Toys... Are they safe for our animal companions?

Have you ever wanted to buy a toy and thought about its safety for the child it is supposed to bring joy to? You probably have because of all the recalls you have seen in the media over the years, and maybe this was the reason why you decided it was safer not to buy it.

But what about the toys that are available for our animal companions? Are there actually any regulations on the materials that can be used, or for safety?

Have there ever been any warnings or recalls on "pet" toys such as the ones for our children seen in the media? The answer sadly, is most likely ‘no’.

When we buy food for our animal companions we are now much more aware. We're not just buying by brand name only, but rather the ingredients listed on the package.

But what about toys?

Have you ever noticed that most of the rawhide bones actually come from overseas?

How do they get them so white? Bleach? What else do they put into them or onto them?

Some of the rubber chewy toys I have seen for dogs are actually made out of real car tires... very durable, yes indeed, but CAR TIRES!!!!

Since most of our animal companions are only allowed to play and chew on their toys, this is what they will do. They will chew on it and lick it for hours or days, eventually digesting parts or all of it.

What kind of chemicals are in there?

What do they do to our animal companions health?

Can they cause cancer?

Can they injure them?

What are our animal companions exposed to?

We try so hard to make sure our animal companions are healthy but what about the toys that manufacturers are producing for them?

Are they safe? You can actually smell chemicals in some of them!!!

I personally gave up buying those sorts of toys many years ago.

Do you remember the recall on soft plastics not to long ago? It was a warning with regards to the chemical used to make the plastic flexible. Of course all of those products only concerned human safety... but what about the safety of our animal companion's toys? What are the regulations around them???

For squeaky toys, I now go to children's stores and look for the more sturdy ones for my animal companions. Yes, they are a bit more expensive, but safer, and I have to say that with three dogs, I still haven’t had to throw one out yet.

I used to buy rawhide bones but now they are banned in my home... the list goes on. Fortunately there are some companies that now manufacture organic dog and cat toys. Finally!!!!!
(I Hope it will catch on for other animal species as well.)

To those manufacturers, I thank you.

So what about the other dangers of animal toys?

Not that long ago an email was in circulation indicating that several dogs, in unrelated incidences, who were playing with ‘pimple balls’ (a hard rubber ball with little knobs all around it), got hurt. This particular ball has only one hole in it and while chewing it a vacuum was most likely created that effectively sucked the dogs tongue into the hole of the ball. A few years ago I had one just like that with a bell in it. Needless to say, I no longer buy such toys.

Most of the dogs were ‘lucky’ and the guardians were able to remove the ball from the dogs tongues, although the dogs were in major pain during this process. One of the dogs wasn’t so fortunate. His tongue was so badly injured that part of it had to be amputated. Can you imagine how difficult it is now for this dog to eat or drink?

No matter what we buy for our animal companions, we have to be careful. Food, toys, bedding, dishes etc. We love our animal companions with all our hearts and try to protect them anyway we can. I hope you consider this the next time you buy something for your animal friend.

All the best, greetings to your animal family
and,
have you hugged your animal companion today?