raw hides

Question
Did you say raw hide are bad for Labs because they swell inside of them?  My lab (Millie) as eaten the crap out of them and she's fine.  Should I quit giving them to her?  I have been meaning to buy one of those kongs.  What do you think of pig ears?

Answer
Yes many dogs chew rawhide without any problems.  But then many dogs run loose. Just as some of the dogs allowed to run loose eventually are killed in traffic, some dogs that chew rawhide choke to death or have intestinal blockages.  The dog guide school I started raising puppies for in 1991 always forbid rawhides.  In more recent years, they have added pigs ears, hooves, and similar products to their list.  They have the experience of thousands of dogs in their care and know what can be problems.  I have tried to find some numbers on this problem, but never have.  I see more about the dental chews killing dogs.  My dogs do fine without any consumable chews.  Can you live with yourself if you ignore my warnings and something does happen?  

Nothing is entirely safe.  We recently had to take a Kong away from our 7 month old Lab before it was too badly damaged.  Even Nylabones get to where they are dangerously small, and must be discarded