Pig's Ears....Harmful to Humans?

Question

I give my new puppy pig's ears to chew on because the lady at the pet store told me a new puppy, up to a year old, should not have rawhide. She told me pig's ears, animal hoofs, etc. are the best. My puppy loves to chew on them. Someone has now told me that they are very harmful to humans and can cause liver damage, even death. It's after the puppy chews on them, then you touch the part where they have chewed, it will affect you liver. Anyone else ever hear of this?

Answer 1

Pfft. Someone's trying to scare you with a load of BS.

There's no evidence to suggest touching a roasted/baked pig ear will cause liver problems or death. A dogs' saliva on a pig ear won't cause liver problems either. A pig ear is just like any other part of a pig...you don't get liver problems or death when you touch a cooked porkchop/bacon/ect., do you?

Someone's just yanking your chain. Ignore them.

Answer 2

Pigs ears can be harmful to both you and your puppy.
Pigs' ears have a high fat content and can lead to obesity. They can also cause stomach upset in some dogs. Because they are high in fat, they can irritate the pancreas, causing pancreatitis in susceptible dogs. This results in vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Pig's ear treats can also be a source of Salmonella bacteria. The government recently issued a warning that pig's ear dog treats from a number of manufacturers were contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other serious long-term complications. Some pets that become infected may not show clinical signs.
These products can also be a risk to humans, according to the Health Canada warning. Transmission of the bacteria to humans can be via direct handling of contaminated product or handling of pets who may have become infected. For this reason, owners are advised to wash their hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after handling pig's ear treats. Better yet, consult your veterinarian about these products or avoid them altogether.

Answer 3

I've never heard of this before. I give my dogs pig ears from time to time and I'm sure i"ve touched them after it's been chewed on and I don't believe I have any problems.

Answer 4

No, our dogs love pig ears. When it comes to rawhides don't buy cheap ones. The cheap ones just gum up and lay in their stomach. Animal hoofs are great for outside dogs. Learned my lesson having one indoors, they stink.

Answer 5

I highly doubt that's true. People in the south eat pigs ears quite often. Like.... REALLY often.

But I don't.

No one I know of who has eaten pig ears has had problems that link back to that. So no, I think whoever told you that is... well.. misinformed.

By the way, people in the south waste NOTHING of a pig. They eat the snouts, ears, feet, bacon.. you name it.

Answer 6

The consumption of pig ears is nothing new, though. It might seem like the latest trendy provocative ingredient meant to arouse our culinary curiosity, but it's actually difficult to find a culture that doesn't eat them.

Nearly every cuisine in Europe and Asia has a preparation. They are most often fried crispy. But they're also served boiled, braised and roasted.

Frying them crispy is an obvious choice, as the outer layers of skin become crunchy and the inner layer of cartilage becomes gelatinous and chewy. The flavor of the ears could be described as sweet, rich porkiness. If you've never tried them, you should; they're seriously good. Down, boy!

I've seen fried pig ears paired with Brussels sprouts as a crunchy garnish or sprinkled over a salad of bitter greens with a tart lemon dressing. I have served them fried on my menus as well. Last year at Father's Office, I served them cut into small triangles resembling tortilla chips, fried crisp and accompanied by a spicy tomatillo salsa. We called the dish pig ear chips and salsa.

But lately I've been really intrigued by Chinese charcuterie. One treatment of pig ear that has really stood out for me is a classic Sichuan preparation. They are boiled with aromatic spices until tender, then stacked up and pressed down just like a classic French terrine.

Once set, the terrine is thinly sliced, marinated in vinegar and spices and served cold. The cross section of the ears sort of looks like a cross between a relief map and strips of bacon. It's the high gelatin content of the ears — easy to miss when fried — that makes the dish work.

Try slicing the terrine to different thicknesses. Cut paper thin on a meat slicer the ears become soft and supple, almost like mortadella. Slice it by hand slightly thicker and you'll get a better sense of the crunchy cartilage and firm gelatin.

Pig ears prepared in this manner can be served a number of ways. Try adding a few slices to a charcuterie platter with a little hot Chinese or English mustard. I also love using pig ears prepared this way in a banh mi sandwich: Thin slices of the pressed ears with maybe a little pork paté on a nice crunchy baguette topped with pickled carrots and jalapeños. Perfection.

Look at it this way — if your friends won't try it, at least you'll have the happiest dog on the block.

Answer 7

That's an absolute load of crap. Pig ears are safe.

Answer 8

I don't think they would be on the market if they were harmful.

Answer 9

i dont think it is

Answer 10

a load of ****