1. 10 Comment(s)

2. By Dr. Charles Greco on Aug 26, 2008 | Reply

   My name is Dr. Charles Greco. I’m a veterinarian in New York. I came across your blog about your dog Chai. I wanted to extend my well wishes for a speedy recovery. I own 6 dogs, 2 cats, 4 birds and 3 tortoises, so I know how much a pet can become a part of the family. I was shocked to learn that the toy that hurt poor Chai came from Four Paws Pet Products. I have used many products from Four Paws from Wee Wee Pads to toys and dental products and I have always found them to be of the highest quality. I personally contacted Four Paws today and talked to some lady in the customer service department that told me that the toy that hurt Chai was the result of a manufacturing defect in one shipment of the pimple ball with bell toy. She explained that the defect, which is very difficult to see with the naked eye, is caused by a blockage in a small hole in the ball that is critical to regulating the suction inside the toy. She also told me that when Four Paws learned of the injury to Chai they immediately stopped shipping the product to distributors and retailers. She also said that Four Paws asked any retailers that had this toy in their possession to remove the toy and send them back to Four Paws. She told me that Four Paws is individually inspecting everyone of the pimple balls in its inventory in order to identify and discard any that are defective. She also said that Four Paws will also be changing the packaging of its pimple balls to make it easier to inspect them for potential defects. I was surprised when she told me that the Executive V.P., Barry Askin, was so deeply moved by the injury to Chai that he is personally visiting the manufacturer next month to inspect the manufacturer’s operation and to make sure the defect has been corrected and that procedures are in place to make sure the defect has been corrected and that procedures are in place to make sure it will not happen again. It was reassuring that this company is not sitting by idly but is taking an active role in making sure this terrible accident never happens again. I would just urge any pet owner who may already own one of these toys to check carefully to see if the second small hole in the ball is blocked. If they have any doubt whether the hole is open they should not let their pet play with the ball. I also went on Four Paws’ webpage, http://www.fourpaws.com. On the webpage they state that they will replace any defective toy. Again, all the best to you and Chai. I hope the two of you can share many years of happiness ahead.

3. By Symptoms of Dog Diseases on Aug 27, 2008 | Reply

   Hi,

   I have read the sad story of the chai. I am really shock of what happened.

   Before this i thought all the products that are being sell is well tested and have government approval before introducing to the public.

   One more thing, why don’t the owner of the dog sue the company?

4. By Sandra Ates on Sep 5, 2008 | Reply

   The part of this story that is most upsetting to me is the fact that FourPaws did not release an immediate warning for and recall of this product. As it was a manufacturing defect it is a given that there are hundreds of thousands of these little balls out there in homes where the families are totally unaware of this potential danger. FourPaws was negligent in not getting this information out as soon as it was brought to their attention. I immediately went through my dogs’ toybox and removed all toys manufactured by FourPaws. Not surprisingly, all were made in China. It is up to us, as pet owners, to inspect our pets’ toys as FourPaws evidently does not. Shame on them.

5. By Robert on Sep 12, 2008 | Reply

   That’s a shame – government needs to step in and take control of this.

6. By Louise Gallagher on Sep 29, 2008 | Reply

   I have one small question. Why doesn’t the company Four Paws pay for Chai’s doctor bills. It is most apparent that they were overwhelming not to mention the agony and pain the animal suffered. So if this company and others like them are so concerned why don’t they put their money where their mouth is????

7. By AnaMaria on Dec 21, 2008 | Reply

   I had the same experience with my bulldog, Max, about 30 years ago. When I found I couldn’t release the ball from his tongue, I took him to my vet who simply bored a hole into the ball thus releasing the vacuum.
   I’ve had many dogs since Max and have never purchased another pimple ball as a result of the lesson learned with Max.

8. By Daisy on Dec 21, 2008 | Reply

   If the company was so concerned with this incident have they officially pulled this product from all the stores? Have you tried purchasing another ball to see if it is available. If you can’t find an attorney who will take your case( I doubt it though) go to a dog activist group or organization and they will get that ball rolling for you. You should be compensated for the loss of his tongue and for your medical bills-FOR SURE!!!! If I were the manufacturer I would not hesitate to reimburse you quickly to avoid a sue on my hands. What’s fair is fair. Daisy

9. By Lyle Smith on Jan 8, 2009 | Reply

   Thanks for the information. Would a regular tennis ball be dangerous for a dog to play with? I would be intrested in facts, noy opinion.
   Thanks, Lyle

10. By Shadrach on Jan 9, 2009 | Reply

    Hi Lyle,

    Well you will most likely get opinion when you pose a question on any blog and this one is no exception, but we’ll do our best to give you some facts as well. Here is what I shared with Holistic Option this week:

    Toys are a funny thing. Dogs should be supervised when playing with toys of any kind as they all have the potential to be harmful, especially – as my colleague Dr. Jeannie Thomason says – when you have a dog that is a real chewer. My dog is always with me since I work from home so I can monitor his activities. But some dogs are left alone all day so people need to be careful which toys they allow.

    Dr. Jeannie has some safe toys listed on her site:
    http://www.thewholedog.org/petstages.html

    And she has also written a very good article on this subject:
    http://www.thewholedog.org/id66.html

    Kong toys are another good toy for dogs that are nearly indestructible although one of Dr. Jeannie’s little Boston Terrier’s tore through one in an hour once. So really the idea is to make certain your dog is supervised when playing with toys. Any have the potential to be harmful.

    I pretty much stick to plush toys with my dog or tennis balls that we play with together in the yard. Toys are for human interaction with their dogs, so it’s best to make certain the human is in the game with the dog.

    Some folks use the toys like babysitters but in truth they are meant to entertain your dog and engage their minds while you interact with them at the same time. I’ve not ever had problems with toys with my dogs since I’ve always supervised their play with them. This toy mentioned in the article though is scary because even if you were supervising them the dog could’ve gotten hurt just by the construction of the toy.

    People need to keep in mind that dogs are opportunistic scavenger carnivores. Their teeth are meant to rip, tear, shred and pulverize their prey. Keep that in mind when buying toys for your dogs.

    Dr. Kim Bloomer

11. By theresa on Jan 18, 2009 | Reply

    Sorry to hear of the pain of your dog, but the first thing I would have done was put a hole in the other side away from the tongue. Or use a scissors, we live in the country and its amazing the stupid things animals do. I’m always watching an thinking what I would have to do an to date nothing that bad has resulted, we had a dog get his head stuck in the feed bucket and I though he would die from suffocation.

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