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When Daniel Rechelbacher's lab-mix Chai lost his tongue after playing with a chew toy, he blogged about the ordeal to warn other pet owners. Now the toy manufacturer Four Paws has recalled its pimple ball, after hearing about Chai's incident and other reports of dogs suffering similar problems.
Rechelbacher writes on his site, "While chewing on the toy, a vacuum was created and it effectively sucked his tongue into the hole in the ball. From speaking with my vet, this likely occurred because there is not a second hole in the ball preventing the vacuum effect from happening." Chai was taken to the animal hospital, where the ball was removed. However, his tongue was found to be very swollen and was ultimately amputated.
Rechelbacher, who also posted videos and photos of Chai, told the Daily News, "It's been devastating... [Chai] was depressed, he was in pain and he couldn't chew his food," explaining he had to re-teach the pup how to eat and drink. Chai's walks have been shortened too, since he's "unable to cool himself through panting." He also told WCBS 2, "I'm angry, because it all could have been prevented because there was evidence of this a long time ago." While Four Paws did respond to e-mails about the defective product, saying they would stop shipments, Rechelbacher says the company forwarded his correspondence to their insurance company first.
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You really should have posted the update from Consumerist from 08/21/2008...
Thank you for your recent note expressing concern over the Four Paws® Pimple Ball with Bell. We were equally alarmed to learn that a dog may have injured himself while playing with this toy.
Dogs have been enjoying the Pimple Ball with Bell for more than a decade with over 500,000 units sold. In all the years this product has been on the market, this is the first injury of this nature that we are aware of. Unfortunately, accidents sometimes happen. That’s why we recommend that dogs always be supervised when they are playing with any toy. We take great care in developing safe products for pets and their owners.
At this point we have identified the problem and are not shipping any more Pimple Balls. We have contacted customers that carry this product and have asked them to immediately return their inventory.
Thank you for your concern and feedback. Please know that we are in direct communication with the pet owner whose dog was injured. At Four Paws, happy pets and satisfied pet owners are our number one priority. Rest assured we will continue to work hard to deliver on our priority.
Sincerely,
Allen Simon
President, CEO
Four Paws Products
Sent by Haley Birk on behalf of Allen Simon
I am no physics expert, but wouldn't adding a hole to the ball (or just cutting it in half) while on the dog's tongue have released the vacuum?
Seems someone decided to amputate a little too soon.
It wasn't a vacuum holding the tongue in. The tongue had swollen inside the ball, so a second hole wouldn't have helped. Read the blog next time before commenting. They didn't rush into the decision. The vet observed the dog for days before deciding the tongue couldn't be saved. Once gangrene has set in, the tissue will not grow back.
I've never had a problem with Four Paws products. I trust them a hell of a lot more than I trust Hartz, which refused to acknowledge that their flea medicine caused adverse reactions in more than a few pets, enough to merit a class action lawsuit.
Yowza, hope Chai is doing well.
How can I get GW Bush to bite into one of these balls?.
Poor puppy!
How is Chai doing now? Is he able to drink and eat on his own yet? Animals are very adaptable...to a point, so I hope he's adjusting okay by now. I'm curious. Just how much of his tongue did they remove? And did Four Paws pay for any vet costs? If not, they should!
Keep us posted! My heart cried for him and his human family:(
ellkay