Are your dog’s chew toys safe?

Narrated from: Dog Toys

It is important to provide your dog with chew toys and to train the dog to chew only on them, and not on your expensive furniture. However, you must be careful – some chew toys can kill your dog!

For larger dogs, any small toys can pose a threat. Your dog could just swallow the toy and choke on it. So, choose a toy that is size-appropriate for your dog. The same goes for toys that have small parts that can be pulled off – buttons and etc. You should really treat a dog like children in the 1 to 3 age group.

Toys that are easy to tear apart also pose a threat, especially for aggressive chewers. Cow hooves can get splintered and choke the dog or harm the dog’s throat; stuffed toys become unstuffed and if the dog swallows the stuffing, it will suffer from intestinal obstructions. The same goes for rope toys.

Cooked bones are sometimes considered a good chew treat for dogs, but they are actually quite dangerous – they splinter and the sharp ends could hurt your dog.
Squeaky toys are particularly dangerous. They should only be given to the dog under your own supervision. Dogs often try to find and destroy the squeaker, and in the process they may swallow it.

Vinyl toys also aren’t safe – they are considered quite educational, but rip apart easily, so again, only let your dog chew on them under supervision.

Basically, durable toys are your best choice. If your dog is an aggressive chewer, then look for toys that are made for such dogs. Rubber, for instance, would be torn apart by an aggressive chewer, but there are durable kinds of rubber that can withstand the dog’s attack, and ultimately you would be saving money since the toy would last longer. Rawhides also come in varieties. A quality rawhide should last a day or two, and when it is reduced to a small piece that your dog could swallow, you should throw it away. However, an aggressive chewer could eat up a rawhide like a biscuit.

Basically, if you stick to quality toys, your dog should be safe. Toys that have an AKC (American Kennel Club) mark last longer than regular toys. An interesting choice would be cotton rope knots, but they also get dismantled in time. However, if you monitor the toy you should be able to notice when the strands start to come out, and in the meantime this toy would actually clean your dog’s mouth.

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