The pet product business is booming. Folks enjoy purchasing things for their pets nearly as much (or maybe more than) they do their own children. No animal lover would purposely expose Murphy to harmful toxins. How many harmful toxins, like mercury, chlorine or lead has your fur kid been unknowingly harmed by? There is a good chance that at least one pet toy you've purchased over the last year contains at least one of these dangerous substances, most likely lead.
HealthyStuff.org tested 400 pet products, such as bedding, toys and collars. Since there are no federal restrictions about harmful materials being used in the manufacture of pet products, it was no surprise that the results concluded different degrees of very poisonous elements, especially lead, among each of the different type of pet product that was tested. Twenty-five percent, that amounts to 100 different products, showed detectable levels of lead, including over 50% of all collars. Doggie tennis balls contained the highest levels of lead, although tennis balls sold for playing tennis sometimes had no measurable levels of any toxins. But do not go out and replace your dog's tennis balls with tennis balls made for playing tennis. Those have metal embedded in the fabric and that could do extreme damage to your pet's stomach. Go look over the the results of the research study at HealthyStuff.org. It's clearly written and straightforward.
What can you do as a concerned citizen and pet owner to ensure pet products are not hazardous? Email your Congress person. Write to your state representatives. Purchase only items for your dog that are listed on the list of safe pet products at HealthyStuff.org. Spread the word about the website and tell everyone you know about the final results of the research. Email a letter to the editor. Make a contribution. The important thing isn't how you demonstrate support, it is that you do support. Our pets cannot speak for themselves or other animals. They trust us to be their voices. Let's not fail them.
Deborah Walker is a freelance writer living in northern New Hampshire with her family, which includes two very sweet rescued dogs from Tennessee and three very unique cats. She is also a Fuller Brush and Watkins distributor. http://www.fullerbrushamerica.com/
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - How to Make Sure Your Pet's Bedding and Toys are Safe