On June 26, after a long day of play, we gave our French Bulldog, Moo Moo, a treat. We supervised her while she enjoyed it and drank water after she finished. Before we went to sleep, Moo Moo looked up to receive her usual head pet.

The next morning, Moo Moo was gone. She was only a year and a half old, but her treat had killed her. Our vet said that even if we’d caught it the second it happened, there was nothing we could have done.   The treat was rawhide and in Moo Moo’s case, it caused a fatal blockage.

We knew rawhide was dangerous, but we hadn't realized that “beefhide” is a form of rawhide and assumed it would be safe due to the lack of warnings on the packaging.

After overcoming the guilt that something we gave Moo Moo caused her death, we couldn’t help but ask the question -- Why are pet food manufacturers selling rawhide products when they’ve been proven, over and over, to be dangerous?

According to federal law, your family pet is no more than personal property; worth only what you paid -- It seems that many pet food manufacturers see pets that way too. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with ensuring that pet food and treats are properly labeled and safe. This is not happening. As per the FDA, “There is no requirement that pet foods have pre-market approval by the FDA”. How can they ensure something is safe if they don't check it?!?

It is time for the FDA to make its oversight more rigorous and take dangerous products off the market. It can start by setting specific testing, labeling, and regulations on rawhide.

Dogs like Moo Moo are not just objects, they are living members of our family. We should expect the same oversight of products we would get for ourselves. The FDA has the power to make this happen.

To learn more about the Dangers of Rawhide, do an internet search,  for "dangers of rawhide", "rawhide alternatives" and "highly digestible rawhide" or read some of the other horror stories such as THESE, THESE, THESE, THESE, or THESE.  The dangers of rawhide are widely known.

To pay your respects, 

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