Are Plastic Pet Toys Hazardous to Pets?

According to the 2011-2012 American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey, pet owners in the United States spent an average of $43 on dog toys, and $21 on toys for cats. And while playtime and training are a vital part of pet care, it’s just as important to ensure that all the toys we give to our pets to play with are totally safe.

In a disturbing study recently made by Texas Tech University, researchers found that some plastic bumper dog toys that frequently are used in dog retriever training may contain toxic chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates. These dangerous chemicals may potentially pose a serious health risk to canines.

Toxicologist at the Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech Phillip Smith, who co-authored the study, was interested in how his own dogs were being affected by these toys. In an interview, Smith toldEnvironmental Health News, “Some of the dogs are exposed to plastic bumpers from the time they are born until the day they die. We all want our pets to be healthy.”

In the study researchers calculated the amount of BPA and phthalates released into dishes containing artificial dog saliva from the orange and white bumper toys and compared it with both toys left outdoors and to those that had been affected by simulated chewing.

Since the volume of chemicals released into a dog's mouth were measured through the use of simulated chewing and artificial saliva, the researchers could not be absolutely certain whether the amount of these chemicals would actually affect a living dog. However, Smith believes that when compared to children's toys, the amount in dog toys would be high. The researchers also tested other kinds of pet toys and found that although the bumper toys released the highest quantities of these toxins, hormonally-active chemicals were present in the other toys as well.