The Importance of Durable Dog Toys
Playing with dog toys provides mental and physical stimulation for our furry friends. For high-energy breeds, toys are useful tools for keeping them active and to allow them to burn off their energy. Throwing toys are great for these dogs! Also, dog toys are great tools for training. Not all dogs work for treats and some would much rather work for a favorite toy or game. Lastly, dog toys provide outlets for natural chewing behaviors. This is particularly important when it comes to teething puppies. As teething is uncomfortable for puppies, your pup might seek relief by chewing things around the house. So, a good selection of appropriate chew toys is a great way at helping your fur baby through this period.
China Profits—And Your Dog Pays the Price
Deliberate activities on the part of Chinese manufacturers are often to blame when pets in the U.S. get sick. Investigators determined that many of the deaths were caused from two chemical additives that were present in some of the food: melamine and cyanuric acid. When both melamine and cyanuric are present in pet food, they form dangerous crystals in the kidneys of the dogs and cats who ingest them.
U.S. investigators discovered that adding chemicals to animal feed is a normal practice in China. In the case of these pet food contaminations, Chinese feed producers were adding melamine and cyanuric acid to wheat gluten, which is a high-protein ingredient commonly found in pet food.
You may be wondering why Chinese feed producers would add these substances to the wheat gluten used in pet food. And you may not be surprised that their motive is completely financial. The price of pet food is largely based on the protein content of the food. Producers can charge more money for food with higher protein percentages.
Both melamine and cyanuric acid are routinely added to animal feed in China as fake proteins. Neither provides any nutritional benefits to animals, but they mimic proteins when tested. Chinese pet food producers intentionally committed acts of fraud to increase their profits.
Disturbingly, even after a class-action lawsuit that awarded $24 million to the victims, it’s not clear that these practices have been discontinued in China.
Are dog toys made in China safe?
Unfortunately, there are no safety standards in place that require dog toy manufacturers to test the levels of chemicals present in their products, so that $4 “Made-in-China” vinyl toy your dog is slobbering on could contain hazardous toxins. … (Keep in mind, USA-made is not a guarantee of quality and safety.)
National officials blocked 248 models of toy (likely tens of millions of units) from sale so far in 2019 after tests revealed illegal levels of toxic chemicals. Of these, 228 (92%) were categorised as “serious risk”; 219 (88%) came from China; and 127 (51%) were contaminated with phthalates, a plastic additive.
Dangerous Toys For Dogs
Toys are an essential part of the health and well-being of your canine companion. They provide comfort and entertainment, minimize problem behaviors, and even help with hygiene. Giving them something to play with isnt a luxury; its downright required!
Its also no exaggeration to say that there are millions of different toys on the market. Go to any pet supplies store or pet-focused website, and youll see hundreds of options.
How can you possibly know which toys are safe and which are dangerous? Theres an overwhelming amount of variety, and many of these toys are potentially harmful.
Today, weve got rubber on the mind, so lets talk about rubber dog toys. Are they safe for your fur baby, or are you putting them in harms way?
In this comprehensive blog post I cover from the most common toxic chemicals found in dog toys to the scary truth about regulation on dog toys to 7 tips to follow to determine if a dog toy is safe for your pup.
Looking for more dog care guides? No problem, you can either scroll down all the way to the further reading section or visit my blog. Spoiler alert, it is packed with resources .
You may have come across posts on Facebook or various blogs talking about the evils of rubber dog toys. They make it sound like every dog toy made of rubber is covered in toxins and will seriously harm your pup.
While every rubber toy isnt necessarily harmful, there is some truth to the chemicals and toxins in certain types of rubber. A big aspect to also consider is where your dog toy was made. Was it made in the US or in China?
There are actually three primary types of “rubber” that you might find! Some of them are dangerous, and others are not:
So, the truth is, natural rubber is not inherently dangerous unless your dog is somehow allergic to it, which is quite rare.
It all depends on whether or not the toy is made out of chemicals that can be harmful, coated in toxic chemicals, or even packaged with chemicals that can be potentially harmful.
Unfortunately, it can be tough to tell one from another unless you have a full in-home chemistry lab and can test them yourself, but were pretty sure you dont! So, youre going to have to rely on what the manufacturer says.So, watch out.
Thats why we only stock products we trust and why we always recommend that you only buy from a brand that you trust to be safe for your pup.