Many pet toys expose your furry friends to toxic chemicals. A 2013 study found that plastic pet toys expose your furry kids to BPA and phthalates, which are added to make the plastic flexible.
These chemicals aren’t bonded to the plastic so they easily leak into your pet’s mouths when they hold plastic toys and chew on them. pets BPA and phthalates end up in your pets where they can disrupt their endocrine system. And some types of phthalates cause cancer.
A 2016 Swedish study that measured phthalate levels in dogs found the breakdown products of 5 different phthalates in the urine of the 16 dogs tested. Significantly higher levels were found in dogs that used plastic toys or lived in homes with vinyl flooring.
Plush toys can also be toxic because they’re frequently treated with carcinogenic flame retardant chemicals like polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Some toys imported from China have been shown to contain heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and chromium.
Luckily, there are plenty of pet toys that are non toxic. I really like toys made with wool. One Pet Planet offer a nice variety of toys.
But sometimes ya gotta have some bounce to your toys. My pup was born with limited vision. He can catch balls only after they hit the ground and bounce up.
The best option for plastic balls and toys are by West Paw. I like that they're made in the US and are phthalate and BPA free. But remember, BPA free doesn’t always mean safe. Some BPA substitutes are as toxic as BPA.
You can also make your own toys. I’ve made toys by cutting up old sweatshirts, shewing them into different shapes and stuffing them with wool.
Sweatshirt sleeves stuffed with wool and sewn shut make great tug toys. Or cut old T-shirts into strips and make a braided tug rope.