Safe at Play: Avoid Rope Toys

I recently had a heart-breaking update from one of our puppy owners. Their 9 month old puppy had shredded and ingested a rope toy. After 3 back-to-back surgeries, they lost him. Needless to say, after hearing about this, we came home and threw away every rope toy we owned. Our Goldens have always loved to play tug games and we’ve never had any problems with the rope toys, but the possibility of something like that happening is enough to take some preventative measures. In our research, we’ve found some safe alternatives. Kong Brand tug toys are safe and durable. As a matter of fact, Kong Brand toys are a great all-around choice but especially if you have a heavy chewer. Remember to periodically inspect and discard any toys that are showing wear. Once the toys begin to break down, they can become choking hazards.

Similar accounts come up when searching the internet about the dangers of rope toys:

(I will warn you that the following is graphic in nature and I only chose to share in hopes of getting across the seriousness of this issue. I don’t want another dog or their family to have to go through what this sweet family endured.)

“My dog just passed away during surgery due to swallowing strings from a rope toy. We did not know she had swallowed them as she often takes a toy and goes under the couch with it. By the time she started showing symptoms of something being wrong we took her to the emergency vet. They operated on her but too much damage had been done to her intestines. Are rope toys dangerous? They are if your dog gets them lodged. We have had rope toys for our dogs for the past 10 years never a problem until now. Am I willing to ever take the chance that this was just a freak accident and continue to give my other dog rope toys? No way! If I had known this before, they never would have had them. We now inspect all the toys and have tossed many of them away that look just the slightest off. Why take a chance with your beloved pet’s life?”

“Our dog died this morning from the nylon strings that he had eaten off the rope. He loved playing with the rope, but do NOT leave him alone with it! The string ran throughout his intestines and caused a "purse string" effect, drawing his intestines into a knot and tearing them up. After long hours of surgery trying to save him, he finally succumbed this morning. I hope others will read this and save their beloved pets from such a fate.”

#ropetoys #petsafety #safetoys #puppies