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dayna

dayna

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From rabbit hides.

Any suggestions? I've found lots of stuff about tanning hides for peoples use.

I'm not wanting to waste the hides, so I'd like to give them to my three dogs.
 
You can give them to the dogs without doing anything to them, or you can just let them dry in a cool dry place (so they don't grow anything) for a very short while and then give them. I would think you could also even bake them at a very low temp to dry them out if you wish. I give them fresh and the dogs love them. Any sort of tanning involving chemicals I would not do because a dog should not ingest that sort of thing. Just feed fresh, or dry in a way that doesn't promote the growth of harmful bacteria.
 
Like Daray said, you can let them dry. I'd put some salt on them, (a good layer), put it on an inclined surface and let the liquid start to run off. After a while I would take that salt off and put a second coating of salt on it and let it sit until dry. The salt acts as a semi-preservative, helping to kill the bacteria and during the summer keeps the majority of flys away, plus everyone loves eating salted hides.....right? Add a little pepper and you have a winner.

Anyway, once it's dried just throw it to the dog. Plenty of other ways to do it as well that's just my recommendation if you are going to dry it first. Some people get the hair to slip out, there is a thread somewhere around here about that. Others shave the hair off. Up to you.
 
I just saw on FB a poster soaked her pelts in baking soda and water for a couple of days to remove fat and the fur slipped off.
 
I wouldn't use salt for dog chews, salt is not good for dogs.
The baking soda thing sounds like an interesting idea. Been putting off culling my old doe, I'd like to "process" her just to work the kinks out on a rabbit we won't eat. Maybe she'll be good for the dogs to eat, and it would be a good practice run.
 

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