Harry, a 3-year-old Jack Russell terrier, loves to explore ... so much so that he has forgotten all about his chew toys, at least for now.
ConsumerAffairs.com reported that a Texas lab found elevated levels of lead, chromium and cadmium in two Chinese-made pet toys sold at Wal-Mart. The site added that two veterinarians said the levels of toxic metals found in the toys do not pose a health risk to dogs or cats. The dog toy, a latex green monster, tested positive for high levels of lead and the carcinogen chromium. The other toy, a cloth catnip trinket, also tested positive for "a tremendous amount" of cadmium.
"The bottom line is if you don't have to give your pets toys, don't, especially as we're going through this scare right now," said Dr. Allison Healy of Brykerwood Veterinary Clinic. "If you do give them a toy, give them something indestructible, they can't swallow, ingest or have the potential for having lead inside of it."
Healy advised that if your pet swallows toxic metals, pet owners will notice warning signs of vomiting and diarrhea.
"I never would have thought about that would have been the case with dog toys, but I'll tell you I'll definitely look out for that," said Marcus Devere, Harry's owner.
