The Seemingly Safe Dog Treats That Vets Say Are Sending Pets To Emergency Surgery

Veterinarians interviewed describe routine emergency surgeries caused by popular dog chews marketed as safe: bully sticks, yak chews, antlers, smoked bones and rawhide. One vet says 26% of dogs suffer fractured teeth, mostly from chewing hard objects, and recounts a labradoodle that cracked two molars loudly enough for its owner to hear from across the room, at a repair cost over $2,000.

Breeders and owners recount specific scares, including a smoked bone that splintered into shards in a Doberman's mouth and a rawhide chunk that swelled inside a golden retriever's stomach and required emergency surgery. One vet notes rawhide is a leather industry byproduct treated with bleach and hydrogen peroxide, not the dried meat it resembles.

The simple rule offered by one veterinarian: do not give a dog anything harder than its own teeth.

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