What seriously unsafe toys are you aware of ?

[Gary_and_Karen]

I understand that there is likely no toy that can be guaranteed 100% safe, but there are some toys that reviews have shown to be seriously unsafe and I wanted members to be able to use this topic to alert others of toys that have been shown to be very unsafe.

 

What started me thinking of this was because we are trying to find a safe substitute for rawhide bones, now unsupervised rawhide bones can obviously be a danger, so if you do let your dogs chew rawhide please only let them chew it while you can be watching them closely.

 

OK, here is a dog toy I just learned that can make your dog extremely sick -

 

The "Tirebiter" from Mammoth, a company that makes dog toys.

 

First let me say that usually I will research online for customer reviews on products before making a purchase to see if people have had any problems with the product. Amazon is one place where you can see a lot of reviews on stuff, and there are other places for reviews about specific types of products.

 

Anyhow, my wife bought the "Tirebiter" before I realized she was going to get it, but when she brought it home from Walmart it seemed like an innocent enough toy, a simple toy rubber tire to chew on, what could possibly be harmful about that ?

 

Well thank God I thought to check reviews on Amazon before we let the dog even see it and I am so glad I did, it seems there are reports of dogs getting very sick after chewing on it and throwing up 10 -12 or more times all night, losing their appetite and energy, ect.

 

One review on Amazon mentioned there were more reports on the following review site for toys and after reading what is at the following link I took the "Tirebiter" back to Walmart for a refund the same day !

 

Here is that link -

 

http://rufftoyreviews.com/2011/04/update-to-pawtracks-tirebiter-review-dangerous-to-dogs/

.......so, anyone else have any warnings to share of seriously dangerous toys ?

What makes the "Tirebiter" extra bad is that just to look at it you would not think of it making dogs sick, maybe a choking hazard if they could manage to chew off a big chunk, but to just look at it on the shelf you would likely not even consider it could make your dog seriously sick.

Bottom line: do your research BEFORE buying stuff and try to find places where you can read a large number of reviews on any particular product, because it might not be an accurate assessment if there are only 3 or 4 reviews and perhaps those few had not had the product long enough yet to cause a problem, but if you can find places like Amazon that shows 50 or more customer reviews it should be more obvious if many people are having problems with a product.

Most things I might buy at a local store I will likely find reviews for online somewhere.

(note: while we might still use closely supervised rawhide bones for the time being, I am hoping to find a substitute that will hold my dog's interest as much as rawhide does, but last a lot longer, and not have the potential to have chunks chewed off that are large enough to be unsafe)

[Sue R]

So much of what is safe or unsafe is also dependent on the particular dog. We had a couple of Tire Biter dog toys for our very enthusiastic, hard-chewing little Megan. And while she demolished her toy with avid chewing, she was not and is not a swallower of bits and pieces, and never had the least bit of trouble. On the other hand, we had a soft stuffy toy (and a few other less-durable toys) for Celt who is not an avid chewer but who is a swallower of bits and pieces - and he hacked up a tremendous sausage-shaped wad of mixed rope fibers, stuffing/furry outside fibers, bits of plastic, etc., from a multitude of toys that he had played with over several months. Fortunately, he did not have a blockage but we had to remove all such toys (or use them only when interacting with us) because of him.

 

Some people find deer antlers to be the best chew ever, durable and safe. Others have found that their dog(s) break teeth or otherwise have issues with them. Is it the chewing habit of the dog? Is it an issue with a particular dog's dental health/strength?

 

So, while I am sure there are intrinsically hazardous dog toys (I avoid everything "Made in China" for instance, just because of potential issues with materials), a lot of what is hazardous to one dog might not be hazardous to another. There are, with few exceptions, no absolutes. I think anything that can be chewed can have bits chewed off that are large enough (or small enough) to be a problem, so *supervise* your dog's chewing of reasonable alternatives. I find raw chicken (with bones), neck bones (lamb, pork, goat, venison, beef), rib bones, and similar items to offer a lot of chewing enjoyment, minimal risk, and even some nutrition. For my dogs, the occasional bit that gets swallowed and is too big to digest, gets hacked back up within a day or two with no ill effects.

 

And that reminds me, I need to thaw out some bones for happy chewers tonight...

[Gary_and_Karen]

Your mentioning of a wad of fibers, ect being hacked up by your dog reminded me of how our previous dog would occasionally chew at our wall to wall carpet (fortunately she later outgrew that habit) and every so often she would cough up a hairball just like a cat does (she also would lick her paws like a cat and probally swallowed her hairs also)

 

So much of what is safe or unsafe is also dependent on the particular dog. We had a couple of Tire Biter dog toys for our very enthusiastic, hard-chewing little Megan. And while she demolished her toy with avid chewing, she was not and is not a swallower of bits and pieces, and never had the least bit of trouble. On the other hand, we had a soft stuffy toy (and a few other less-durable toys) for Celt who is not an avid chewer but who is a swallower of bits and pieces - and he hacked up a tremendous sausage-shaped wad of mixed rope fibers, stuffing/furry outside fibers, bits of plastic, etc., from a multitude of toys that he had played with over several months. Fortunately, he did not have a blockage but we had to remove all such toys (or use them only when interacting with us) because of him.

 

Some people find deer antlers to be the best chew ever, durable and safe. Others have found that their dog(s) break teeth or otherwise have issues with them. Is it the chewing habit of the dog? Is it an issue with a particular dog's dental health/strength?

 

So, while I am sure there are intrinsically hazardous dog toys (I avoid everything "Made in China" for instance, just because of potential issues with materials), a lot of what is hazardous to one dog might not be hazardous to another. There are, with few exceptions, no absolutes. I think anything that can be chewed can have bits chewed off that are large enough (or small enough) to be a problem, so *supervise* your dog's chewing of reasonable alternatives. I find raw chicken (with bones), neck bones (lamb, pork, goat, venison, beef), rib bones, and similar items to offer a lot of chewing enjoyment, minimal risk, and even some nutrition. For my dogs, the occasional bit that gets swallowed and is too big to digest, gets hacked back up within a day or two with no ill effects.

 

And that reminds me, I need to thaw out some bones for happy chewers tonight...

 

.

[Gary_and_Karen]

The other thing I failed to mention about the "Tirebiter" is that when I took it out of the bag after it was brought home it didn't take long to notice a strong unpleasant oily type smell. (I had shortly later read a customer review that mentioned that also) So it didn't surprise me to read about all the dogs that it made very sick to the point of repeatly throwing up all night.

 

I am sure there can be some dogs that will not chew off even small slivers and swallow them and so might not have any ill effects, but it was amazing to read about how many dogs did get sick from it.

 

When you read a lot of negative reviews about a certain product I prefer to avoid even trying the product rather than hoping your dog might be one of the few that might not be affected.

[juliepoudrier]

I agree with Sue. What's "seriously unsafe" for one dog, may not be for another. I have a tire toy (same brand mentioned here) I've had for quite a few years. It's been played with by many of my dogs. It used to have a rope attached, but that is long gone. The pup loves this toy and even has a smaller version. None of my dogs has gotten sick from it. In fact the older toy will need to be thrown out soon only because the "belts" (cloth fibers) are now showing. That's a total of 10+ dogs who have played with the toy in question without incident. So the one toy you're calling seriously unsafe here is one toy I've had great success with.

 

One thing to remember with online reviews is that people who are happy with a product or service rarely bother to take the time to write a review about it. People who are unhappy are quick to pick up the figurative pen. I have had lots and lots of dog toys and have never once thought to write a review about any of them, though some I was certainly less satisfied with than others.

 

Just like with your rawhide question you're not going to get simple answers on what's safe or not safe. I had a new vet try to tell me the other day that I should give my dogs Greenies for their teeth. This despite the fact that I had just told him I stopped using them because I have dogs that were gulping them down in 2-3 bites rather than chewing them--not only a choking hazard, but also certainly not effective for teeth cleaning at that rate of consumption.

 

The only "toy" I have ever had dogs injured by was sticks. I won't throw a stick for my dogs, unless I'm throwing out into the water where I know the stick will land before the dog gets there. And yet there are probably thousands and thousands of people who throw sticks for their dogs on a daily basis without any incidents.

 

Your last sentence speaks to my point about who writes reviews. The few who are affected are the ones who write the negative reviews. The ones who are unaffected are likely in the silent majority. You can't assume that the reviews are in any way representative of the actual numbers of dogs affected or unaffected by a particular toy. Likewise, many people will immediately assume causation if one event happens at the same time or close to the same time as another But again, those are assumptions that may not prove out to be true, should anyone care to test them.

 

You seem to enjoy spending time searching stuff and reading reviews, but I wonder if you won't just make yourself crazy with that. Set some common sense rules--like Sue's "nothing made in China"--and then watch your dog and how she interacts with various toys. (I have several versions of Jolly Balls. There's one the dogs like that is a hard plastic outer ball with a soft inner ball. I don't particular like it because the dogs have carried it around by the openings that let the dog try to get the inner ball. In the process of doing so, they have made those openings extremely rough; the hard plastic is sharp where it's been carried/chewed. I would not get another of those, even though no dog has actually been hurt by those sharp chewed up places as far as I know. But they do love it.) You'll get a far better take on what's good and what's not than spending your days reading bad reviews on the internet.

 

J.

[Gary_and_Karen]

I understand what you are saying, but I'm sure you can understand my concern after reading so many reports that basically said the same thing, that their dogs started to repeatedly vomit after chewing it for a while. So it made you think there had to be some reason for concern.

 

Ok, even if some dogs had no ill effects, could you imagine how bad I would have felt for my dog if I ignored those negative reviews and my dog got really sick because of it ?

 

It did have a really unpleasant chemical smell, that alone made me leary even before I read any reviews.

 

I know it seems like I am so overly cautious with some of this stuff, but I do agree that "made in China" is a definite "red flag" to watch out for

 

I agree with Sue. What's "seriously unsafe" for one dog, may not be for another. I have a tire toy (same brand mentioned here) I've had for quite a few years. It's been played with by many of my dogs. It used to have a rope attached, but that is long gone. The pup loves this toy and even has a smaller version. None of my dogs has gotten sick from it. In fact the older toy will need to be thrown out soon only because the "belts" (cloth fibers) are now showing. That's a total of 10+ dogs who have played with the toy in question without incident. So the one toy you're calling seriously unsafe here is one toy I've had great success with.

 

One thing to remember with online reviews is that people who are happy with a product or service rarely bother to take the time to write a review about it. People who are unhappy are quick to pick up the figurative pen. I have had lots and lots of dog toys and have never once thought to write a review about any of them, though some I was certainly less satisfied with than others.

 

Just like with your rawhide question you're not going to get simple answers on what's safe or not safe. I had a new vet try to tell me the other day that I should give my dogs Greenies for their teeth. This despite the fact that I had just told him I stopped using them because I have dogs that were gulping them down in 2-3 bites rather than chewing them--not only a choking hazard, but also certainly not effective for teeth cleaning at that rate of consumption.

 

The only "toy" I have ever had dogs injured by was sticks. I won't throw a stick for my dogs, unless I'm throwing out into the water where I know the stick will land before the dog gets there. And yet there are probably thousands and thousands of people who throw sticks for their dogs on a daily basis without any incidents.

 

Your last sentence speaks to my point about who writes reviews. The few who are affected are the ones who write the negative reviews. The ones who are unaffected are likely in the silent majority. You can't assume that the reviews are in any way representative of the actual numbers of dogs affected or unaffected by a particular toy. Likewise, many people will immediately assume causation if one event happens at the same time or close to the same time as another But again, those are assumptions that may not prove out to be true, should anyone care to test them.

 

You seem to enjoy spending time searching stuff and reading reviews, but I wonder if you won't just make yourself crazy with that. Set some common sense rules--like Sue's "nothing made in China"--and then watch your dog and how she interacts with various toys. (I have several versions of Jolly Balls. There's one the dogs like that is a hard plastic outer ball with a soft inner ball. I don't particular like it because the dogs have carried it around by the openings that let the dog try to get the inner ball. In the process of doing so, they have made those openings extremely rough; the hard plastic is sharp where it's been carried/chewed. I would not get another of those, even though no dog has actually been hurt by those sharp chewed up places as far as I know. But they do love it.) You'll get a far better take on what's good and what's not than spending your days reading bad reviews on the internet.

 

J.

[juliepoudrier]

I'm just beginning to think that your time would be better served playing with or training your dog than trolling the internet for bad reviews on everything under the sun, but hey, if you like to borrow trouble wherever you can find it, I guess that's your choice.

 

I think I'll go buy stock in bubble wrap. I see a rise in the future....

 

J.

[Sue R]

I have had my two Tire Biters for at least half-a-dozen years or more now, and Julie's is also older. They may be made differently now and if I bought a dog toy that had a strong chemical or oily smell, I would not use it, either. But I do agree with Julie in that I think people with negative things to say in a review may well be more likely to post a review rather than the people who are quite happy with something.

 

That said, i often check out reviews (and not just for dog toys) to see what people have to say about something I am considering. I look at favorable and non-favorable reviews, consider what I read in the ones I select to read, look at the description of the item, and make up my own mind whether or not to give it a try. I have been pleasantly pleased by some products that had some bad reviews but that I felt were good products, and disappointed by some that had bad reviews. Again, the old adage is "your mileage may vary" and I find it true for dog supplies as well as many other things in life.

 

I also, and this is my ace in the hole, have a pet supply shop where I buy my dog and cat food where I can see products in person, check them out myself, ask the store owner's opinion (and she and her staff are wonderful about being honest and open with their opinions and recommendations), and make my own decision. And I do buy products at that shop where they are willing to talk to me and are experienced about dogs (and cats) and dog (and cat) products. I may or may not buy something in the future off the internet but I do give all the business I can to the folks who back up my questions and needs with customer service and their own experience.

 

Works for me. There are rarely one-size-fits-all answers but I often think (from your posts) that you want cut-and-dried answers where there usually aren't any such thing.

[Liz P]

1) Use common sense.

 

2) Buy products from companies that don't use harmful/unsafe chemicals.

 

3) Supervise play.

[Gary_and_Karen]

Contrary to how it might seem, I don't spend excessive time looking for bad reviews

 

I just think it is common sense to try to benefit from reviews to avoid bad products, it's like the "pocket hose" they advertize "as seen on tv" and make it sound so great and I was going to get one, but then I read a lot of reviews of how many people had problems with it developing holes and leaks.

 

.....I learned quite a while back that just because a store puts a product on the shelf does not automatically mean it is a good product, or a safe product.

 

.....I'm glad Sue R agree that the bad chemical smell is a good reason in itself not to use it, perhaps some companies change how they make a product in order to cut costs and increase profits and end up making a bad version of a product that used to be well made.

 

 

I'm just beginning to think that your time would be better served playing with or training your dog than trolling the internet for bad reviews on everything under the sun, but hey, if you like to borrow trouble wherever you can find it, I guess that's your choice.

 

I think I'll go buy stock in bubble wrap. I see a rise in the future....

 

J.

[juliepoudrier]

Gary,

I'm not saying that you shouldn't check things out, just that, as Sue said, you're not going to get cut and dried, this is 100% safe, this is 100% unsafe answers (I know we've gone rounds on that one before). You persist in seeking such answers and I don't understand why. You post long excerpts of people's stories declaring this or that item as unsafe, but it's all just anecdotal. If the reviews you posted came from Consumer Reports, the BBB, or the like, I'd put more stock in them, but I've been around long enough to know that most people when they get emotional will make all sorts of claims about things, claims that may or may not be true.

 

To be clear, I read reviews before making purchases, especially purchases that are going to cost me a lot of money, but I don't expect my experience to live up (or down) to everyone else's, and I also put more stock in opinions I get directly from people I know or from websites dedicated to a particular topic (thinking of things like cameras here, where you can find websites with reviews that are clearly well-thought-out and objective). I've bought stuff that had good reviews or were personally recommended to me by people I trusted only to end up with crap (my HP printer is a case in point), and I've bought items that many people didn't particularly like that I've been perfectly happy with.

 

I don't think anyone is going to be able to tell you that something is 100% safe or not, which is my point. I specifically referred to the rawhide thread you started because that's a prime example of the range of opinions you'll get. I generally don't give my dogs rawhide, but know people who do, without incident. Some insist that pressed is safe, some say not. Some say the "flips" are safe than the bone-shaped ones. Some say they are not safe at all. So who do you decide to believe? Couldn't they all be right, based on their own personal experiences (or those of close friends)? If one friend's dog choked on one but five other friends used them without incident, should I base my opinion on the one incidence of choke and so never buy a rawhide? Or should I mark that information down as a reason I might want to supervise my dog while it's chewing on a rawhide, since I too have give my dogs rawhides without incident? If the person whose dog choked posted a bad review on the Internet, does that really mean the product is unsafe? What about those other folks who have used rawhides for years, without incident, but who haven't posted a review anywhere?

 

Case in point: I bought some Nylabone Healthy Edibles for the pup the other way, as a way to keep her occupied while I try to get some freelance work done. She ate one, and had diarrhea that night. I've had her on chicken and rice the past two days. She had eaten this product before without incident, though a different flavor. It might have been the Healthy Edible that resulted in the diarrhea this time, but I can't say that for sure, and I sure wouldn't go onto a review website and claim that the Healthy Edible gave my pup diarrhea (when so many other things could have done so as well). If I did post such a story on a review site, no doubt you'd be quoting it here as a reason Healthy Edibles are unsafe. But since I can't say for sure there was a cause and effect here, I wouldn't claim that there was one. Other people would jump right up and insist the one (eating the Healthy Edible) was the cause of the other (diarrhea).But such claims aren't really verifiable. I felt bad for the pup, but I sure am not beating myself up over something that wasn't foreseeable and might not even have been the cause of the problem.

 

FWIW, I'm not saying it was wrong to take the tire toy back--if I opened up a toy that smelled or looked bad to me, I wouldn't give it to my dog, just as I wouldn't give a food item that smelled or looked bad. But common sense should also tell you that you can't believe everything you read on the Internet, and getting data from real people you know is likely to be a better use of time than searching for bad reviews online and then questioning every little thing you might consider giving your dog.

 

Just my opinion of course.

 

J.

[Gary_and_Karen]

I understand what you are saying and I appreciate your input, and I know some people are more likely to post a review after a negative result rather than a positive one.

 

Like I said in my initial post on this topic - "I understand that there is likely no toy that can be guaranteed 100% safe" - but I guess it is more of trying to get a general feel for what might be more preferrable to try and what might be more preferrable to avoid (like one with a bad chemical odor) - (not a 100% this or that, just a general feel based on others' experiences, like those on this forum)

 

Gary,

I'm not saying that you shouldn't check things out, just that, as Sue said, you're not going to get cut and dried, this is 100% safe, this is 100% unsafe answers (I know we've gone rounds on that one before). You presist in seeking such answers and I don't understand why. You post long excerpts of people's stories declaring this or that item as unsafe, but it's all just anecdotal. If the reviews you posted came from Consumer Reports, the BBB, or the like, I'd put more stock in them, but I've been around long enough to know that most people when they get emotional will make all sorts of claims about things, claims that may or may not be true.

 

To be clear, I read reviews before making purchases, especially purchases that are going to cost me a lot of money, but I don't expect my experience to live up (or down) to everyone else's, and I also put more stock in opinions I get directly from people I know or from websites dedicated to a particular topic (thinking of things like cameras here, where you can find websites with reviews that are clearly well-thought-out and objective). I've bought stuff that had good reviews or were personally recommended to me by people I trusted only to end up with crap (my HP printer is a case in point), and I've bought items that many people didn't particularly like that I've been perfectly happy with.

 

I don't think anyone is going to be able to tell you that something is 100% safe or not, which is my point. I specifically referred to the rawhide thread you started because that's a prime example of the range of opinions you'll get. I generally don't give my dogs rawhide, but know people who do, without incident. Some insist that pressed is safe, some say not. Some say the "flips" are safe than the bone-shaped ones. Some say they are not safe at all. So who do you decide to believe? Couldn't they all be right, based on their own personal experiences (or those of close friends)? If one friend's dog choked on one but five other friends used them without incident, should I base my opinion on the one incidence of choke and so never buy a rawhide? Or should I mark that information down as a reason I might want to supervise my dog while it's chewing on a rawhide, since I too have give my dogs rawhides without incident? If the person whose dog choked posted a bad review on the Internet, does that really mean the product is unsafe? What about those other folks who have used rawhides for years, without incident, but who haven't posted a review anywhere?

 

Case in point: I bought some Nylabone Healthy Edibles for the pup the other way, as a way to keep her occupied while I try to get some freelance work done. She ate one, and had diarrhea that night. I've had her on chicken and rice the past two days. She had eaten this product before without incident, though a different flavor. It might have been the Healthy Edible that resulted in the diarrhea this time, but I can't say that for sure, and I sure wouldn't go onto a review website and claim that the Healthy Edible gave my pup diarrhea (when so many other things could have done so as well). If I did post such a story on a review site, no doubt you'd be quoting it here as a reason Healthy Edibles are unsafe. But since I can't say for sure there was a cause and effect here, I wouldn't claim that there was one. Other people would jump right up and insist the one (eating the Healthy Edible) was the cause of the other (diarrhea).But such claims aren't really verifiable. I felt bad for the pup, but I sure am not beating myself up over something that wasn't foreseeable and might not even have been the cause of the problem.

 

FWIW, I'm not saying it was wrong to take the tire toy back--if I opened up a toy that smelled or looked bad to me, I wouldn't give it to my dog, just as I wouldn't give a food item that smelled or looked bad. But common sense should also tell you that you can't believe everything you read on the Internet, and getting data from real people you know is likely to be a better use of time than searching for bad reviews online and then questioning every little thing you might consider giving your dog.

 

Just my opinion of course.

 

J.

[Beach BCs]

Supervision is key.

 

One of my dogs is wonderful with soft toys, stuffies with squeakers. Some he's had for years. The girls, not so much. There are days I'm not sure I want to leave them alone with a giant nylabone. I've had indestructible toys last five minutes, two black Kongs destroyed. I have a box full of toys they are allowed to play with as they pease as long as I can casually supervise. But if I'm not home, the box is shut. They have their more durable toys for when I'm gone. Go out, buy a few toys, watch her with them, occasionally inspect them to see how they're holding up. If all is well, buy her a few more of that type. If not, take it away.

 

All that being said, sometimes I buy them toys they're going to destroy in a day because I know they get a kick out of it. Inexpensive dollar store kick balls or dodge balls. They wreck them and I pick up the pieces. It's all in a day's fun. (I do watch them to make sure they don't ingest anything they shouldn't.)