You got lucky!! Woolf did swallow pieces of the rope in his early life... barely escaped surgery but still left with huge vet bill.

We now have 1 rope toy that stays in the training bag to only be used as part of the never ending array of tugs to be used as rewards. Never leaves my sight.

 

That is scary! So glad I got it out. I usually catch stuff like that because I have an 8-month old who is just starting to crawl. Don't want him choking on it, either.

Glad your dog is ok, too!

 

Mine have eaten pieces alot smaller then yours and it comes out in their poop. Now they only have rope toys with supervision and once they start looking worn, in the garbage they go

 

I just tossed a worn one last week.

 

Thank you for posting this! I will go throw away my dog's frayed rope toys now.

 

You're welcome! I know now to toss them when they start fraying. Or just put them away when they start chewing on them.

 

Oh wow, I had no idea. I'm tossing them when I get home!

 

My Lacy tries to fray the rope and pull the pieces of rope out and swallow them. Now the only rope toys I use are the ones that I've created flirt poles with. Big rubber Kongs are the only free choice toys I leave unattended.

 

I agree, thank you for sharing! I thought those rope toys were pretty durable...

 

They gave us one when we brought Mox home from the pound. She chewed through it in less than a minute. I'm surprised the ball with the rope lasted as long as it did. I just didn't think she would swallow any of it.

 

Also beware pulling anything out of your dog that is in your dog like a rope toy or string (thinking cat) especially from the other end. Call/take the dog to the vet - there could be something wrapped around the GI system...and that can be bad.

Glad that all is well for Moxy!

 

OMG I've done this before! I am so lucky. I never even considered such a thing could happen Good advice.

 

thanks for the warning, i have also had a huge vet bill after having a blockage removed.

 

Maybe this should be made into a sticky.

So many don't realize the issues this toy can create. The labels are always covered with all the feel good stuff like cleans the teeth, good exercise etc and nothing about the dangers.

 

I agree. I never thought about the dangers until I got a GSD...especially one who likes to destroy and obliterate her toys. I was told the black Kong toys and larger ball toys would be better for her since they are more durable. She will kill a tennis ball in 4 seconds flat. So, we have to really be careful about her toys.

 

This dog ate (there used to be pictures) a few pencil eraser sized pieces of kong toy:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/94656-chewing-kong-my-jessie-er.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/99116-god-i-am-pissed.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/99296-tli-test-results-any-input.html

 

GET RID OF ALL ROPE TOYS BURN THEM !!
i had a dog named bear and me family loved hi sooo much we would never do anything without him, i didnt know someone could love a dog that much!! One day he swollowed string and a week later we saw somthing was wrong, He had to get 4 operations because a 3 foot long string was wraped around all his instesines and it killed his insides. We paid $6,000 for everything and we dont regret it !!! He might have died anyway but that $6,000 was best $ 6,000 we ever spent!!
I MISS THAT FREAKING DOG SOO MUCH AND I MISS HIM EVERYDAY!!

 

My dog has broken teeth on nylabones and antlers, both. Just saying, watch your dog's teeth when you give them something new like that. He's an OCD chewer, so regular toys/regular chewers may not be an issue.

 

I've always put their toys up when we are done playing, but I was careless a couple weeks ago and let Zoey hang on to a chuck it ball while I paid the pizza guy and just that quick she ate almost half of it. We got lucky and she is fine, but that kind of stuff scares the crap out of me.

 

Saber tried to eat rope toys too. I have an alternative for those interested, that I think is safer. Target has these toys that are the same shape/length as a rope toy but it is 3 strips of thick fuzzy fabric woven together in a braid with a knot at each end. We use those for tug in training. Saber never has gotten any pieces off of it and it holds up well (but I still wouldn't leave it unattended, we only use it for tug). They are only $3.

Also be careful fetching with sticks with your dog. When I was a kid we threw sticks for our dog Scooter to fetch. One time we threw the stick and it landed stuck into the ground, she ran to fetch it by the end and jabbed the stick all the way into the back of her throat where it got stuck with blood gushing out. A vet was able to fix it, but I never fetch with sticks due to this.

 

We only have two, which were made in Germany. No China-made rope toys. And he always has to be supervised when he plays with them.

 

So, Moxy and Crow have this giant ball that has a tug o' war rope through the middle. After a year of playing with it, the rope frayed today. After picking up several pieces off the floor, I finally put the ball away.

Is this the Jolly Ball you are talking about? My boy loves his. I had to throw the first one away since he destroyed the ball. This is good to know. He isn't really interested in the rope but I'll definately keep an eye on this now.

FYI about tennis balls. Not good for their teeth, wears them down like sand paper. And at some point becomes to small and can be swallowed. It does happen.

Are the Kong Squeeky balls bad for the dogs teeth also?

 

Is this the Jolly Ball you are talking about? My boy loves his. I had to throw the first one away since he destroyed the ball. This is good to know. He isn't really interested in the rope but I'll definately keep an eye on this now.


Are the Kong Squeeky balls bad for the dogs teeth also?

Yep...the Jolly Ball. My dogs love it. I still have to get another one. I think they were saying the squeeky balls are bad for their stomach since they can swallow the pieces after tearing them up.

On a positive - I bought the breast cancer awareness tennis balls made by Wilson, and Moxy hasn't destroyed one yet....even our friends' GSD didn't destroy it when the two of them played with one this weekend. Weird, right? They don't catch it in the air, though...so I haven't been worried about them swallowing it whole.

 

Sticks: a dog carried it by the top of the stick, stumbled over something and it went right through his brain, killing him instantly.
Tennis ball size hard rubber ball (Kong?)lodged in a GSD's throat, they couldn't get it out and he died on the way to the vet from suffocation.
Dried out bones, even uncooked, become too hard and can break their teeth.
A friend's dog ran up to a metal faucet with running water and broke her tooth.

I don't let them play freely with toys they can take apart. Rawhide under supervision only.
I know we can worry about many things but the ones we can prevent help.

 

No idea

My husband had a cat that ate some floss and they had a problem so I knew about eating long stringy things can be bad. We have a few tough rope toys that we have gotten for Blitz and just recently I caught him tearing at the ends of it some. I have never thought about it being bad for him since it has always been minor pieces but this really caught my attention and now has me worried about him. He is not an avid chewer so we haven't had a problem before. I will definitely be checking his toys more often now. Thanks.

 

I don't think people should freak out and ban everything. Eventually your dog will have nothing to chew/play with because everything has an inherent risk to it. People die in bathtubs and sinks. Ballpoint pens kill people. Both people and animals can choke and die on even soft foods.

And not always because they were being irresponsible. Accidents sometimes happen. Millions of people chew on ballpoint pens. Should they all stop because a few accidentally swallowed a piece that tore their insides apart?

That being said, I do agree that we should be responsible and certain toys/chews should not be left unattended with your dog.

I don't use tennis balls because I wouldn't like the way they feel on my teeth, or even in my hand, so I don't even bother.

But ropes? I will let my older dog play with her rope. Why? Because it is the ONLY toy I can actually get her to play with. With my puppy, I'll let her play with ropes, under supervision, but she enjoys them and they are great tugs. HOWEVER, I will only use cotton ropes that I make myself. More biodegradable, easier on their teeth, and if some is accidentally swallowed, poses a much smaller risk than a polyester rope.

But no matter what toy, there will always be a risk. Kongs can be torn and pieces swallowed (yes, even the black ones), jolly balls can pose a risk, raw bones can damage teeth, etc.


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One of mine has this thing about dryer sheets. I have found them in his poop, he must find them if they fall on the floor when I take clothes out of the dryer and don't see them right away. So I have become totally anal about them and search every load of clothes to find them and throw them away! I sure don't know what the attraction is, but i don't want an impaction!

 

Penny shreds her ropes. I always have to stay on my toes trimming the excess strands with scissors until its too damaged to use any. Penny has however swallowed some because i find it in her stool occasionally

 

My vet says he has done more surgeries for rope toy ingestion than probably any other obstruction! He recommends no rope toys, there's so much that is safer!!!!! Bob

 

My sister-in-law is a vet and she told me to never give my dog a cheap rawhide from WalMart or other bargain stores. She said they do not digest well and swell when moist. At the time she said she had to do 3 surgeries in a week because of intestinal blockage and each time the rawhide was the culprit.

 

So rope toys are dangerous? Hmmm...I might be looking at a new toy then.

 

I have two dogs and neither have been big fans of chewing. I think because when they were pups to even a few years old I discouraged them from chewing furniture and stuff around the house.

For fetching i've always used a field hockey ball. It is like an oversized tennis ball but hard solid rubber with no covering. It doesn't really bounce either. My GSD loves them and they are too large to swallow.