Some Pet Toys Can Be Deadly

Written by Lauren Benton | February 10, 2011 at 3:01 pm

Pet owners need to beware of toys they buy their pets. Some of them may actually be extremely dangerous.

“She’s the type of dog that doesn’t like rubber toys but if you buy her soft toys she chews them up,” says dog owner Jill Blue.

“I avoid anything that’s going to make a mess, that’ll tear up easy. I like the natural stuff like rawhide and pig ears. I don’t pick anything that’s all plastic because it takes her about 5 seconds to chew it up,” Blue says.

My dog, Chunk, actually chews up every toy that I give him. He demolishes them. Even the tough rubber toys can not escape, and stuffed animals have no chance at survival.

For Jill Blue’s West Highland white terrier named Skyler, his nemesis was a simple rubber ball.

“Rubber does not show up in x-rays. Who knew that?” Blue says.

Skyler wouldn’t eat, was continuously throwing up, and ended up with severe dehydration. But no one figured out what was wrong until July. For four months the feet that used to be attached to the ball sat inside Skylar’s intestine.

“And that’s where we were. What is the cause? Won’t know until you cut them open to find out,” says Blue.

Surgery and all of the visits to the vet added up to $5,000 in bills.

Veterinarian Margret King says Skyler isn’t alone. She thinks stuffing in toys is the worst, but anything with strings isn’t far behind. Socks and Towels are also top culprits to tangle inside a dog or cat. Her advice;

“Those that especially don’t have any stuffing at all are the best as far as I’m concerned,” says King.

And she warns toys made in other countries don’t always need to meet our safety standards.

“It may be a little more difficult to find, but it would be good to try to stay with an American made toy if you can,” adds King.

So, pet owners, be extremely cautious when giving a toy to your pet. Not all pet toys are actually made with pets in mind.

Submitted by J. Lauren Benton

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