Abstract: A method for processing cattle hooves (38), for use as a dog chew includes the steps of cleaning (42) the hoof, removing (44) a thin portion of the bottom (24) of the hoof to minimize removal of the hoof pad (26). This is accomplished by positioning a bandsaw blade (48) adjacent a backing plate (54). The bottom of the hoof is placed against the backing plate and the hoof is moved into the bandsaw blade. This results in a relatively thin layer of the bottom of the hoof being removed, generally equal to the thickness of the bandsaw blade itself. The top (6) of the hoof is removed (62) as well and then the hoof is passed through a number of steps for finished processing, including the following steps: pre-wash (64), first boiling (66), first rinsing (68), second boiling (70), second rinsing (72) and drying (74). A finished tumbling step (74) is used to smooth over sharp edges and to remove any thin, brittle edges (30 ) of the hooves for safety.