Just got this in my morning e-mail and had to pass it along.
I've picked up stuffed toys at yard sales in the past...but will never do again!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON TO ALL YOUR FELLOW FURKID PARENTS!
From another list:
Just got this and I know many pick up stuffed toys at thrift shops, for dog toys. Might want to re-think that.
Quote:
Last night at agility class, a vet, who is a fellow agility student was telling us about a case she had this week. The dog ate a child's teddy bear and was very sick.
When she opened the dog up to remove what she thought was an intestinal obstruction she found a huge gelatin type mess inside and the dogs intestines were black and the tissue dead. The dog will die no surgery can fix him up there was no living intestine left from stomach to colon.
This was not an obstruction. .... so she called the manufacturer of the Teddy Bear on a quest to find out what the gel was and what killed the dog. Turns out the stuffing in children's toys contains ingredients for flame retardants and mite control!
It is designed to be come a gel. It is highly toxic. Now you would think a child's toy would be safe because it is for children, but they don't expect a child to eat the stuffing of the toys... huummmm that seems a bit scary too. But we all know dogs demolish stuffed toys.
So do not give or buy your dog any children's stuffed animals... some people get them at goodwill etc. The vet will be posting a warning and story and I will send any other facts as needed and as I learn more. Maybe some children's toys do not have this ingredient, but better to be safe then sorry. So meanwhile, make sure all your dog toys are for dogs.
Please pass this on... it is a horrible death she described and one that can be avoided.
Heather Screws
P.R. Director
Saving Pyrs In Need Rescue
www.SPINrescue. org
"If you think you're a person of influence, Try bossing a Pyr around!"
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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5 comments:
I'm searching for any reputable information on this. While caution is great, I think this sounds like a hoax.
Any authoritative reference?
I think this will end up on Snopes.com very soon - nothing about it makes sense. (It's already being touted as rumor on their discussion forum.) I've seen it all over the internet in the last few days - with everyone asking everyone they know to pass it on.
Supposedly, this person who wrote the story was at an agility class where the vet was - but it never says where the class was - what city/state - what vet - and most importantly - what toy manufacturer the vet called. These are usually signs it is not true.
It it was true, the vet would want to give as much information as possible to prevent it from happening to anyone else or their animal.
You can take every stuff animal you have in your possession and throw them into the washer, and when mixed with liquid, they do not turn to black gel. They actually usually come out looking almost new. :)
What toy manufacturer would even make a toy for a child that everyone knows might put it in their mouth at some point that would be toxic to a child?? No one, in my opinion. Some children even suck on them like a security blankie.
I'm also sure that toy manufacturers know that people buy stuffed children toys for their animals. I have one I bought that has lasted longer than any other toy I've ever bought for them - it's been washed five times and still going strong! None of my animal toys ever hold up as well.
You can find this same story going all around the internet like crazy and I bet someone is laughing up a storm at how far and how fast it has gone around. I'm not saying it can't be true but it's so highly doubtful, and if it does turn out to be true, I'm sure the real story is much different than this. I don't buy for a minute that a vet has contacted a toy manufacturer to find out what caused this but is not going to share it with us on the internet and dog groups, but instead decides to mention it to someone at a class the other night.
If this was as serious and truthful as it implies, there would be immediate toy recalls and warnings from a reputable source - not from a no-named person who happened to hear it from a no-named vet at a no-named agility class somewhere. If a dog's stomach, from his intestines to his colon had all turned to black gel, I don't think this dog could have ever been alive for this vet to 'open' him to remove the 'obstruction' in the first place, as the story indicates.
There is just too much about the story that doesn't add up. That's my two cents on this, anyway.
Judy
mom to three beautiful loving beagles - one which eats the stuffing out of all toys and beds (and yes, I buy children's toys from thrift stores and yard sales for them)
You may very well be right, but I'd rather err on the side of caution than lose one of my dogs.
And... I don't trust manufacturers, especially if the products are coming from China.
We know that plastics handed to babies to chew on and drink from are toxic, so why would they worry about the stuffing in a toy?
Jim - I don't think there is any reputable references about this story anywhere; none that I can find, anyway. It just has a life of its own and I presume it is hoax as well, or we would have heard something else by now. Someone even tried to put it on CraigsList but it was removed.
Marte - I agree with your comments about plastic. Plastic is toxic in general, and we are not supposed to microwave with it. How long were we doing that before we finally found out it was toxic? It is often hard to know 'what is what' sometimes.
I agree with Marte that I would rather err on the side of caution. In fact I recall reading a similar story somewhere. Let me see if I can retrieve the article. Will share with you guys
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