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Kids love to get toys to play with, and your pet is no different. But don’t let the price of entertainment result in a trip to the emergency room.

Buying safe toys for your pet is a must in order to keep them safe from harm. The problem is that most people are not aware of the potential hazards that pet toys may cause their animal.

Dr. Mark Stickney, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says common sense goes a long way. When looking for a toy for a dog, “Don’t buy anything too soft where the dog could bite off pieces and swallow them,” he warns.

Stickney says that the dog could choke on these pieces or even swallow them, and if it did, surgery may be needed in order to remove them. Toys that may be too soft are toys made of soft plastic or rubber; these materials are easy for dogs to bite through, he says.

Stickney also recommends that toys not be too hard. He strongly suggests that dogs not be given animal bones. Bones are too hard, leading the dog to chip or even break its teeth.

He advocates the use of raw hide chews. He believes that dogs enjoy playing with them and that they are the safest material for the dog. He also urges pet owners to buy toys that are appropriate for the size of their dog. “If the dog is smaller, naturally the toy should be smaller; and the same holds true for larger dogs,” he believes.

Stickney proposes that a safe toy is one that the dog can easily hold in its mouth without its teeth puncturing the toy. The toy should not be small enough to fit down the dog’s throat.

The best toys, in Stickney’s opinion, are called ‘Kongs’. They are tubes that are filled with treats in the center. They come in a variety of different sizes for different dogs, and are hard enough that the dog cannot chew through them. The tubes even have weight recommendations on their boxes, signifying the most appropriate tube for the weight of the dog.

Cats are a bit different with their toy preferences than dogs. They tend to like toys that move and are stimulating to the eye. “Cats tend to like toys that are free, such as playing with small aluminum and paper balls,” he notes. “Any toy that a cat can place under its paws and the toy springs out, cats will often love.”

Stickney cautions that cat owners should not give their cats toys that have long strings. The cat may swallow the string causing choking. Cat’s preferences on toys tend to be more varied than dogs, but most prefer round toys that move.

Most large pet stores are good places to purchase toys because they have a large variety, and if a toy has proven to be harmful, they are good about taking it off the shelves, he adds.