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Originally Posted by diggy4  would freezing them kill the bacteria? I always wondered if that was a safe option. |
Freezing doesn't kill bacteria; it just retards its growth. Let say bacteria X lives in a dog's mouth and a safe number of bacteria X is 1000. If the dog has 1000 or less of this bacteria in his mouth, he is just fine. Well suppose the dog chews on something; some of these bacteria go to this object. As long as the object is moist, the bacteria continue to grow, allowing the bacteria to grow in numbers over the 1000 safe level. Then if a dog, especially one with a compromised immune system licks the object, he might have these bacteria grow in his own mouth way over the 1000 safe level and spread it to other surfaces and other dogs.
As soon as the object dries all the bacteria die because they have to have a moist warm environment in which to grow. With multiple dogs, the first dog could give the object bacteria, and other dogs keeping the surface moist and spreading it.
If you place an object in the freezer that has bacteria on it, the bacteria will be at the same level when you remove it from the freezer. As the object thaws the bacteria will begin to grow again. Chlorine bleach kills most bacteria and some viruses, allowing surfaces to thoroughly dry is usually enough. Truthfully, some of those rope toys can take an awfully long time to dry out and I wash those often, even with just one dog.
Diggy 4, you have not offended me, and if something like this had happened to me I probably would feel the same way, I just think stories such as yours can cause undo alarm. I have done a lot of reading on this subject and do feel like they are safe to use.
If any of your dog chews or toys feels moist when you check them, either wash or rinse them and allow them to dry.