Are Your Dog’s Toys Putting His Health at Risk?

I’m sure by now most of you have heard about the massive toy recalls for toys made in China. There were different reasons for different recalls, but it really got me thinking. Many of the children’s toys were recalled because of unsafe amounts of lead in the paint. If children’s toys are unsafe, then dog toys are probably unsafe as well. If you walk into any store that sells dog toys and look at the labels, most of them are made in China. As it turns out there are problems with dog toys, but they don’t necessarily have to do with being made in China. During the time the children’s toy recalls were in the news, I searched the internet to see if I could find any information about the safety of dog toys. At the time, I couldn’t find anything, but low and behold in the April 2008 issue of “The Whole Dog Journal” there was an article called ‘Why Vinyl Stinks’. After reading the article, I gathered up all the vinyl dog toys in the house and threw them in the trash.

The problems with vinyl toys are chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates are used to make vinyl flexible, and the dangers are not just in toys. Vinyl is everywhere. You and your dog most likely encounter vinyl products on a daily basis. All kinds of things are made from vinyl including toys, dog clothing, leashes, collars, carriers, dog beds, shower curtains, flooring, window blinds, backpacks, ponchos, and even your shoes. The list goes on and on. Phthalates are dangerous to everyone: you, your kids, and your animals. One characteristic of vinyl dog toys is the smell. If you’ve ever bought one of these toys, you know what I’m talking about. The problem with vinyl is that the chemical molecules of phthalates move not only within the vinyl, but they also move out of the vinyl. So if your dog is chewing on a vinyl dog toy, the phthalates are moving out of the toy and into your dog’s body. Phthalates can wreak havoc on your dog’s health. They can cause toxicity and biochemical changes in the kidneys and liver and they can have profoundly effect the reproductive system. There are also other additives in vinyl, including lead that can have a negative effect on your dog’s health. Lead can also be in other painted dog toys.

I’ll be the first to admit that my dogs have a ridiculous amount of toys, but they no longer have any vinyl toys. Yet, I still have to wonder what hidden dangers are lurking in other toys, most of them made in China. Weylin and Maggie have a veratible zoo of stuffed animals, as well as rubber balls and other rubber toys. Weylin’s favorites are the Kong squeaky tennis balls, and Maggie simply adores the small stuffed animals that ‘talk’. Until dog toys have to adhere to the same standards as children’s toys, we must be ever vigilant.

To learn more about the dangers of vinyl check out the April 2008 edition of “The Whole Dog Journal” (http://www.whole-dog-journal.com) or read this article:
http://www.h4ha.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=157

A Dog With A Purpose

To understand where I am coming from on all issues having to with dogs, I am going to give you a little background information. I grew up with wire-haired Fox Terriers. We always had a dog, so of course when I was out on my own I wanted a dog. My now ex-husband I did the worst thing you can possibly do when getting a dog. I don’t know how it happened, but we found an ad in a paper for wolf hybrid puppies. Alaskan Malamute/Tundra Wolf cross. If you don’t know anything about wolves, a Tundra Wolf is a very large wolf. I am not going to get into the wolf hybrid thing here. That’s a whole other blog. My ex and I know nothing about wolf hybrids. We go to this house at 9 or 10 o’clock at night. According the “breeders” the mother was 75% Alaskan Malamute/ 25% Tundra Wolf. The father was 75% Tundra Wolf/25% Alaskan Malamute. They billed the puppies as being 50/50 hybrid. If you are familiar with genetics, you know it just doesn’t work that way. The mother dog walked up to me, and her head was almost as chest level. I am almost 5’ 7”. Warning bells should have gone off, but they didn’t. The owners said that the mother weighed 175lbs and had lost weight nursing. Hello…were there red flags? Yes. But did I see them? No. That night eight week old Wulfgar came home to live with us. He was the most adorable creature on four legs. Eight week old Wulfgar weighed 17 lbs. That’s a lot of puppy. At the time, we lived in an apartment where you weren’t allowed to have pets. Good plan, huh? We were looking for a place to move, and eventually rented a small house. At the time we both worked, and the plan was to allow Wulf to have run of the basement during the day. The basement wasn’t fully submerged, there were windows, and it was nice and cool during the day. Wulf wasn’t having any of it. He was not interested in being inside whether it was cooler or not. So my ex-husband built him a dog house out of ¾” plywood, complete with green paint and a shingled roof. After a year we moved to another small house. After a few more years my ex-husband was gone. Wulf was a handful. I had taken him to obedience school, and he had done very well, but I have since come to the conclusion that he only let me think I was in charge. Wulf weighed in at 145lbs and looked like he weighed about 180lbs. Wulf and I went where we wanted, when we wanted, day or night. I had a Ford Ranger, and he rode in the back in a large wire dog crate. We had quite a few adventures together. I had people following me off the interstate to see him. One guy made me wait in McDonald’s parking lot until his wife could get there to see Wulf. We would go to Baskin Robbins for ice cream and people would gather around to watch. As he got older, it got to the point that it was annoying. I supposed he learned if from, but he eventually got to where he would just ignore most people. I would put on my invisible sunglasses, and away we would go. Unless someone was very insistent, we just ignored them most of the time.
My ex and I had made it a point to socialize Wulf. I had bought a book about raising a wolf hybrid and realized that I had a lot to learn. At the time there was also a magazine called the Wolf Hybrid Times that I subscribed to for a time. It came in a brown paper wrapper so the neighbors couldn’t see what it was. If you don’t know, it is illegal to give a wolf hybrid a rabies vaccine which is just asinine. Therefore if a wolf hybrid were to bite some, he would be quarantined and his head cut off. This is the only to tell if an animal has rabies. I had vets tell me that they didn’t want to know that he was a hybrid, and they gave him the rabies vaccine. So thus began Wulf’s life as an Alaskan Malamute or Alaskan Malamute mix. Most people didn’t know what a Malamute was to begin with.
When my ex-husband left, Wulf and I lived at the end of a dead end street with no other houses around. I was never afraid. Where Wulf’s coat was so thick, it was too hot to do anything during the day in the summer time. So we would go out after dark. We haunted many a park in the midnight hours, and I had no fear. I have no doubt that Wulf would have protected me if there had ever been a need to, but no one was ever stupid enough to try. Wulf was with me when I need him most, when I was out on my own for the first time. Was I the pack leader? Probably not. We were what we were. I loved him, and I thought I was doing to best that I could for him. I would have done what I had to do if anyone had ever tried to hurt him. I would have given anything to save him, but in the end we could not beat cancer. In December of 2003 my current husband and I found out that Wulf had bone cancer. I am not going to go into the whole story here. If you are interested in more details, you can check out my web page: www.lonewulfcreations.com. Wulf ultimately lost his battle with bone cancer on April 4, 2004. The vet that diagnosed Wulf gave us two options: either amputate his leg or don’t wait too long to put him to sleep. This was not acceptable to me, so I began doing tons of research at the library and online. There were so many things that I did not know, and it might have cost Wulf his life. The two dogs that I have now, Weylin ( 4yr old Alaskan Malamute) and Maggie (4 Yr old Border Collie/Hound mix) have benefited greatly from what I have learned, but the price was so high.

The Mission of The Distinguished Dog

I decided to start writing this blog after reading pet questions that people ask on Yahoo! Answers. It is almost incomprehensible to me how ignorant some people are when it comes to caring for a dog. First of all, let me say that DOGS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE! People need to understand that when you get a dog, it is for life. You are committed to taking care of this animal the same way you are committed to taking care of your children. If you are not prepared to do this, then don’t get a dog. Getting a dog is not like buying something at Wal Mart. You can’t just decide that you don't like it after all, and return it. If you are going to have a dog, you should be ready and willing to take care of this animal in every way. If you can’t afford proper health care or do not want to pay for proper health care, then don’t get a dog.
A dog is one of God’s creatures. This animal is trusting you to feed him, shelter him, care for him, love him, play with him, and train him. I don’t have any tolerance for people who mistreat their dogs or any other animal, for that matter. I find it hard to believe that there isn’t something inherently wrong with someone who abuses animals.
That being said, I am not perfect. Have I made mistakes with my dogs? Of course. Are my dogs the most well trained dogs in the world? No they are not, but they are very well cared for and well loved. Most people would consider my dogs to be spoiled by any standard. I do not have human children, but Weylin and Maggie are my children and I take care of them to the best of my ability.
I will be writing blog entries about different topics, but many of the entries will have to do with canine health and nutrition. I am not an expert, I am merely expressing my opinions based upon research that I have done over the last five years. Where applicable, I will provide sources for my information. Occasionally Weylin or Maggie might have something to add. It’s always good to have a dog’s point of view