This topic is daunting because there are so few National safety rules and regulations unlike Children’s toys. The great majority of dog toys are now made in China and that compounds the issue!
Rule 1 If they can chew it, take it apart and eat it… They will!! Then it is called bowel obstruction! Or worse, if there was a battery, wire or hard plastic or cooked bone pieces.
List of NO’s
*Nothing small that can be swallowed. Everything should be bigger than the size of their head Or toys with bells inside.
* NO batteries! That includes flashing collars, pendants and mechanical toys.
* Nothing made from Rawhide… US or China!
* Anything that contained a squeaky toy that has metal insert in it.
* Soft toys with foam stuffing or small parts like ears and eyes.
* Cooked bones like from you expensive steak dinner, Thanksgiving Turkey bones ect. Cooked bones will splinter.
* Artificial bones made of rawhide particles that are glued together. Seriously.. what is in there? Goes for the filled cow hooves too!
* Hard Nyla Bones. While the concept is appealing, they splinter small pieces of nylon plastic into their systems and also injury their gums and teeth.
* Tennis Balls because they can rip off the fuzzy parts, and eat them. After multiple uses they are a cesspool of bacteria.
* I try to avoid many products that are Made In China. Not always possible, but I am extremely careful on my choices.
These guys are cute, but look at all the parts that can be take off of them. The eyes on the little cute toys below would be a 5 minute game could get those ears off!
Lets just say if you are feeding premium dog food… why are you thinking of these products? If you wouldn’t eat it… why would you feed it to your dog? I don’t even want to know what is in that filling or what’s in it to keep the bugs away! Never feed your dogs anything that is ‘filled’!
Buy the Thick Cow Hooves (not the thin brittle ones) fill them with anything! I actually will put chicken and rice in them and put them in the freezer to keep them occupied if I will be gone a couple hours.
The rawhide pieces are colored with who knows what dye and the rawhide is actually ‘glued’ together. It will make instant glue in your dogs’s mouth and stomach.
NO RawHide…. They are the Deadliest Chew Toy… Even those that state Made in America, are actually products from other countries that have a process done on them here. The skins, if that are bleached and formaldehyde is actually used in the process. I have added wonderful alternatives below.
These are some types of toys we have and enjoy.
Interactive Toys are really gaining popularity. Again, look for small parts, always add in the calories to their food consumption for the day and like with Kong toys make sure they have a hole at both ends and don’t become a suction cup that can trap their tongue or cheeks. Treat balls are great fun at our house on rainy and snowy days!!
They ate WHAT??
Granted, Cavaliers are not quite as bad as some breeds, however as the owner of a Cavalier that ate BIG Chenille Buttons… I can tell you that Gastric blockage and issues is no laughing matter.
The following radiographs are to show what strange things a dog can eat! Many of these dogs did not survive the surgical procedures to remove these objects, and those that do sometime have a life long gastrointestinal issues.
Not to mention the cost alone! Our Chenille Button incident was over $4,000 and 6 month of recovery! She is fine, but I am ever so cautious of items that have my scent on them.
Please be mindful of the trash cans, scented items and in the bathroom especially. Used tissue and any types of paper including feminine hygiene and baby diapers products is draw to many dogs. Dropped Medications and hearing aid batteries are the worst. They are so small and most people don’t realize they are missing. Dogs that ingest batteries normally don’t not survive.
Guess the following and I have included the items under each photo.
Yes that plastic Kong bone, plus a hand full of rocks at the lower center and fabric going out the end.
How about a Guitar String?
Sewing Needle
The entire pin cushion and it appears to the right that it was not the first time!
Rib Eye Bone… the entire bone!
Fishing Hook. Dogs love fishing items because of the fish blood.
Entire Bra and panties. Panties, nylons, socks and feminine products are most common.
Tinsel from the Christmas tree! Merry Christmas.. I can guess where they spent Christmas Eve!
Ball point pen
The Shih Tzu ate the Cat’s Toys!!
The one place the rubber duck is NOT
Helping out with the Arts & Crafts. Beads, Buttons, stones and anything small is so appealing to companion dogs. They also have your smell and they are all about the same size as dog treats.
80 Pennies, 14 Nickels, 10 Dimes and 5 Quarters… almost enough for the Surgery… NOT!