I think we're all capable of making decisions regarding our dogs and our dog's welfare - my irritation is when I'm told that I 'should' or 'shouldn't' do certain things when I'm intelligent enough to do my own research and make considered decisions. I find it particularly patronising and rude.
I didn't say it to *you*. And all I was doing in that thread was expressing my opinion based on what my vet said to me, and she very definitely said that pups shouldn't have them and that it was debatable whether dogs over a year should have them either.
I've also read some horror stories on COL, so I do tend to be a bit zealous about it, especially since the same thing could easily have happened to one of my own dogs in the past.
Plenty of people just give their dogs rawhide chews that they see on the shelves of pet shops without thinking to question where they come from. I know, I used to be one of them myself. I had no idea of all of the possible dangers, or that they could include the skin of other animals if they came from China (I would have had no idea of where they came from anyway, as I used to buy them loose).
The rawhide chews I give my dog are not bleached, they're definitely bovine hide, they're small and consumed in small chunks and he digests them well.
What brand are they and where could I get some? I haven't found any in my local pet shops and would consider them for Alfie when he is older if I knew where to get them from.