bones and bully sticks myself.