Return to the Information PageAlert! Chewies
How safe are your chewies?
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The use of certain chew toys has become the center of recent controversy.
Numerous dogs have suffered serious injury resulting from chewies,
and several deaths can be directly attributed to these toys. Depending
on the size of your dog, and your dog's personality, proper use
of chew toys is an absolute necessity.
Everyone in the dog community from the chewie manufacturers to
local vets strongly recommend supervised use of chew toys. Injury
from chewies primarily comes in two forms, 1) fractured teeth,
and 2) gastrointestinal obstruction. The likelihood of injury
depends on a couple of factors, the first being size. Current
data shows that the rate of injury rises dramatically for dogs
over 55 pounds. Larger more powerful dogs are more likely to dismantle
and ingest chew toys not meant for consumption. The second factor
is your dog's personality. A more aggressive chewer will be more
likely to break teeth on hard chews, and will be more likely to
gulp down large (and potentially fatal) pieces that are torn from
the toy.
I want to emphasize the use of the word "toy", because
most chewies are not considered feed items. This is an important
point. Many chews are regularly ingested by dogs even though this
is not the intention of the chew's manufacturer. Rawhides are
a good example. If the manufacturer states that the item is not
to be ingested, or claims that it is a chew toy, then it is not
classified as a feed item, and hence falls under no regulatory
control. With no control, the
manufacturer is free to use any ingredients or materials despite
safety or health concerns.
Rawhide chews are a prime example of this. These chewies are nothing
more than cow wrappers (bluntly put). The cow's skin is processed
to remove all excess underlying tissue, fat and hair. The processed
hides are then cured to retard or prevent spoilage. Due to a lack
of controls over this type of chewie, many inexpensive rawhides
are imported from the Asian continent, most notably Thailand.
In many of these developing countries, the hides are still processed
with mercury vapor, chromium salts, lead solutions, arsenic compounds
and formaldehyde.
But even with modern, safe processing the dried hides still present
safety problems for pets. As the chewed rawhide softens, powerful
jaws easily tear off pieces and the dog swallows them. The cured
hide is digestible, but it breaks down too slowly in the gut,
and swallowing many pieces too quickly can easily lead to gastric
irritation from the abundance of undigested material. This is
usually accompanied by vomiting or diarrhea. Worse yet, some of
the swallowed pieces may be only partially softened and still
have hard, sharp edges and corners. This can lead to choking,
esophageal lacerations, and gastrointestinal obstructions. In
the case of the obstruction, surgery will probably be necessary
to remove the rawhide.
Other dried animal by-products are also popular chewy toys. These
include items such as hooves and pigs ears. Physically, pig ears
are much less dangerous than hooves, however numerous reports
indicate that many swine products, particularly from the Asian
continent test positive for Salmonella. A test conducted in the
U.K. indicated that one in three samples from Thailand, and one
in eight samples from China contained Salmonella.
Hooves are extremely hard and vets have reported numerous broken
teeth as a result of gnawing these chews. More powerful dogs can
split a hoof, and the resulting shards can be as sharp and deadly
as broken glass. These fragments do not soften in the gut quick
enough to prevent injury, and with these lethal splinters, gastrointestinal
obstructions are the least of your worries. A partial obstruction
caused by a hoof shard can easily turn into a bowel perforation.
As bowel contents are allowed into the abdomen, peritonitis quickly
develops. And once the dog becomes septic, the most likely outcome
is death.
Greenies are another popular chewie. The manufacturer's own tests
show that these chews are effective in reducing tartar growth,
however the claim to controlling doggie breath is disputed by
many customers. The makers of Greenies make the claim "no
crumbs", this may be true as these chews have a tendency
to break apart in large chunks. They also state that "gulpers"
should be strictly monitored. Put those two things together, large
chunks and gulping, and there is definitely the possibility of
a resulting esophageal or intestinal blockage. In fact, one woman
claims that a large piece of Greenie became lodged in her dog's
throat. By the time her vet found the obstruction, it had become
"glued" to the esophageal wall. According to the report,
the doctors had an extremely difficult time removing the green
chunk, and the dog died from surgical complications.
A trusted name in the chew business, Nylabone has been keeping
dogs busy for several generations. But a Virginia attorney says
that she has found over a hundred cases where injury or death
has occured after swallowing Nylabone products. Again, supervision
is key. A well used and worn bone can easily provide the large
chunk of plastic that will become your dog's next bowel obstruction.
And, as vets are finding out, plastic bone pieces are not indicated
on an x-ray. This translates to a delayed diagnosis, and treatment.
Soft plastic chews are also found everywhere, in all shapes and
colors, some have squeakers. These toys present two distinct dangers.
First, the soft plastic easily yields to the persistent chewer,
and the irregular-shaped pieces that tear off are prime candidates
to halt your dog's digestive production line. The unexpected hazard
from these toys is the possibility of cancer causing agents. A
significant number of these plastic toys contain PVC which is
not a soft and pliable product. Consequently, compounds known
as phthalates are added to the raw plastic to soften it. These
chemical compounds have been banned from use in rattles and babies
teething toys by several European countries, and are currently
under investigation in the US as possible carcinogens. During
the last decade, scientific research involving phthalates has
shown them to be responsible for liver and kidney damage in laboratory
animals as well as an increased incidence of cancer.
Another group of chews are braided "bones" composed
of numerous strands of thread-like string. These toys do provide
for good abrasive contact with the teeth, and hence serve to reduce
tartar build-up. But not to sound repetitive... supervision is
extremely important. An aggressive chewer on a search and destroy
mission will relentlessly pull at the strands of these toys until
it is completely dismantled. If the strings are swallowed, there
is significant danger of obstruction, and in some cases laceration.
Dogs chew. It's what they do. Despite the dangers of various chews
and toys, it is possible to provide your dog with a safe outlet.
Use common sense, and pick toys that are appropriate for your
dog's size and agressiveness. Be aware of the common dangers and
avoid them by; 1) using only rawhides or pig's ears, processed
and manufactured in the US, 2) staying away from hooves, 3) substituting
soft plastic toys with natural rubber or latex ones, 4) discarding
old, worn toys, and 5) supervising your pets activity carefully.
Following these simple rules can help avoid tragic and excrutiating
consequences for your beloved pet.
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