There was an article in the Whole Dog Journal about vinyl dog toys and how dangerous they can be due to the toxic chemicals used in the processing. Phthalates can interfere with development in young puppies, cause reproductive damage, and liver damage. The article states that chemicals migrate via the dogs saliva increasing the toxic effects.
That was enough for me to go confiscate all the vinyl squeaky toys we have and get rid of them. (They don't recycle well either so that is another problem).
FYI The Whole Dog Journal recommends looking for toys made of materials that are natural or nearly so, such as natural rubber, real bones to chew, organic cotton or hemp. One of the highly recommended toys was Orbee balls from Planet Dog. Doggles has a new line of crocheted toys for small dogs. So if you crochet, make your own toys. I am going to go on a hunt to see if I can find crochet patterns for small toys. If I do, I'll share them! |