Pigs ears....your opinions please

[GsdDiamond]

We got a bag of 2 pigs ears from a friend, whos dog doesn't like them. We gave one to Diamond last night, and I thought she was gonna leave a puddle of drool, she was so excited to get it.
She ate "most" of it before I took it away. She's got a pretty big mouth and had most of the ear gone. She then popped the rest in her mouth and started chewing for all she was worth. I got scared she may choke on it and wrestled her for the last little bit. (boy...can they clench thier mouths shut when they want to)

Was I being over protective in taking it away? Do you even recommend them? Is there some reason I shouldn't give them as a special treat?

I appreciate any suggestions you may have.

[Princesss04]

I do not reccomend messing with a dogs food escipally while it is in there mouth. I guess a lot of it depends on the dog. Just my opinion I normally let Meat Loaf eat and than play with him after and if there is something I do not want him to eat that much of I will cut it in half and save the rest for later. Although if he has hos choice he wants all of it now and than more later!!!!

[SSAC]

Pigs ears (although delicious to most dogs) can carry salmonella and being a pork product, can be a huge contribution to Pancreatitis.

I'd say garbage them.

[GsdDiamond]

Originally Posted by Princesss04

I do not reccomend messing with a dogs food escipally while it is in there mouth. I guess a lot of it depends on the dog.

Oh, I'm definately the alpha in our bunch, so taking it out of her mouth wasn't a problem. She just clenched because she didn't want to give it up. It was a pretty good chunk left too....about a 1/3 of the ear.

[GsdDiamond]

Originally Posted by SSAC

Pigs ears (although delicious to most dogs) can carry salmonella and being a pork product, can be a huge contribution to Pancreatitis.

I'd say garbage them.

Thank you. I'll toss the other one out. She doesn't know about it, so it won't be a loss to her.

[SSAC]

you are more than welcome Just don't want your baby getting sick.

That said, I'm sure there are people out there that will say "I've fed my dog pig ears for years and BLAH BLAH BLAH" . To those people, I say why take the risk

[melanie]

quote 'That said, I'm sure there are people out there that will say "I've fed my dog pig ears for years and BLAH BLAH BLAH" . To those people, I say why take the risk'

well as a blah, blah person i need to put in my 20c worth . an opinion from the other side of the coin- can you name 10 ppl you actually know that have had a problem with such products? im sorry but i am yet to meet anyone who has had a dog choke, get a blockage, go crazy or start speaking spanish whilst eating a pigs ear, raw hide or similar.if these products were so dangerous there would be alot more horror stories out there. even my incredibly responsible, highly credible and angelic vet has these products for sale, he give them to his own pets, gosh he even gives them to his well behaed patients. i have an 8yo GSD who has eaten these products all her life and has never had a problem and neither have any of her friends.
if you think it looks dangerous then take it away, if the piece too small then take it away, you sound like you have a very big dog so all treats and snax need to match their size, i dont give small hard treats as that will really be risking choking, as my dog just woofs down food.
now cooked bones on the other hand, now there is a huge worry and an ever increasing trend in dog owners. i have heard of, met and read on this board many an owner who give cooked bones, or smoked bones, now that is a huge danger and i personally know many a person with a horror story on that one. just another angle for you to look at

[happydogs]

Are smoked bones considered cooked bones? Do they have a higher risk of splintering than raw unsmoked bones?

[MaryC]

My shih poo loves pigs ears, I'm always nearby when she has one, and never considered it might be a problem (until now) Seriously I don't think they would cause a problem anymore than any other chew treat. I buy the smallest ones available, and just let her go at it until she's finished it (about 10 minutes) You'll relax after a while, in the meantime, I'm proud of you that you're so caring. Maybe buy a smaller size.

[heidiho]

I am with you on the pig ears...

[Writing4Fun]

Choking and whatnot aside, pigs ears give my sister's dog the WORST GAS on the face of the planet. You do NOT want to be in the same room with him after he's had one! Pee-Eew!! My sis has actually stopped giving them to Mojo, not because of the health risks, but because of the room-clearing aftermath!!

[Goldenmom]

Yuck! Those things make me sick. The smell is awful, which in turn leaves their paws and breath terrible, which makes me sick!

There are so many other great things out there to give your dog than those. I won't give them to mine.

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[glasslass]

I don't know if the pigs-ear caused it or not, but over a year ago Den-Den had Hemmhoragic Gastroenteritis (HGE). We almost lost him. The day before, we had given him a pig's ear and he demolished it. We had given them to him before and were always careful to take it away when it got to a size he could choke on. It isn't known what causes HGE but we are very careful now. It's thought that a bacteria can be the cause, but where did it come from?

[SSAC]

Well I don't personally know 10 people . My dog would be one, she too had HGE, almost lost her, Her stomach is too sensitive for piggy ears . (Although she loved them).
I worked at a Veterinary Emergency Clinic for a few years, before day clinics and yes, I've seen more than 10 dogs with problems that were believed to be brought on by pigs ears.
Pancreatitis being a big one. It's not that's it's a pig ear, it's that it's a pork product. Pork is horrible for a dogs system. Give a dog a pork product, then test its Lipase. Wow!

If your dog has never had a problem....great! But if you've never given a dog pig ears before.....why take the risk

I don't think my Abbi even remembers the pig ears, but I'm sure she remembers almost dying. I sure do

[SSAC]

Completely agree with not giving bones, cooked or smoked.

[Cactus Flower]

I didn't think dogs could get salmonella....I've read in "Raw Food Diet" threads that it shouldn't be a worry. Now I'm confused.
While we are on the topic of what not to feed, I've also come across vague references to onions and dogs.......what's the deal there? Why shouldn't they have onions? Curious.
I don't give Raj or Chloe pigs ears. Not because I worry about it affecting their health...just because they kind of oog me out. A pig's ear.
I hear what Melanie is saying. I used to give my dogs things that would likely make your throats sore yelling at me LOL. Rawhide, pork bones, chicken bones......anything they wanted, as they were good chewers and didn't wolf things down. I never had a problem. Never. BUT I don't doubt that problems have occured in other dogs. I've given up all of that since getting Raj and coming to this forum, reading real-life accounts of the consequences. Now I just thank God that nothing bad happened. We were very lucky.
I hear that every year after Easter, more dogs die from pancreatitis than any other time of year, due to people feeding their dogs leftover ham. I'm told that it is mostly small breeds (poodles, etc), and that the larger breeds don't have as much trouble. Still, I now avoid giving pork to either of my dogs. Better safe than sorry, indeed.

[OnlyInMyDreams]

Ive given my dog pig ears for a while and he loves them, never has a problem. He is such a picky eater, weve tried buying every type of snack out there and he only perfers a couple. He hates the expensive stuff (lucky us) but we tried that too. Pig ears are the one thing he goes bonkers over. Ill still be giving them to him, they dont give him gas or make his breath smell, and he takes his time while eating them.

[SSAC]

CF -didn't mean to make everything confusing, sorry I 've done some research on Salmonella, Here are some excerpt's from the "Merck Veterinary Annual".....

Salmonellosis -salmonella spp There are 2000 serotypes in the world, 200 found in the USA. Distribution is worldwide and common. the principle animals involved are Poultry, swine, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, reptiles, amphibians, crustaceans and man. Probable means of spread -Foodbourne Infection, occupational and recreational exposure.

salmonellosis occurs Infrequently in dogs and cats and is characterized by acute diarrhea, with or without septicemia, poor appetite. The usual route of infection is oral. Causing enteritis once the organism multiplies in the Intestine.

Many cats and dogs are asymptomatic carriers of salmonellae. Clinical disease is uncommon, but when occurs, requires hospitalization.

In pigs, a dark red to purple discolouration of the skin is common, especially at the ears.

Contaminated feed is usually the source of infection. Ensuring that feed supplies are free from salmonellae depends on the integrity of the feed source.

Sorry if it's long winded. What I get from it is that it is uncommon for dogs to get salmonellae and the majority wont. But some may

Hope that helps sorry if i made anything worse

[Cactus Flower]

SSAC- Thank you for clearing that up for me! It was very thoughtful of you to paste all of that information here. It wasn't really you who confused me. To be honest I've become increasingly confused on the subject just while browsing threads in general. Some would say don't worry about salmonella, then another thread where a dog is sick would say "it could be salmonella"...
You seem to very astute- do you have an opinion about Greenies? (Feel free to pm if you feel it would be hijacking). I've heard people say that they are wonderful, but on another thread people warned that their dogs vomited a lot after eating them, etc.

[Spoiled]

No pigs ears! No raw hide! Better to be safe than sorry, even if it means you dog doesn't get to chew on anything.

My opinion on Greenies: A few months ago I gave Bentley a Greenie and he ate half of it. He then proceded to promptly throw up. We had just given him a bath before, so I thought that the bath and Greenie were just too much for him. A while later I gave him one to chew while he was on my bed. He ate about half and then threw up. So I don't give him any, but his friend who has a really sensitive stomach and who can't eat the tinyest sliver of meat loves Greenies and can eat them with no problem. It really depends on your dog's stomach.

[Terrie]

dang !!! Must be a dog thing, my dog loves pig ears too, only problem is... his stomach is so sensitive to foreign food that he poops through the eye of a needle... I ususally call him princess because his tummy is so delicate.

I heard that they are high in protein, personally I'll stick to the ribs and bacon for myself, but Kuma is now earless

[goldenblaze]

Pigs ears I don't give but I do give soup bones
The boys love them and I believe they need something to chew. Has anyone even gave their dog a Cows Hoof? They do smell but again they love them.

[Spoiled]

Raw bones are fun and safe if they are supervised. Kongs, Gum-gum bones (not for a heavy chewer), and toys that are made out of gum rubber are good for chewers. Greenies and fresh breath bones are good for chewing on, and so are homemade dog treats that are hard.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by SSAC

you are more than welcome Just don't want your baby getting sick.

That said, I'm sure there are people out there that will say "I've fed my dog pig ears for years and BLAH BLAH BLAH" . To those people, I say why take the risk

I think lifes a risk and try as we might to totally eliminate all risk we will never totally iradicate risk , minimalise yes but get rid of totally no! That said I am one of your BLAH BLAH BLAHS, yes I do feed them occasionaly to my GSD who typically as a member of the breed has a selective digestive system, And yes I have never had any problem with her eating these. She loves them. She dosen't get them every day just every now and then. I respect your opinion as a careing owner but I can't agree with you to say bin them totally!Also as a choking hazard, there are lots of things in life dogs can choke on by picking up with out you knowing (more risk) If you are not confident that your dog will be safe chewing or eating treats then don't feed it to them.

[Spoiled]

I think lifes a risk and try as we might to totally eliminate all risk we will never totally iradicate risk , minimalise yes but get rid of totally no!

Exactly! We can minimalise risk, but can't take it away. That is the reason why we shouldn't feed pigs ears, rawhide, etc. We are minimalising the risk if we don't feed these things. While a dog picking up stuff he can choke on is dangerous, at least we shouldn't feed him stuff that we know he can choke on.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by Spoiled

Exactly! We can minimalise risk, but can't take it away. That is the reason why we shouldn't feed pigs ears, rawhide, etc. We are minimalising the risk if we don't feed these things. While a dog picking up stuff he can choke on is dangerous, at least we shouldn't feed him stuff that we know he can choke on.

You missed my point ! Not all will choke on them.Its a case of horses for courses.While we all love and cherish our pooches we cant cover all the bases.I live in countryside my dog drinks from streams occasionally,She has never yet been ill afterwards and I hope never will,Do you think then that every time she attempts to do this I should stop her ?Just in case theres pesticide or traces of something in there that I did not detect.If your dog is the sort to scoff its food down quickly then be carefull yes! However mine dosent and she dosent choke on them,So why should I bin them ?and she has been getting them on and off for a few years now.

[shan]

I noticed in an earlier reply someone asked about opinions on Cow Hooves? I would like to know everyones opininon on this as I just bought Annie one on Saturday (She has had one before, a "natural" one from our farm when the cows had their feet trimmed). She didnt have any trouble with that one, so when I saw them in the petstore I thought I was being nice and getting her a treat she loved...now I am not so sure! Let me know what you think....

[mastifflover]

I have been giving my dogs pigs ears for years and years and never have had a problem with them I have more problem with rawhide, since it doesn't break down as quickly. I think it is a matter of what works for your dog. If your dog is one who swallows things without chewing them then no don't give them.

[SSAC]

I do agree with with Mastifflover, "it's a matter of what works for your dog".

However, I still say that if your dog has never had them, why start?
You don't know that they're a problem unless you give them; and believe me, if your dog gets HGE from one, you'll regret it.

Ce cera

P.S.....CF still looking for solid info on greenies. I haven't forgot

[Cactus Flower]

Thanks, SSAC. I think the Greenie-related puking stories are enough to assure I won't be buying them. Raj has a VERY sensitive stomach and will vomit at the slightest upset.
I just wanted your opinion about them. If you don't have any personal experience with Greenies, that's ok. No need to research on my behalf, unless you're doing it to form your own opinion- in which case I'd love to hear it.