SAFE CHEW TOYS FOR PUPPIES

There are so many different types of toys for puppies that picking out safe toys can be confusing. These are a few basic guidelines for selecting safe toys, which may help in your selection.

1. NEVER give your puppy a toy made from vinyl. These toys are made of a thick material which, when chewed and swallowed, can cause a fatal gastrointestinal obstruction. The safe toys are made from latex, which is pliable and usually will pass through the digestive tract.

2. NEVER give your puppy a chew toy with a popsicle stick. The sticks can lodge sideways in the mouth and cause choking and tearing of the inside gums and cheeks.

3. NEVER give your puppy hard toys such as cow hooves. Many baby teeth and adult teeth have been fractured from these chew toys.

4. Be careful of fleece toys with squeakers or mechanisms that talk or sing. Puppies tend to chew through the fleece and the mechanical pieces are very small and can be easily swallowed. Take any fleece away that is torn.

5. Dyed rawhide in all the fancy colors can be easily chewed and the colors found in the stool. It is healthier to give natural rawhide and stay away from the dyed products.

6. Give rawhide that is suitable in size for your puppy. Do not give larger puppies tiny rawhide bones that can be easily swallowed whole. Take away the rawhide if the puppy is trying to gulp it all down at once. Be careful of the knotted end of the rawhide as it softens from chewing.

7. Pigs ears should not be given to puppies if members of the human household are immuno-compromised, since pigs ears can harbor Salmonella.

8. Nylabones are safe but throw them out if the ends get chipped or broken.

9. Filled bones are popular. Select bones with wider ends so the teeth do not get lodged in the center. Many small round bones have ended up lodged between the canine teeth. Throw the bone away if it splinters.

10. Stay away from toys that have eyes, buttons, strings, etc. that the puppy can rip away and swallow.

Be a careful shopper. Many toys have been popular and safe for years including latex toys, nylabones, King Kong rubber toys, large rawhides, fleece toys without noise, filled rawhide, Greenies, beef and pork products, etc. Evaluate each toy and try to purchase treats and cookies that are natural and not laden with artificial colors.

Kathleen Stryeski, DVM

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