Permission to Crosspost:

Poisonous Plastics for Dogs

They squeak, they squish, they bounce. They come in all shapes and colours,
from T-bone steaks to squeaky porcupines. Your dogs play with them,
chew on them, and love them to pieces (literally). What you might not know
is that they could cause cancer and liver damage.
Vinyl and plastic dog toys contain a chemical compound that is currently
under investigation by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC) due to possible cancer risks to humans.

The chemical in question is DINP (di-isononyl phthalate), used to make
hard PVC plastic soft and pliable. In 1998 Health Canada issued an advisory
warning about the dangers of mouthing soft plastic toys by small children, and
some countries, such as Sweden, Germany, and Italy, have already started
phasing out DINP for use in children's toys. But no one is talking about the
effects DINP may have on dogs' health.

Over the past decade, scientific research has shown that DINP can be
toxic to lab animals, causing liver and kidney damage and at higher levels
of exposure, increased cancer incidence. These findings were important
enough to prompt further review of exposures to children due to
mouthing soft plastic toys.

The studies focused on small children who generally only mouth toys for
brief periods during a small fraction of their lifespan. Dogs, in contrast,
many chew and ingest soft vinyl toys for hours at a time throughout
their entire lives.

The U.S. CPSC concluded that phthalates can leach out of plastics and
that a child mouthing or sucking a soft plastic toy may ingest more
than the acceptable daily intake. Their 1998 report, The Risk of
Chronic Toxicity Associated with Exposure to Diisononyl Phthalate (DINP)
in Children's Products, states that "Animal studies show that DINP
causes chronic toxic effects to the liver and other organs." and that
"the maganitude of the risk is directly related to the amuont of DINP
released from mouthing and the amount of time children mouth the
products."

Then what about our dogs? According to vinylfacts.com,
"almost all soft plastic toys contain PVC," so avoid these types
of toys if you're concerned about the health risks mentioned above.
Natural rubber or latex soft toys provide a non-toxic and
environmentally friendly alternative.

Tracy Werner is the owner of Natural Pet Market, a company
focused on healthy alternatives for companion animals.
See http://www.naturalpetmarket.com
Her recent loss of one of her dogs to cancer prompted her to
research the issues she discusses here.

References:
http://www.vinylfacts.com - PVC in Toys
USCPSC - The Risk of Chronic Toxicity Associated with
Exposure toDiisononyl Phthalate (DINP) in Children's Products 1998

--
Warmly, Joy LaCaille - Mailto:Lakai_GP@...
& the "Naturally Reared" Lakai German Pinschers
Fruitland Park, FL USA (352) 365-9955
http://www.germanpinschers.com/lakai.html