# Dog Owners please read this about DEADLY toy



## TattedRat (Jan 28, 2015)

So I was at petsmart today getting another litter tray for my ratties. I was waiting In line when a woman asked to talk to a manager about getting a toy taken off the shelves. She then told the story about how some toy caused her dog to die! Well after the cashier checked her out, she went to grab the toy to show us. It was one of those rope toys ( I will include a picture ). She spent 2500$ last night to try and save her 8 month old pitbull, who sadly, passed away. She then explained how, when swallowed, the strings become entangled in their stomachs and intestines. I went online and sure enough..many articles of people who have also lost their dogs to these toys!


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Those cotton rope toys have been around FOREVER and enjoyed safely by many, many dogs. They are one of the most popular dog toys by far! If they were truly that dangerous, they would have been pulled from shelves long ago. Yes, the strings can get ingested and deaths have occurred. These toys are meant to be played with UNDER SUPERVISION ONLY, and they need to be checked over and any loose threads trimmed or completely replaced each time they're played with. It's a sad and unfortunate situation, but these cases are rare in contrast to how many dogs safely enjoy cotton rope tugs. Know your dog and how it interacts with toys, know the risks of toys like this, and make an informed decision from there. We can't always protect our pets (or even ourselves) from hazards and accidents... but we can't live our lives in sterile bubbles, either.


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## mimsy (Jun 8, 2014)

My vet had a collection of things removed from dogs in surgery-collars, tags, toys, nails (she had a collection of some very impressive sized ones), sticks, bones, parts of furniture, toys (human and animals)-basically dogs need to be watched like children, some have no sense and will swallow anything.


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## TattedRat (Jan 28, 2015)

I know supervision is very important but the ones causing the most problems are the ropes made of synthetic fibers. Cotton tends to pass (unless its alot of corse). This rope I saw was polyester I believe. It looked like the shiny floss. These come apart much easier than cotton ropes. It's just something to be aware of.


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Those ropes turn into confetti with my dogs >.< as with any other toy that they can get their teeth around if not supervised. It's just a matter of watching them really. My dogs don't get toys unless I'm there to watch them and as soon as they plop themselves down to start destroying it, it goes back on the shelf. You'd think more people would try to stop their pets from destroying toys as it can obviously lead to destroying other items. I had a really hard time training my heeler mix not to chew and she still has compulsive behavior related to chewing (she'll get a shoe and take it somewhere but not chew it and her face when you ask her where the shoe is, nothing but shame ), but in the end, all the patience and training paid off for us both; I'm no longer frustrated with her behavior and she's not at risk of accidentally eating something she shouldn't.


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## PaigeRose (Apr 12, 2013)

We have a sign right in front of our register "Do to the playful nature of dogs, unfortunately we cannot guarantee any toys." Its not our responsibility as a retail sales location that sells pet toys to make sure your dog does not harm themselves. Many many companies (Tuffy, Mighty, Invincibles, etc) claim on their tags that their toys are indestructible. People ask me all the time "I have (x) breed of dog, really heavy chewer, whats the best toy?" and my answer is always "You know your dog better than me, so I really can't tell you but here are our bones, antlers, and other chew things you might want to consider instead of a toy." And I always remind people that the dog should be supervised all the time with anything they're putting in their mouth. 

I've had people try to return dog toys because they ripped it open, tore an eye off, got the squeaker out. At past jobs, we were allowed to return them. Now that I work for a local pet store, we can't do that because we don't have the money to cover our losses like big companies. Hence the sign and my warnings. Its a dog toy, they dont play like human children, its going to get destroyed eventually.

Stories like this are sad but in my experience with pet retail, its usually because of an owner's ignorance.


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## MissSix (Jul 8, 2014)

If you have a dog that is prone to chewing and swallowing things like that, it's not a good toy to leave with your dog. I had a lab/rottie that would rip things apart and swallow them and he swallowed a ball he wasn't even supposed to have. Sometimes dogs just get into things/eat things they shouldn't and that's no one's fault. 
Certain breeds are more inclined to this behavior than others, but no matter the breed this is not a toy you just leave laying around. Anything they can tear a piece off of or break apart is not something that should be left with a dog unsupervised. Also, yeah, always go for cotton over synthetic. Synthetics are resistant to the stomach acids and are more likely to be a problem. Never buy synthetics for a pet to chew on.


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