No rawhides. Maybe bully sticks?

Well, to a certain extent I'm just extrapolating from the fact that a cooked bone is more likely to splinter. Bones are sterilized by heating (ie, cooking) them... therefore, more likely to splinter.
 
This article talks about how food is sterilized - [linkhttp://www.rendermagazine.com/April2001/TechTopics.html]http://www.rendermagazine.com/April2001/TechTopics.html[/link]
This dog treats company notes that they use dry heat to sterilize their bones - [linkhttp://www.naturesreward.com/questions.php#A10]http://www.naturesreward.com/questions.php#A10[/link]
 

I have read the same thing at a couple of places about not giving those sterilized bones due to possible splintering. 

ORIGINAL: Shohin

Winston can't handle rawhide, it gives him the runs BAD.  Bullysticks, despite the smell, are great for him.  They are natural, and a 12" stick (costs about $5) lasts him several hours.  I also give the occasional raw bone too . . . . 

 
That must be nice to have it last that long...the old 4 foot bully sticks...Xerxes would go through in about 2-3 hours.  When he's in the chewing mood, he can be downright powerful.  Plus of course his razor sharp molars...thos will cleave just about anything.

I've always heard and read to keep away from those smoked/sterilized bones for the same reasons as we are advised not to give cooked bones.If bones have been heat treated then they are dangerous and splinter much easier,especially so for power chewers.

IMHO the best bones are raw bones from the butcher

I won't give my dogs rawhides either. My vet won't treat dogs who are given rawhide. Says she has had to do too many surgeries to remove solid pieces. So, we give ours Nylabones. For strong chewers, there is the Galileo Nylabone (two sizes). While they are expensive (about $20) they do last forever. They kind of look like a dinosaur bone. [] I know both dog.com and kvvet.com have good prices on them.

Just thought I'd do a little add-in here:

There is no such thing as a perfectly safe chew toy for dogs! Rawhides can cause blockages, but so can tennis balls, raw bones, rocks, ropes, bully sticks, Kongs, sticks and nylabones. In my personal opinion, none of these chew toys are any safer than the other. Every dog is different and what is moderately safe for one dog is not necessarily safe for another.

Always supervise your dog and know what they did or didn't swallow!!

ORIGINAL: Misskiwi67

Just thought I'd do a little add-in here:

There is no such thing as a perfectly safe chew toy for dogs! Rawhides can cause blockages, but so can tennis balls, raw bones, rocks, ropes, bully sticks, Kongs, sticks and nylabones. In my personal opinion, none of these chew toys are any safer than the other. Every dog is different and what is moderately safe for one dog is not necessarily safe for another.

That is true that no chew toy is completely safe, but I do think some have more risks than others. It's much easier to chew off a hunk of rawhide and swallow it as opposed to one of Nylabones "Big Chew" bones. Those things are heavy and rock solid. With those I think the biggest risk would be the dog cracking a tooth, but then I think that's much more rare than a dog dog swallowing pieces of toys and choking or getting a blockage.

Same with the smoked bones that I give Gingerbread. The ones that I get are hollow and thick- they've never, ever splintered and are basically indestructible. I give him small ones, but there are larger ones for bigger dogs.

Of course everyone has to decide for themselves what they feel comfortable with and make their own decisions. []

Here is an article on rawhide that I found. By the article it looks like pig ears and pig skin are ok. ??? Molly has some Dingo Dyno Sticks with the meat in the middle. Has rawhide wraped on the outside. ??? I`m not very happy with the Nylabones Healthy Edibles bones anymore because I gave her one the other day and the whole end broke off in her mouth. Good thing I was right beside her to get it out of her mouth. Maybe it was just a defective bone I don`t know.

What to chew and not to chew
Some dogs never have a problem with rawhide treats. But they are not for dogs that become obsessed with devouring them before going on to their next pursuit. Paige explains that rawhide swells up to five times its size and takes two weeks to fully digest.
"An aggressive chewer may end up flat on his back in surgery to remove an intestinal blockage,'' Paige said. "Be careful. Once in a while is OK if it is a naturally processed hide and if you only give a small amount daily.''
For the most part, Paige is not thrilled with rawhide. Its quality varies, and it can harbor bacteria. She describes the types most commonly sold in the U.S.:
* Oriental Water Buffalo: Raised to work in the fields of countries like China, Thailand, and Korea, they are a common source of rawhide. Rawhide is not regulated and the foreign hides may contain detrimental things such as antibiotics, lead, or insecticides that could adversely affect the health of your dog.
* South American Range Cows: These animals are fed on grass and typically have little fat and a rough, fibrous consistency. They are warm-weather animals with a thinner skin. They seem to produce the least sought-after rawhide.
* American beef hide: Corn-fed beef raised in the U.S. supplies a thick, palatable and high-quality chew. American beef hide is considered the source of choice for premium chews.
Rawhide is full of bacteria a few hours after it is chewed.
"That bacteria can be transferred to you or your children if your dog is a licker, and make you very sick,'' said Paige. "Be sure to refrigerate any and all protein-type chew toys after 30 minutes of being chewed on. As long as you refrigerate rawhide, it will stay fresh for days.''
Paige discourages rawhide and suggests pork skin products to her clients. Pork skin, such as pig ears and compressed pork skin bones, do not swell in the stomach. They digest easily and taste as good or better than rawhide. Also on Paige's approved chew toy list are Kong toys.
"You can stuff them full of peanut butter or cheese and wonder where your dog has been for the last 60 minutes,'' said Paige.
 
This article came from a person that trained at the National Institue of Dog Training and is a dog behavior consulant and a columnist in publications such as Planetdog.com, Fido Friendly mag, Urban Dog, and Petsmart.
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Max is a chewer as well. He is what I have found.

Rawhide: he can consume a 12 inch stick in an hour. I don't give that to him anymore. All that has to go somewhere.

Bully sticks: same thing

Pigs ears: forget about it, 10 minutes.

Smoked bones from pet store: he broke a knuckle bone (at the knuckle) into 2 splintly halfs and I had to take it from him.

Raw marrow bones: OK if large enough not to swallow (which he did once and hacked up later) they last him a bit, but they give him the runs.

Here's what is working: (1) The "big" heavy duty nylabones are very durable (practically like glass). I just discovered these and he likes them. (2) Kong stuffed with kibble, PB, carrots with weak chicken broth poured in so it freezes hard as a rock. This will keep him busy for an hour and not make him sick.

ORIGINAL: widespot

Max is a chewer as well. He is what I have found.

Rawhide: he can consume a 12 inch stick in an hour. I don't give that to him anymore. All that has to go somewhere.

Bully sticks: same thing

Pigs ears: forget about it, 10 minutes.

Smoked bones from pet store: he broke a knuckle bone (at the knuckle) into 2 splintly halfs and I had to take it from him.

Raw marrow bones: OK if large enough not to swallow (which he did once and hacked up later) they last him a bit, but they give him the runs.

Here's what is working: (1) The "big" heavy duty nylabones are very durable (practically like glass). I just discovered these and he likes them. (2) Kong stuffed with kibble, PB, carrots with weak chicken broth poured in so it freezes hard as a rock. This will keep him busy for an hour and not make him sick.

Another thing that works great in the Kong toys are pieces of the Natural Balance Food Rolls. You can slice them to any size and shape you want so that they wont come out of the Kong easily but the dog won't get frustated either.  

[linkhttp://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/DFRolls.html]http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/DFRolls.html[/link]

I also don't give rawhide because my dog almost choked to death on one of them. Had I not been in the room and noticed him in distress, I wouldn't have been able to literally pull the gummy mess out of his throat. I've also known several folks in rescue who gave them to dogs in their crates to come home and find that they'd choked to death on them. It's so sad.

So, what I have found as a terrific alternative are pig skin rolls. Pig skin is much more digestible than rawhide and we have never had a choking incident with it. CostCo sells them sometimes. I've been able to find them almost anywhere, and Cole really enjoys them. Try to find the flat pressed rolls or the braids. I think the ones that have knots at each end are prone to causing the choking and blockages.

The ones that I get are hollow and thick- they've never, ever splintered and are basically indestructible.

Emma weighs in at a whopping 17 pounds, and busts those things to bits. Of course, Emma is the scary dog that destroys every chew toy known to man, so.....  She has a cracked molar I'm eventually going to have to have pulled (it's still in there tight, but there's a visible line down the middle of the tooth) from chewing on raw marrow bones like a ridiculous freak dog. She's a pretty extreme chewer, but the smoked bones break up scary fast, in her paws.