Dr. Melody R. Conklin is originally from Youngsville in northwestern Pennsylvania and earned her BS at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park in 2003, where she majored in Animal BioScience and minored in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. She then attended the University of Pennsylvania, earning her VMD in 2007. Dr. Conklin worked in companion animal general practice until 2015 when she joined Zoetis’ Veterinary Medical Information and Product Support department while finishing her MBA at Penn State Great Valley in 2017. Dr. Conklin currently works full-time in a companion animal practice while working with Zoetis US Petcare Medical Affairs in a consultant role. She lives in Sinking Spring, PA with her 4 cats, Vegeta, Fluffzor, Poof, & Butter, and 3 guinea pigs, Pascha, Elena, & Caroline.
Chewing is a normal and necessary activity for our canine friends; it provides exercise and stress relief and is a satisfying behavior for most dogs, especially puppies. It is important, however, to be sure chew toys are safe.
Beth Turner is a veterinarian with over 20 years of experience. She graduated from North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine and following graduation, she began her career as an associate veterinarian and worked closely with the local shelter.
In 2007 she accomplished her dream of practice ownership, designing and building her own clinic. Another meaningful role, while running her clinic, was serving as her countys shelter veterinarian. This gave her the opportunity to help improve the lives of many animals in her community as well as work with the rescue she loved. She sold her practice in 2019 to move across the country.
A note for our readers: If you have an urgent question and are unable to ask your veterinarian, you can use the Ask a Vet service that will give you access to a veterinarian for 7 days for $1.
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I rank the best chew “toys” for your dog.
I was rushing my dog to the emergency veterinarian. All I knew is that she had ingested part of her Nylabone chew toy. I just wanted her to feel better. Was it as simple as letting it pass through her? Did she need medication? Surgery? I had no idea what was in store for us.
This has not actually happened to me, but many pet owners have. These accidents are creating concern about these toys, prompting pet owners to ask a lot more questions. You may also be wondering the same thing. Are Nylabones safe for dogs? When should you throw them away? What happens if they chew some of it off? We’ll answer these questions and tell you about some of the Nylabone warnings that you should be aware of. Table Of Contents
Before diving in too deep on this subject, let’s read the disclaimer that Nylabone had a few years back about their non-edible chews.
They also state that it is important to read the warnings for any toy or chew that you purchase for your dog so that you are aware of the potential hazards. And they advise if you think that your dog swallowed a large piece of a Non-Edible Chew, to take the chew away and contact your veterinarian for advice.
Technically they can, but they shouldn’t. Nylabones are non-edible so they are not intended to be ingested.
Follow these three pillars of safety when using a non-edible Nylabone chew or any dog toy.
Always keep an eye on the quality of the toy to make sure all parts are intact and small pieces aren’t breaking off during play sessions. You should check the toy before, during, and after each playtime. If it appears to be breaking down significantly or the ends have reduced in size significantly, you should consider taking it away and giving your dog a new toy to enjoy.
Just like you would not leave a small child to play on its own, you should not leave your dog alone during playtime either. If a piece breaks off and presents a choking hazard, you will want to be on hand to take it away and redirect your dog’s curious energy.
Since this product is made of nylon (essentially food-safe plastic), you will not want to subject it to harsh heat, chemicals, or other abuse. Keeping it intact and safe means maintaining a healthy storage location. It’s probably also best to keep these toys for inside play.