For example, the Exer-Hide brand that Wal Mart (and other places, I'm sure) sells has caused death, fevers, seizures, and other unpleasant things for dogs, and has for years. The claim is largely anecdotal, and "undetermined" on Snopes.com, but enough anecdotes from dog owners is enough for me.
Rawhide can also be treated with things like formaldehyde, harbor things like Salmonella, and is more or less undigestible to a dog. If your dog eats a lot of it or swallows big enough pieces, it can cause an intestinal blockage, which involves surgery to fix. If the surgery isn't done within a certain window of time, the affected tissue dies, and the dog will not survive.
So, now that I've done my bit of fear-mongering, here's the question: What should I give my dog to chew?
