Warning to all Dog Owners!
I have copied this from the Ute Forum as I thought it should be brought to all dog owners' notice.
"WARNING FOR ALL DOG OWNERS - RE CHILDRENS TOYS FOR DOGS
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 become 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.
Tamara Baker
Associate Scientist II"
Please pass it on to other dog owners you may know. It is scary and easily done! I got rid of all my teddy bears when I got Loki as she started chewing them! I only buy her soft toys from the local pet shop and once she makes a hole in them, I throw them out!