For those of you with canine family members, there’s a great company I discovered a few years ago that I’d like to recommend. Simply Fido makes certified organic dog toys, many with up to 5 dog-popular squeakers inside. While not the only company to be organic, they are the only one I’ve come across that makes the most appealing ‘normal’ looking dog toys – you know, that plush cuddly kind that pleases both person and dog alike.
While obviously the user’s interest is paramount, human appeal certainly makes the toys more likely to be picked off the shelf. The problem is that I’ve yet to see them on any store shelf here. They are, most thankfully, available online. I don’t mean for this to sound like some sort of plug, but well, I guess it rather resembles one. It’s just that since all the dogs in our extended family get to chew on these great toys, I wanted to offer this alternative to those who may not be aware of organic dog toys. As a side note, prices of the Simply Fido toys are comparable to, and sometimes less than, conventional ones.
One may wonder why I feel going organic for dog (and cat, but they chew less on them so less of a danger relatively speaking) toys is so important. After all, don’t we have enough things to worry about? The thing is, we are surely dealing with other problems for our animals because of this one problem. There’s a great site, www.purrfectplay.com that provides a lot of more detailed information, including the health dangers posed by chemical processing agents and dyes that conventional dog toys are laden with.
Among other things, they write, “cotton is often the equivalent of a food product. They chew and suck on their toys, bedding, and sometimes your socks. In short, they use their mouths as we might use our hands. Additionally they secrete saliva as they chew. Saliva acts as the first level of digestion, containing chemicals which begin the breakdown of food. Also acidic, saliva dissolves food in a somewhat mechanical fashion, breaking chemical bonds that hold the substance together. On top of all this, our pets’ mouths are lined with lovely pink mucous membranes which have a high absorption capacity. In effect, they are often “eating” their toys.” When I first started exploring this subject, I had one of those OMG moments – just what have I been given dogs to chew? Again, one of those myriad of things that we may change our views about, once we have more information. If only we could know everything, or at least more.
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About those ‘other problems’ I mentioned above, some specifics include, “Heavy metals such as chromium can act as contact allergens causing red and itchy skin and also accumulate in the body to promote other toxic reactions. Chemicals such as formaldehydes and phenols used in the dying process are known carcinogens and often linger in the fibers, especially in fire resistant and perma press treated cloth. It is because pets use their mouths to explore and enjoy their world that these products effectively become food, although these are not approved by the FDA as food additives.”
Given scandals of recent years, and concerns of product quality, the following is reassuring. “Simply Fido toys use only OCIA-certified organic cotton, undergo toxicity testing and environmental analysis in Germany, and these toys comply with European and US standards for toy safety. Simply Fido toys are made safely in China at the Simply Fido facility in Shanghai. This facility is under the direct management of Simply Fido’s international offices and practices a low-eco impact manufacturing process. They directly manage the quality of their products from the raw materials to the final packaging to ensure their safety.”
The folks at Purrfect Play suggest a very interesting personal test. “If they bled in your wash, they, without any doubt, bleed in your pets’ mouths. As an experiment (you might want to do this in a private location because it could look silly) try “tasting” a new colored shirt or a brand new pet toy. Does it taste like chemicals or metals? Do you feel good about having it in your mouth?” Compare that to the “natural extracts from plants and minerals, such as gardenia seed, clove and chestnut bur, [that] are used to dye the fibers” of the Simply Fido toys. You can see why I think these toys are so great.
UPDATE on April 25th 2010
Follow-up on Simply Fido Organic Dog Toys now including Canadian seller links, and cheaper US ones as well.
