ARTICLE: Toxic Pet Toys: New Dangers for Pets: What Pet Owners Should Know About Pet Toys

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~1/15/2009)

ABSTRACT: While many pet owners love to pamper their pets by buying pet toys, they may be endangering their pet due to toxic substances in the toys.

CONTENT: Many people might remember that during 2008, there were massive recalls of brand name toys for children, many under the Mattel label, a major United States based toy company, but where most were actually manufactured in China. Not only were major brand named toys but any children's toy made in China, and the reason? Very high levels of lead paint were found in these toys.

People might also recollect the major pet food recalls than began during the year 2007, in which it was discovered that the wheat gluten supplied and exported out of China was contaminated, and the wheat gluten was one of the prime ingredients in many pet foods, both for dogs and cats, and most manufactured under the Menu company. There is no estimate as to how many pets were unfortunately affected by this contaminated food, some think in the thousands, where many pets died as a result.

Now comes another danger to our pets, and that is toxic pet toys, yet unfortunately in this case, and I don't have clue as to why not, but no major recalls have been issued yet or made for pet toys, and also, even with this knowledge, standards have not been set for testing the safety of pet toys in general. As you can guess, it was discovered that many pet toys, whether major known brands, or the cheap inexpensive ones sold in dollar stores are made in China, and yes contain very high levels lead paint and other toxic materials.

The average pet owner may be wary of giving their beloved pet a toy that might be easily breakable, such as a plastic toy since one good bite down on that toy may cause it to break and pieces of the plastic could be accidently swallowed by the pet causing the pet to choke to death. Nor would the average pet owner give a toy that might have one of those small jingle type bells for the very same reason that the pet could swallow it and choke. I'm always a stickler for cutting off those bells and simply tossing it in the garbage. Yet, while many pet owners are cautious about these such toys, none think of the potential hazard they may be posing when giving their pets a painted pet toy.

What's really alarming though is that the suspicion that the majority of pet toys may be toxic is not exactly a new one, as I discovered when I came across an article dated October 4, 2007 from the Consumers Affairs.com Website where not only high levels of lead were found, but cadmium and other toxic materials. Since this knowledge was known, and written up on the ConsumerAffairs Website more than a year ago, why hasn't the public been made aware of this danger sooner?

The danger lies, as you can guess, is that while pets are playing with these toys, they often have them in their mouths where they are being exposed to perhaps not only lead paint, but a whole host of other known toxic materials and substances. One alarming fact is that the so-called safety standards set up for pet toys are similar to the standards and guidelines for children. And while, yes, many pet owners view their pets like children, they aren't. Their biological system is completely different and more sensitive than that of a child and therefore, what might not completely pose a threat to a child, will to a pet. Also, until just very recently, pet toys weren't even being tested at all for their safety factors. This could pose a hazard therefore to very young children, since the amount of toxic materials in pet toys may in fact be significantly higher than potential toxic hazards in children's toys, The danger lies then when a very young child is innocently playing with the family pet while that pet is playing with the toy, and that child may grab for the toy and put it in their own mouth.

Pet toys that are obviously painted, and have the potential of lead paint being used are not the only pet toys that could be downright dangerous to a pets health. This is especially true when it comes to those familiar rawhide chew toys for dogs. The danger with these toys is that rawhide is treated with the cancer causing agent, formaldehyde. What really surprised me however, was that in a recent testing by ExperTox Inc. Analytical Laboratory of those familiar cloth-type catnip toys for cats, the test results showed very high levels of the carcinogen chromium.(1)

While all pet toys have the potential of being harmful, the worse, according to the ExperTox Inc. Analytical Laboratory were those that were sold in Walmart, under their label and clearly shows that they are made in China. (2) However, until better standards are set for the safety of pet toys, I would be suspicious of any pet toy or pet product made in China, including painted ceramic bowls which also showed having extreme levels of lead paint toxicity.

So what is a pet owner to do? We love our pets, we want to pamper them a bit and think we're doing them a favor by buying those pet toys. Well one idea could be to make your own pet toys. I've done this for my cats, making my own catnip toys for them. I simply cut two small pieces of cotton fabric, such as from a tee-shirt, sew it up a bit, leaving a bit of an opening, then stuff it with catnip, then sew the remainder up. Believe me your cat isn't going to be fussy or notice that their "toy" isn't shaped into a cute mouse shape.

Also, should you still insist on buying your pet any product, not just toys, on the bottom of the Green Living Journal Website are links to pet friendly websites that sell safe, non-toxic toys of which I also provide the links to.

Articles about toxic pet toys

ConsumersAffairs.com Article #1

ConsumersAffairs.com Article #2 (1) (2)

GreenLiving Journal

Safe Pet Product Websites Including Toys

Ecoanimal.com

SimplyFido.com

EarthDog.com

Westpawdesign.com

ARTICLE: The Truth About the Fur Industry: What You May Not Know About the Horrors of the Fur Trade

(Originally published at Yahoo.voices formerly Associated Content~9/5/2008)

ABSTRACT: While fur clothing may feel and look wonderful, feel luxurious and has a sense of ambiance, few people know the truth of what goes on in the fur trade industry

CONTENT: When I was a young girl, I vividly remember a raccoon fur coat belonging to my grandmother hanging in her closet. When my grandmother, mother and I visited my mother's Aunt Dorothy, in her closet was a luxurious mink stole wrap. In either case, I remember touching both the coat and wrap, feeling how wonderfully soft the fur felt, yet, even as a child, there was something nagging at me that it just wasn't right. In other words, in my mind, I couldn't help but think how some poor animals were killed just for these clothing items. And while I had recognized that fur coats did have a certain ambiance to them, I never became interested in ever owning any clothing item that had fur.

Some years ago, I saw the 1995 movie called Assassins, starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore. There is one scene, when Julianne Moore's character, Electra, is in the elevator with an older couple at a hotel. The woman was wearing a floor length mink coat. Suddenly, one hears this strange hissing sound. The elderly couple turn around to look at Electra who looks back at them with a charmingly innocent expression on her face. The couple look forward again to the closed elevator doors. Then once again, one hears that strange hissing sound, and the couple turn to look at Electra again. It isn't until one sees the elderly couple leave the elevator for their floor that you understand the reason for the strange hissing sound. On the back of this beautiful fur coat, Electra had sprayed painted a big red circle with a slash in the center.

Now one may almost laugh at such a scene, but after having read up on the true horrors of what goes on in the fur trade, I, as well as probably many others who are against the fur trade industry and the cruelties that are inflicted on the animals that are used to create fur clothing items, would no doubt probably just love to do the same thing as Electra's character had done to anyone who insists on wearing fur coats or clothing containing fur.

As I grew older, I continued to be turned off by fur clothing, and viewed it as nothing more than sheer vanity to wear fur coats. Why, I thought, when there are so many other alternatives in fabric one can wear? Yes, I could maybe excuse people that live in truly cold and frigid, bone-chilling climates in wearing fur where it may be an absolute necessity, but to wear a fur coat only to show off perhaps one's wealth and status while going to the ballet, theater or opera or some gala event to my mind my was just feeding someone's ego. I couldn't help think, that if these people, both women and men who wear fur clothing really knew the truth of what goes on in obtaining the fur pelts, would these people be so willing to wear fur ever again?

Many people may be under the delusion, that fur obtained from animals that are farm or ranched raised, live idyllic safe lives and are treated with kindness. If one starts to really investigate the truth they would be in for a shock. On the Humane Society of The United States website, one can download several PDF files that expose the truth behind farm/ranch raised animals, and these would include not only minks and chinchillas, but also rabbits, foxes, sables, ferrets and raccoon dogs. According to the one PDF file, entitled "Wild Caged Fur: The Inside Story" over thirty million animals that are raised for the fur industry are kept in small, cramped wire cages where the animals can hardly move. Due to their cramped living conditions, animals raised in such a fashion often develop severe behavioral problems, such as being stressed, continual pacing, swaying, head bobbing to self-mutilation. Cannibalism can also occur amongst female foxes who have litters often kill and eat their own young. Also, since many of these animals are inbred just to get a certain color fur, many are born with severe deformities and health problems. In other words, the entire means and methods that these types of animals are kept in are no better than puppy mills where dogs are raised for the pet trade in which identical conditions exist.

Now while many people may be opposed to the capturing of fur bearing animals by use of steel traps and think that farm or ranched raised animals are killed in a more humane manner, they're in for a rude awakening; they aren't. The common methods used in killing these animals are the use of Carbon monoxide or Carbon dioxide gases which kills the animals very slowly and painfully. Smaller fur animals are killed by twisting the animals neck until it breaks. Others are killed by anal electrocution, while last some are killed by injecting a lethal "cocktail" of poisonous chemicals.

If all this isn't enough to get you thoroughly disgusted with the fur industry, as you can guess, there's more to it and to my mind the most disgusting dirty fact that we people have been kept in the dark about. As with everything, those in the fur trade want fur that is cost effective, in other words dirt cheap and for many years have turned their focus in getting fur the cheapest way possible, and one of the largest countries to supply the fur industry is China. What is even more outrageous is that most of the fur from the Chinese fur farms aren't even from animals that are normally considered for usage of the fur industry and include cats and dogs.

On the PETA website, in their section called "A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms" Chinese Fur Farms not only is there an article about the Chinese fur trade, but an undercover video that shows how animals are killed for their fur...it's by no means pleasant and one has to have a strong stomach to watch it. I did however, and my anger soared as I'm sure anyone else who watches this video. One sees a man grabbing at a raccoon dog cub by the tail, hitting its head repeatedly on the ground to stun it, a close-up shot of the raccoon is then given, with it's face bloodied. Then the person grabs the raccoon by the tail again, hooks it up and prepared to skin off the fur...all this while the animal is still alive. After the still live animal has been skinned of its fur is then tossed on a pile of other skinned animals....the camera shows the animal, its body now blood-soaked and it's head rises up to look at the camera. Another scene included in this video also shows a dog being skinned alive. It is repeatedly hit on the head to "quiet" the dog, at last resort, when the dog isn't being cooperative then man stands on the dogs head to crush it's skull.

Now, the real kicker in all this, is that consumers for the most part are being lied to in another area. Number one, many of the fur items sold in top stores are not even properly labeled. In one HSUS video it is disclosed that the fur trim on a coat at one of the better known and expensive New York City stores which was labeled as being raccoon fur was in reality fur from the dogs that are skinned alive in China. One can view this video and more like it here at the HSUS website. HSUS Website Also, as I see it, the worse offense is the lie consumers have been given about "faux" or fake fur, which in reality is also fur from dogs and cats. The highest usage of fur, whether real or "faux" for any kind of trim...be it on or in boots, hats, trimming on clothing is fur from dogs and cats and exported from the Chinese fur trade.

The good news, and yes there is some, is that a few top designers have elected not to use any kind of fur, whether real or not for their clothing and include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Land's End among others. A listing of who those designers are here at this link: Fur Free Designers Unfortunately this is but a very small drop in the bucket as many major fashion designers, over 400 to be exact, continue to use fur for their wearing apparel. As long as there is an expected demand for fur by consumers, the fur industry will continue its practices. I even recently wrote a few emails to top notch stores such as Bloomingdales, Macy's, and Lord &Taylor, especially about the falsity about "faux" fur. The response I got was pretty much the same from all of them. In other words, while they understood my viewpoint about fur, that they had to consider their clientele who wishes to continue in buy fur clothing.

While this article may be a hard one to read, and if you elect to watch the videos are extremely hard to view, especially for those who are lovers of animals such as I am, I'm hoping that this article will expose the many realities that go on in the fur industry that may not have been known up until now.

Appalling Fur Facts

http://www.peta.org/feat/ChineseFurFarms/index.asp

http://video.hsus.org/?fr_chl=13fb64b467dae0cb41259e434020a731b3c9ef06&rf=sitemap

Other videos related to the fur trade on the HSUS website

http://www.hsus.org/furfree/multimedia/multimedia.html

PDF Files From The Humane Society Of The United States On Can Download and Read

http://www.hsus.org/forms/fur-free_campaign_materials_1.html