Are Pig Ears dangerous to our furry friends?  

Well, any type of chew toy can be dangerous. Some dogs will not chew them up properly and swallow too big of a piece which they can choke on or have it lodge in their stomach. I give my dog a rawhide chip every night, and he loves them and gobbles them up. But we are always there while he is eating it and make sure he is chewing it up properly. I think the danger really depends on the dogs eating habits.

A chihuahua I had loved pigs ears. I had never heard of them until my dad brought them home for my dog. I was convinced they were too big, but he managed. But he never had one near him unless I or someone else was in the house nearby.

Pigs ears have been associated with the Salmonella bacteria which can make humans ill with nausea and diarrhea but is rarely fatal. It is really more dangerous for at risk groups such as small children, babies, pregnant women and immunocompromised people. Healthy people will generally get over it depending on the ingested dose. But still there are exceptions so handle the product with care and wash your hands.

Now, as far as the dogs getting sick... I've been told the dogs digestive system is better able to handle bacterial infections than ours. Before I rescued my dogs they were living out of garbage cans eating lord knows what. I would probably feed my dogs the ears but absolutely not puppies. Besides, salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria occur naturally in the intestines of humans and animals. Many Dogs eat feces with impunity.
There's a lot more to say about it but I'll shut-up and feed my healthy adult dog an ear.

related resource: adult living

Have they been treated to pig's ears since they were young?

We always started our puppies quite young with the chewies, so they got used to them and they were a fun treat that they already knew how to chew.

If your dogs were started young, it should never be a problem. You should always supervise your dogs with edible chew toys anyway, and if you notice them eating it like it's food and not dog candy, up their food quotient. :)

I heard that they are dangerous, somewhere on tv, but the stores still sell them. I think that pig ears are gross. I don't think I could buy them, just thinking that these use to belong to a pig. Poor thing!

I really think it depends on the pet and how well they chew their stuff and what they do with it. Our vet has never told us that they're bad for the dog but he doesn't like rawhide chews as they tend to choke the dogs. Pigs ears tend to get softer and while I have heard they have been known to carry varies food borne diseases (salmonella, etc.) these don't effect dogs like they do humans.

My personal opinion is that if the dog has had them often before and not shown problems, I would guess they're safe.

I do know that our vet said to NOT ever purchase the ones made in Brazil, etc. as they are not forced to keep these items chemical free and don't follow the same jurisdictions as the US made ones.