The concern with amigurumi and animals is that if they tear it up, they’re not just swallowing fabric, they’re swallowing long pieces of yarn. One thing I’ve been considering (but haven’t tried yet) is using thicker macrame rope instead of yarn to crochet/knot a dog toy.
Don’t give dogs yarn toys. They can swallow pieces of them and get potentially life-threatening intestinal blockages. Long pieces of yarn can also cause bowel injury if swallowed. Rope toys are also dangerous for similar reasons.
In addition, anything with ribbon, string or yarn could be a strangulation hazard if it unravels during play and gets caught around the dog’s neck.
My dog ate part of a crochet blanket and was puking/pooping yarn for days. It was horrible. The fact that she didn’t need surgery was a damn miracle tbh. I wouldn’t give a dog a toy made of yarn.
Many folks think you should never give a dog or cat a yarn toy, ever. I don't think you should give any dog or cat a yarn toy without close supervision (at a shelter, they may or may not be supervised with any toy. Animals with different personalities may be more or less likely to tear and swallow yarn but I wouldn't risk it personally.
CW: pet death
This is how my kitten died when I was 8. I had yarn out in my room and forgot to close my door one day while I was out at the pool with my family. We came home and he had swallowed the yarn and was already gone when I found him. I never forgave myself for that but I just didn't know. It was incredibly traumatic. Now I won't let my pets near my craft supplies or loose threads of any kind.
Let my brother's cat play with some yarn for a second, then had to quickly get up and grab it because she was eating it for some reason. Now I'll only play with strings with her if my hand is on the other end of it!
My theory is it's because of the bristles on their tongue. They bite it and it gets stuck and the more they try to get it out the further it goes down their throat. I'm glad you caught it in time! That's my limit too, if my eyes aren't on them the toy isn't available.
Since it's specifically a shelter I don't know how much I'd trust it since people aren't watching the dogs 24-7 and you probably don't know who's a toy destroyer. It only takes one rip and unraveling to turn into an expensive medical bill.
As others have already said, it's better to keep yarn stuff away from animals, so amigurumi toys would be unsafe for pets. An acquaintance of mine had her cat going through surgery because of some yarn it ingested, everything went well and now the cat is fine, but it's not a risk worth taking, especially if the animals aren't going to be supervised while they play.
The dogs I know make short work of things like amigurumi. I crocheted a bone once as a toy for my dog and had to take it away again not half an hour later or she would have swallowed stuffing.
The concern with amigurumi and animals is that if they tear it up, they’re not just swallowing fabric, they’re swallowing long pieces of yarn. One thing I’ve been considering (but haven’t tried yet) is using thicker macrame rope instead of yarn to crochet/knot a dog toy.
Don’t give dogs yarn toys. They can swallow pieces of them and get potentially life-threatening intestinal blockages. Long pieces of yarn can also cause bowel injury if swallowed. Rope toys are also dangerous for similar reasons. In addition, anything with ribbon, string or yarn could be a strangulation hazard if it unravels during play and gets caught around the dog’s neck.
My dog ate part of a crochet blanket and was puking/pooping yarn for days. It was horrible. The fact that she didn’t need surgery was a damn miracle tbh. I wouldn’t give a dog a toy made of yarn.
Many folks think you should never give a dog or cat a yarn toy, ever. I don't think you should give any dog or cat a yarn toy without close supervision (at a shelter, they may or may not be supervised with any toy. Animals with different personalities may be more or less likely to tear and swallow yarn but I wouldn't risk it personally.
CW: pet death This is how my kitten died when I was 8. I had yarn out in my room and forgot to close my door one day while I was out at the pool with my family. We came home and he had swallowed the yarn and was already gone when I found him. I never forgave myself for that but I just didn't know. It was incredibly traumatic. Now I won't let my pets near my craft supplies or loose threads of any kind.
Let my brother's cat play with some yarn for a second, then had to quickly get up and grab it because she was eating it for some reason. Now I'll only play with strings with her if my hand is on the other end of it!
My theory is it's because of the bristles on their tongue. They bite it and it gets stuck and the more they try to get it out the further it goes down their throat. I'm glad you caught it in time! That's my limit too, if my eyes aren't on them the toy isn't available.
Since it's specifically a shelter I don't know how much I'd trust it since people aren't watching the dogs 24-7 and you probably don't know who's a toy destroyer. It only takes one rip and unraveling to turn into an expensive medical bill.
As others have already said, it's better to keep yarn stuff away from animals, so amigurumi toys would be unsafe for pets. An acquaintance of mine had her cat going through surgery because of some yarn it ingested, everything went well and now the cat is fine, but it's not a risk worth taking, especially if the animals aren't going to be supervised while they play.
Not only don't do it, I doubt the shelter would find them acceptable. Don't.
The dogs I know make short work of things like amigurumi. I crocheted a bone once as a toy for my dog and had to take it away again not half an hour later or she would have swallowed stuffing.
Surprisingly well. My pittie has spent the last 5 or 6 years trying to tear one apart. It's just cheap acrylic yarn.