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Our Toy Selection Process

We only provide high quality, premium toys! No upgrades necessary!

Pets need toys! They need mentally stimulating and durable toys that allow them to satisfy natural urges such as chewing, hunting, stalking and scratching.

Dogs and cats see shades of blues and yellows best, so whenever possible, we choose toys in these color families! We try to send toys that pets will get excited about! If your pet does not like a toy we send, we will gladly replace it with a different toy!

Please see the “No Hassle Returns” section of our FAQs for more details.

Because pets have different chew and play styles and all toys are not created equal, no toy can be guaranteed as indestructible or safe. We strive to select the highest quality toys on the market, but cannot ensure that all toys will be “safe” for every pet. Please only give your pet toys while he or she is supervised and if toys become damaged, remove them immediately. It’s your job to make sure that your pet is playing appropriately with his or her toys!

We try very hard to find toys that are mentally stimulating for your pet. We love to keep pets engaged in “figuring out” a toy.

We also like toys that encourage interaction between a pet and it’s human! We love to help deepen the bond between you and your pet by providing fun toys that you and your pet can enjoy together!

Injuries Caused By Toys

When given inappropriate toys, many animals can end up getting themselves into trouble, or worse, into the hospital and onto the surgery table. It’s really upsetting to both owner and veterinarian to see a cheap $3 toy turn into a $3000 surgery, or worse.

If pets are not given appropriate toys for stimulation, they will almost certainly find something to play with and chew on. Unfortunately, many of these “self-made toys” end up causing problems! This is how VetPet Box’s founding veterinarian ended up with her dog, Chewy. See Chewy’s story below.

We try to select sufficiently durable toys for our more powerful chewers. If you’ve selected this option in your pet’s profile, please note that you will not receive many toys that have excessive stuffing or squeakers. We also keep the dental health of your pet in mind and select toys that are not commonly known to cause excessive enamel damage. Please note that some pets may have enamel deficiencies (for example, older pets or Distemper virus survivors) and, as always, you will need to use your best judgment as to which toys are appropriate for your pet.

Trauma to the mouth and teeth and digestive system blockages are some of the most common pet injuries caused by toys. 
Here are just a few of the many examples of inappropriate toy-related issues seen by our veterinarians:

A “wheel” emergency!

This puppy was found chewing on a wheel from an office chair. He was very painful and had to be sedated so tools could be used to carefully cut away the wheel. He was lucky that he did not have any lasting tooth or gum damage.

I feel like I have a rock in my gut!

Do you see that big white round thing in the abdomen? That’s the rock! This dog needed emergency surgery and had almost 3 feet of intestine removed because of damage caused by the rock that had been there for almost a week.

Do I have something in my teeth?

This dog’s owner noticed that the dog started having REALLY stinky breath. On exam, this stick was found stuck between the upper teeth and had become embedded into the roof of the mouth. This dog was very painful and needed heavy sedation to remove the stick.

Toy Related Injuries By The Numbers

In addition to the examples above, here are some items our VetPet Network veterinarians have surgically removed from their patients:

General Household Items (rocks, magnets, pennies, etc)

34%

String-Like Items (strings, needle and thread, dental floss)

18%

Kitchen Items (popsicle sticks and wrappers, bone pieces, almonds)

12%

Hair Accessories (hair ties, hair brush, human hairball)

12%

Cloth Items (underwear, towels, socks, blankets)

12%

Toys (balls, kid toys, squeaky toys, rope toys, chew toys/treats)

12%

Chewy

Chewy is a major inspiration to the founding of VetPet Box. Chewy is a prime example of why pets need durable toys that provide mental stimulation to prevent boredom and destructive behaviors. Chewy had not been provided access to toys or mental stimulation, so he played with  inappropriate things …one of which almost cost him his life. Chewy’s previous owners presented him to Dr. Steph for euthanasia after he swallowed a landscaping rock that caused an intestinal blockage. Chewy looked up at Dr. Steph from the exam room floor with such sweet, loving eyes and struggled to give 2 pitiful tail wags. At that moment, Dr. Steph knew she could not euthanize him. With the previous owners’ approval, Dr. Steph immediately chose to adopt Chewy and took him directly into surgery. She was in surgery with Chewy for 5 hours and had to remove the rock, as well as almost 3 feet of intestines that were damaged due to the obstruction. Chewy is now a normal, happy and healthy member of Dr. Steph’s family. Chewy will do anything for a Nyla Bone.