Toys
Toys are an important part of life for all cats and dogs. They help stimulate the brain, exercise the body and keep the mouth and teeth healthy. Different toys fulfill different roles for your animal (exercise vs oral health) and different age and breeds of dogs will be interested in different toys.
There is a huge range of toys you can pick from now for your pet, but there are a few things you need to be cautious of.
There is a huge range of toys you can pick from now for your pet, but there are a few things you need to be cautious of.
- Puppies should not be given anything too hard to chew on as their puppy teeth are brittle and break easily, adult dogs can deal with firmer toys.
- Avoid toys that have small pieces that can break off easily- as a vet, I have spent several hours in surgery removing those little fragile bits of toy that were eaten instead of played with! (Spot the plastic shard in the Xray above!)
- Watch the size of balls you throw to your dog- the smaller the ball the higher the chance of the ball getting stuck in your dog’s mouth/ throat.
This is not common but you need to ensure that the balls you pick for your dog are much bigger than the size of their mouth! Ping pong balls are too small and fragile for most dogs, tennis balls are borderline for anything bigger than a Labrador.
Remember though, toys are lots of fun. They help to keep your pet entertained, provide something to play with when you are exercising your pet and can help in training your pets.
