When it comes to picking toys for our dogs, durability often tops our list. But what if that tough, long-lasting nylon chew toy you chose could actually be harmful to your pet? Many dog owners don’t realize that certain types of nylon toys may present hidden risks, from cracked teeth to toxic materials.
Despite touted as a safe chewing alternative, many nylon bones and toys are made of hard materials that can damage your pet’s teeth. Let’s take a look at all the dangers of nylon dog toys, and what are the alternatives.
Would you be willing to spend hundreds of dollars only to have your dog’s teeth pulled? It is time to get rid of hard plastic dog toys and find some safer alternatives.
What are Nylon Chew Toys?
The term nylon dog toy gets thrown around often. We use to describe a hard, generally non-edible plastic toy. These toys come in different textures, sizes, chewing strengths, and designs. The design is different for puppies, small dogs, and large dogs. Nylon dog toys are designed to keep your dog entertained for hours and be incredibly long-lasting.
But do you know what are they truly made from? Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, made from petroleum that can be melt-processed into fibers, films, or shapes. Nylon is a synthetic polymer composed of polyamides (a fancy word to say repeating units linked by amide links).
Nylon Bones Safe For Dogs?
The problem here is the word “bone”. When pet parents see that word, they think these can be eaten. It doesn’t help that often, nylon bones are made with a taste of beef, chicken, and similar meat. While good for playing, these bones are not safe for eating.
Puppies may try to take a bite, but these bones are not dinner. Keep your dog safe and by keeping the Nylon bones away when it is mealtime.
When or if ingested, these bones can cause chocking or blockages. You need to be quick in your reaction. Contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.
There are edible Nylon treats and dental chews on the market. But just to be safe, do not give anything with a word “nylon” to your puppy to eat.
Can Dogs Eat Nylabones?
No, they might be good by chewing safely on nylabones, but consuming them can be potentially dangerous. They are a choking hazard and ingestion can cause an upset stomach or an allergic reaction.
Companies might try to fool you by attaching the nylon with the flavor of beef, chicken, and bacon. But that is not going to make the dog believe he is eating beef, chicken, or bacon. Nylon dog toys cannot be eaten.
The Dangers of Nylon Dog Toys
Made from hard materials, these toys are among the most popular and common pet toys. Sadly, chewing hard toys or bones can damage your dog’s teeth. Veterinarians and dentists see fractured, chipped, and broken teeth, all result from gnawing on hard chew toys.
We also have to mention that extra hard chew toys can splinter, and affect your dog’s safety. The pointed section of the splinter can cut your dog’s mouth, hurt his tongue and gums.
How to Find the Perfect Chew Toy
When you are looking to find a hard, yet chewable toy for your puppy, it is best that you try the “manual hardness test”.
If you can’t bend or break a toy with your bare hands, it is best that you should avoid it. Bending a toy with your bare hands suggests it is hard, but will be great for your puppy. There are three other tests you can try:
· The thumbnail test – a toy that doesn’t give a little bit when you press it with your thumbnail. That means it is too hard for your pup and could break and crack their teeth.
· The hammer rule – if a nail cannot be driven through the chew, your dog shouldn’t be chewing on it.
· The knee cap rule – if you hit your knee with a toy and it hurts, that means it is too heavy for your dog.
How Do We Make Great Rubber Toys
At Petopia, we believe in natural rubber, which is more durable compared to nylon. There are plenty of nylon dog toys on the market that are not strong enough. There are also rubber toys that are not strong enough and give impression that natural rubber doesn’t last.
Yet, we take the time to invest in design and manufacture, all so that we can provide the best toys for our clients.
Before we make any toy, we put time and effort into design and testing, taking several considerations into account. We think about what dog would benefit from the toy and enjoy the most. Most importantly, we consider different levels of chewing intensity, bite sizes, and more. Here is a quick step-by-step guide.
1. We start by making the material. For natural rubber, we reinforce the material by adding activators, vulcanizing agents, accelerators, filling material, and other components. We add everything one at a time until the material stabilizes. Then, we pulverize the natural rubber according to the standard work order, and leave it to sit and cool for a minimum of 24 hours.
2. Then, we mix the material adhering to the mixing standard for each product, and after mixing, the rubber cools for another 24 hours. The mixed material then goes through another process and is refined until the mixture is homogenous. We leave it to cool down on a sheet until it reaches room temperature.
3. Next, we mold the toy by placing the molded material in a designated injection machine that is heated up so it is pliable. We set the machine to follow the standard work order parameters and design.
4. Once the toy is made, we take even more steps to ensure quality, checking it by using the input process quality control standards of practice. If the toy passes the standards, we move into formal production, and if not, we make adjustments.
Also, the reason why we use nylon is because it is really durable compared to natural rubber, and there are too many natural rubber toys on the market that are not strong enough to give the impression that natural rubber doesn't last; however, this is not the case with our product, we have reviews of people playing with it for several months and even a year, and it will not cause any damage to the teeth.
Why Should You Avoid Nylon Dog Toys?
If you do not believe us, just check the reviews of most nylon toys online. You can try Amazon or Chewy, it doesn’t matter. Click on the 1 star and 2 star reviews, and you will get comments like the following:
· The rubber in the middle didn't last 10 minutes and she was chewing off the little pieces. Not very durable and I took it away so it's pretty much a waste. Not for an aggressive chewer!
· Indestructible my rear!!!!! My dog literally had to go to the vet for stomach bleeding for chewing the plastic from this bone! Do not recommend! $600 later she’s still on the mend.
· This piece broke off in under 5 minutes. Thank goodness our dog was supervised because he is a vacuum and will eat anything (has already had blocked intestinal surgery once). The little nubs on the bone fall off and he did eat those also. I am asking for a refund. My dog is a 25 lb pug mix and bc of his history, we even sized up on the bone size. Do not buy this.
· Not suitable for aggressive chewers. I had to take it away from my dog before she started ingesting pieces.
· The nubs broke off very easily and my 12 week old puppy destroyed it. It was far too soft and he chewed it apart. I had to take it away from him so he didn't swallow it. There was nothing moderate about this....it is very soft and breaks apart very easily.
· My dog loves these but unfortunately it broke her back tooth. She needed an emergency extraction due to the severity of the tooth fracture. Her other teeth are healthy and she hasn’t had dental problems before. The vet said this is a common issue with dogs chewing rigid things like Nylabones and recommended only giving your dog things that can indentable with a fingernail. Hoping to prevent this from happening to others.
· This product is just hard colored plastic and is not flavored in any way. I'm terrified to give them to my dogs as I don't want them to break a tooth or crack/splinter the plastic. These should be recalled and not sold for safety reasons.
· I purchased these “durable” chews for my puppy. A vet visit resulted due to a cracked tooth (adult teeth were coming in) replacing puppy teeth. My vet said throw them away. They are too hard and will crack the dog’s teeth resulting in a costly dental vet bill as well as discomfort for your fur baby. Educate yourself please. My vet discourages their use vehemently.
