Did Santa give your dog a toy? Make sure it’s safe
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We told you about the 10 weirdest items eaten by pets, but a destructive dog can do a lot of damage to his insides without ever going near a tent peg or rubber duckie. Many common dog toys can be hazardous if broken or swallowed -- so if your dog (like ours) got some toys from the grandparents for Christmas or Hannukah, you’d be wise to give them the old once-over to make sure they’re safe. The Humane Society of the United States offers this advice:
Toys should be appropriate for your dog’s size. Balls and other toys that are too small can easily be swallowed or become lodged in your dog’s throat. Avoid or alter any toys that aren’t ‘dog-proof’ by removing ribbons, strings, eyes, or other parts that could be chewed and/or ingested. Discard toys that start to break into pieces or have pieces torn off.
Many veterinarians and pet owners debate the safety of rawhide chews, but Dr. John Payne, a veterinary surgeon, came down hard on the ‘con’ side in an interview with ThePittsburghChannel:
‘Rawhides, in my opinion, are no-no toys. I know a lot of people like them, a lot of dogs like them, but they are one of most common foreign bodies we pull out of dogs. They’re stiff, they’re not very pliable and they can get stuck either in the stomach or sometimes even in the esophagus,’ Payne said.
(Regardless of their stance on rawhide toys, most experts agree that dogs should be supervised when chewing them.)
Got any tips on toy safety? Let us know in the comments!
--Lindsay Barnett