Why Rope Toys May Not Be Safe for Your Dog

Are rope toys safe for your dog to play with? Many pet owners enjoy buying their pet special toys, especially if your dog likes to chew on rope toys and play tug of war with you. Rope toys can be fun for your pet, beneficial to their teeth, and strengthen their gums. However, there are dangers to dogs with rope toys. The decision to purchase a rope toy (or any toy) depends on if your dog is an aggressive chewer or playful chewer. If your dog is an aggressive chewer and likes to eat and ingest pieces of the toy, then a rope toy is probably not ideal to have around unsupervised.

Rope toys can cause extreme dangers for dogs if ingested. Some dogs feel the need to chew and eat pieces of a toy and in the end, this can cause many problems. The most common problem when a rope is ingested is that is becomes obstructed in the GI tract. This can cut off circulation to the GI tract and cause necrosis of segments of the tract. What commonly occurs in the colon if something is obstructed is a process called intussusception. This process occurs when the colon telescopes in on itself. Basically one segment folds over the other and this obstructs blood flow in that segment of the colon/intestine.

If not treated right away, death can become inevitable. The prognosis for intussusception is good if surgically treated right away. Another outcome of ingested toys is obstruction in the stomach. The toy can become obstructed in the pylorus (pylorus connects to the duodenum). This is usually approached the same way as the intussusception. The surgeon will perform what is called a laparotomy and explore for obstructions. The obstruction is cleared during this procedure and the rest of the abdominal cavity is evaluated for any organ damage or other regions of obstruction.

The best approach at avoiding circumstances such as the above, is to evaluate your dog for the type of chew behavior. If he/she is aggressive, you MUST supervise them to ensure they will not eat pieces of the toy. Better yet, do not allow them to have toys, your pet can live without toys. Give them treats, but break the treat into smaller segments, as a large ingested treat could also cause problems.