I am not afraid to admit that I wasn’t a very educated dog owner in the beginning. I tell people that “I made very mistake in the book” with Chester and I am not kidding. Although I consider myself a pretty educated pet parent now, I admit I still have a lot of learning to do. There are new things that pop up every day that make me wonder if I am doing the right things for Chester and Gretel.
Gretel had really bad anxiety when she came to live with us. One of the things that finally kept her from busting out of her crate when we left was giving her a stuffed treat toy. She has been obsessed with her favorite treat toy ever since. I see her chewing on it at least 2 or 3 times a day and sometimes she even carries it out to potty with her. She licks it over and over again until her face smells like “plastic”.
I recently became aware of a “new” danger with dog chew toys – bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. Doggy chew toys that are made of hard plastic and vinyl contain them.
BPA and phthalates have been linked to a number of health issues, including altered hormones, impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased fertility and cancers in humans and rodents. The United States and the European Union have banned some phthalates in children’s toys. According to an article in Environmental Health News, researchers at Texas Tech University found that BPA and phthalates readily leach from bumper toys, which are used to train retrieving dogs.
There have been no studies that make a direct link between these chemicals and harmful health effects for dogs. However, logic tells me that it’s likely since people and other animals have been negatively affected by them.
I immediately thought of Gretel sucking for hours on her treat toy and got a little worried. I didn’t know if was the kind of chew toy that contained those icky chemicals. I fast forwarded 5 years in my mind wondering if that kind of constant exposure would cause her to get cancer. I wanted to find out if her chew toy contained BPA or phthalates fast!
The treat toy that Gretel is obsessed with is the Busy Buddy Waggle from PetSafe.
I contacted PetSafe and they said, “The Busy Buddy toys are made of 70% natural and 30% synthetic rubber, and are flavored with vanilla to cover the natural rubber smell. They are BPA free. Our toys are tested to the same standards that the US government requires for children’s toys.” Natural rubber toys do not come with the same risks as plastic toys that contain BPA and phthalates.
Please be aware that natural rubber does contain latex proteins though. That means they aren’t a good choice if either you or your dog has a latex allergy. It is also possible for latex allergies to develop from frequent and prolonged exposure. In our case, since Gretel has been sucking on her rubber toys multiple times a day for over 5 years, I think she would have developed a latex allergy by now is she was going to.
So it sounds like we’re in the clear, right? Not so fast. Gretel’s favorite toy contains synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber is made by man from petrochemicals petrochemicals (petroleum). I’ve reached out to PetSafe to confirm the Busy Buddy Waggle does not contain phthalates either. I have not received a response yet (probably due to the holiday) but a) I am assuming that the answer is no because they are tested to the same standards as children’s toys and I assume phthalates are not allowed in them and b) The Soft Landing, a blog about safe, natural living, published a BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dog Toy Buying Guide and Busy Buddy toys were on the list. I’ll come back here and update when I hear back from PetSafe.
UPDATE: I did hear back from PetSafe and this is what they said, “Natural Rubber and Synthetic rubber do not contain BPA OR phthalates. Both of those chemicals are a result of plastic products, not rubber.”. So good news!
Other BPA and Phthalate-free Toys
Since the discovery of the negative effects of BPA and phthalates on children, some manufacturers of dog chew and treat toys have started manufacturing toys without those chemicals. Besides the Busy Buddy line from PetSafe, here are some other companies with safer toys:
This is one of the safest toy companies I have found. They are the first TÜV Certified dog training toy. TÜV Certification means that the product has been tested by a third-party for, and is free of, cadmium, phthalates, PAH’s, tinorganic compounds, asocolorants, and DIN EN 77-3/9. I admit that I don’t know what all of those things are but I assume they are bad if the toys are being “safety” tested for them.
The Soft Landing blog also listed these toys in their BPA, PVC & Phthalate Free Dog Toy Buying Guide. Besides Premier Pets, the company that makes the Busy Buddy line of toys, and distributed by PetSafe, these are the other companies on their list:
Chewber
Now that you know the truth. you can make for informed choices for your pet. However, I know many dogs will get gifts from well-meaning friends and family members on holidays and birthdays. For the safety of your pets, please check the labels of any “plastic” looking toys. Make sure the label says the toy is “BPA Free” and “phthalate free” or are made in the US from 100% natural rubber. If the toys are risky, you might want to donate them to a local shelter or toss them in the trash.
J Frank says
December 23, 2015 at 6:32 AMI ordered the Petsafe Waggle for Emily because Gretel likes it so much. It was delivered just this morning and Emily took to it immediately, which is unusual for her. I suspect it’s because it has a softer feel than the Kong,
Then I got on Facebook and saw your post! I am so relieved the Waggle is safe!
Emily has separation anxiety that has not been helped at all by treats in her Kong, Benadryl, double Benadryl, ( per her vet)’ atavan, more atavan, in her crate, running free, television, …..
So I’m hoping the Waggle might do some good.
What about the safety of the Kong toys that are so popular?
I appreciate your writing very much. It feels like I have a friend in Seattle.
Jessica Rhae says
December 23, 2015 at 8:09 AMI hope that the Waggle helps Emily. It sure did help Gretel but she was never at a point that we had to medicate her. Do you keep Emily in a crate when you are gone? The other huge thing that helped was to switch her wire crate to an uncovered open-wire crate so she could see out. I know they say dogs feel comforted in a “den” so covering the crate helps but it had the exact opposite effect on Gretel. I knew to try the open wire crate because that’s what helped with Chester too.
As far as the KONG toys go, it’s my understanding that any chew toy should have more than one air hole to prevent suction and the KONG Classic does (the one you see most often that looks a little like a snowman) – the bigger open end and the small hole at the other end. The KONG that got stuck on that dog’s tongue was the KONG Beast. The Waggle has two holes too – the main opening and then the small holes in the side of each ball.
Lara Elizabeth says
December 23, 2015 at 8:00 AMWe really love Planet Dog and West Paw. The only plastic-type toy the girls spend a lot of time chewing are their Benebones, which are made of nylon like Nylabones.
Jessica Rhae says
December 23, 2015 at 8:13 AMI wish that Chester and Gretel were interested in the West Paw and Planet Dog toys because I really like them. I admit I haven’t tried the new West Paw Toppl Treat Toy though. They only like stuffies and treat toys. Besides that, they are not chewers.
Christina Berry | The Lazy Pit Bull says
December 23, 2015 at 9:42 AMThere’s so much to think about when bringing a dog into your home, and to be honest, EVERYTHING needs to be a consideration. We know that NOW, but unfortunately a lot of us were ignorant when we first brought our babies home. Thank you for this information. I hope all dog owners will remember it when purchasing toys for their pets.
Jessica Rhae says
December 23, 2015 at 10:25 AMThere IS so much to worry about. It’s overwhelming. I know I can’t possibly protect Chester and Gretel from every danger… heck, crossing the street is dangerous…. but I try to do things I can.
Robin says
December 23, 2015 at 12:54 PMI would be really concerned about BPAs and other chemicals too! You can’t take your pet’s health too seriously. It’s great that you were able to find such great toys to replace the plastic ones Gretel used to love. She is so cute!
Tenacious Little Terrier says
December 23, 2015 at 7:51 PMThis isn’t something I’ve really given much thought to because Mr. N also likes squeaky stuffies. I’m glad there’s safe options out there though!
Jessica Rhae says
December 26, 2015 at 7:24 AMI didn’t even get into complications with stuffies in this post 🙂 There is a lot to be considered like dyes, material (and material manufacture). I’m not as concerned about those things as the “plastics” because the stuffies aren’t something Chester and Gretel play with regularly and constantly suck on. If I was going to go safe and natural with stuffies though, I LOVE the Simply Fido toys. The strange thing is, they don’t get destroyed like other stuffies at our house. I suspect it’s because the material feels different (organic cotton, including fill) and the outer material/dyes aren’t as “fragrant” (chemical-y).
Jessica Shipman | Beagles & Bargains says
December 23, 2015 at 11:36 PMI’ve been trying to pay more attention lately to where Luna’s toys are made and what they are made of. There is so much focus on treats (which isn’t bad) but I often forget that dogs put their toys in their mouths!
I had no idea about the latex though! Neither of us have allergies, but good to know!
Jessica Rhae says
December 26, 2015 at 7:21 AMI think it’s almost impossible to protect our pets from every danger out there. As with most things in life, everything comes with a certain amount of risk. But yeah… I feel like I can minimize risk for things they put in their mouth like food, treats, and toys. I had never given a lot of thought to the toys until recently either.
Emma says
December 24, 2015 at 9:28 AMWe have never been big fans of plastic chew toys, so it isn’t a big issue here but one does need to pay close attention to what dogs are given. My mom didn’t know much with her first dog, but she has learned a lot.
Jessica Rhae says
December 26, 2015 at 7:18 AMWe’ve never been fans of most plastic toys – mainly the hard but squeaky plastic ones. Chester always annihilated those within minutes and I was afraid the would swallow the little pieces. The soft latex ones and Gretel’s rubbery chew toy are very popular at our house though. I just wasn’t sure which rubbery-plastic toys those chemicals were in and which they weren’t. It’s always good to keep learning.
KB says
December 26, 2015 at 8:24 PMThanks for this great post. I didn’t think of bpa in my dogs’ chew toys. Time for me to check into it, and perhaps replace some with the safe alternatives you suggest.