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Can my 8-month-old puppy chew rawhide safely? Are there risks?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 8 months and 19 days old | 10 lbs

We just our new puppy (8 months old) Daisy yesterday, and she found one of our older dogs rawhides. Is it ok to let her chew on it? She really seems to like it.

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1 Answer

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Answered By Amber W

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on December 3rd, 2017

Daisy is super cute! The decision to give a dog rawhide is always a tricky one. Some dogs never have any problems with rawhide while others get bad stomach upset from them. Some dogs can even swallow a piece that's too big and end up with an intestinal obstruction. Intestinal obstructions are serious and require surgery to correct. I'd monitor Daisy to make sure she doesn't bite off a large piece of rawhide and swallow it as this would make her prone to intestinal obstruction. Remove the rawhide when it gets small as she may swallow it. I'd also watch to make sure she doesn't develop any vomiting or diarrhea. If you see this she should be examined by a veterinarian and rawhide should no longer be given If you want to err on the side of caution then I wouldn't give Daisy rawhide in the future. A Kong or another type of safe chew toy may be a better option for her. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck with Daisy!

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