Most pet owners have pet products strewn around the house, and after a while, they are forgotten. They’re like furniture: they’re there but in the periphery. People who have had pets for years can have a large pile of products and toys collected over the years that show up once in a while when your pets find them. However, maybe it’s time to rethink a few of these products because turns out, some things can actually be harmful, dangerous or unnecessary for you and your pet. If you use any of these products, you may want to put them away or stop using them for the sake of your pet’s safety and health:
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Broken Or Chewed-Up Toys
Pets do love their toys, and dogs especially, can be aggressive and violent with them, which can result in a lot of toys being worn out, broken and chewed up. This can also be dangerous for pets because it’s easy to swallow a small piece of a broken toy or the stuffing inside other types of toys. It’s pretty easy to miss this, and you may never know that your dog has a foreign object in his body that could be painful and in the worst cases, dangerous. With luck, the object passes through your dog’s body, but sometimes, it could get lodged in the throat or the GI tract and require immediate medical attention for choking. Your pet might even need surgery. It is always a good idea to comb through toy collections and remove anything that can be potentially hazardous.
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Plastic Food And Water Bowl
Plastic products can be inexpensive and convenient, but they can also be toxic and cause health hazards. Plastic is impossible to thoroughly sanitize, and worse, it also releases toxic chemicals into the food and water as the plastic starts to break down. Moreover, when plastic begins to peel, bacteria and oils can get trapped inside and cause skin irritation or infections. Some dogs that tend to chew aggressively can gnaw at their bowls and swallow small pieces in the process; and some dogs have known to develop allergies to the materials and dyes in plastic bowls. Replacing plastic with stainless steel, porcelain or glass bowls is much healthier and cleaner for your pets.
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Old, Ill-Fitting Collars
A dog’s collar is a little bit like underwear because he has it on all the time and it is close to the skin. We could never think of wearing the same underwear for months, but dogs have their collars on for months and years without it ever getting washed or replaced. Old collars can become stinky and dirty, leading to infections and hot spots on the skin. Routinely cleaning the collar, and replacing it when its time is up can keep your dog comfortable and healthy.
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Retractable Leashes
Leashes were originally created to keep dogs out of danger and in control when out for a walk. However, retractable leashes don’t really serve this purpose because they can let your dog get far away from you and into harm’s way. Further, they can also cause injuries to both the dog and the owners, from cuts and superficial burns to serious injuries that require medical attention. Leashes can train a dog to politely lead the way while still under control, but retractable leashes can encourage a dog to pull away from you. This behavior will be repeated when they’re on a normal leash, which is counterproductive to training a dog. A 6-foot flat leash can give your dog the freedom to move around while still letting you maintain control.
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Dull Nail Trimmers
Finally, dull nail trimmers can be an extremely painful experience for your pet. Nail trims are never something dogs look forward to, but a dull nail trimmer can make things much worse. Instead of cutting the nail in a quick, clean snip, it can crush and split the nail. This painful experience is clear on the dog’s face, and can also make you tense up which leads to more stress in your dog. If this is repeated, you dog will run and hide each time the nail trimmer comes out. Replacing dull nail trimmers with sharpened, new ones or with a battery operated rotary tool can be more comfortable for your pet in the future.
