Lead in Dog Toys, Bowls and Other Products

The news media has been great about shedding light on the fact that lead is found in many children's toys made overseas over the years.  Something we don't often think about, however, are all of the pet toys, dishes and other items we buy from the pet stores that are also made overseas.  They too can contain lead, and if there is any regulation requirements for lead in pet products, it appears that it isn't being monitored.

Dogs are a lot like infants and toddlers, they put a lot of their toys in their mouths.  Unlike toddlers, dogs do this for their entire lives, it isn't something they grow out of.  Our Beagle has suffered from allergies and a weak immune system since she was a puppy, so we've had to be more careful with her than most.


We have gone through our dog toys, compared them with this list, and thrown many away.  We even threw some away that weren't on the list because they were made overseas and clearly had paint on them, latex, vinyl, plastic, etc.  You should have seen the unhappy puppy dog eyes Liberty gave us as we threw out her prized toys.  Being a Beagle, she was moderately appeased when we praised her for being such a good girl and gave her some good girl carrots for treats.  Then, we put her blanket in the dryer for a few minutes, took it out and let her snuggle into it.  We were forgiven, and she was in puppy spa heaven.  Even if that hadn't worked, I'd rather have Liberty mad at us for a few days and have her live a  healthier and longer life than to let her have her way and have serious medical issues.

Lead can be in paints and glazes on pet dishes too.  So, we're getting rid of her pet dishes.  You know the ones, the ones we buy from the pet store at $7 - $20 or more for.  It gave me a great excuse to go thrifting.  Rather than purchase pet bowls, I went to the aisle of people dishes and found some cute bowls made in Italy for less than $1 each.  I suppose those to may contain lead too, but it's a lot less likely than the ones she had before.

Story from Seattle TV station, KOMO:  Pooch poison: Lead found in dog toys
List of some popular dog toys, along with their lead content
Blog story with links to more information:  Is your dog at risk for lead poisoning?