Keeping pet toys clean

I just got done spending 5 days in the hospital for lingering pneumonia problems :( So have been trying to get caught up. I have a question about cleaning soft squeeky toys a bladder. I have washed them in the machine but then the bladder (squeeky) pops its plug and fills with water! Not sure if you can dry them in the dryer or not. Hard to hand dry because it takes so long and then they have a sour smell by the time they really dry out and also have to put them where Buddy Boy can't see them!!! Have you ever seen where you can buy replacement bladders?
I won't be drying anything out soon as we have many inches of snow here with blowing winds and blizzard like conditions. Its just waaay to soon for this.
Also I was wondering about all the wonderful pet pictures that are posted and any that have toys in them that the toys look so nice and new - all mine look like rags after couple of days wear and tear. How do you make this happen??? :D Sorry I am just rambeling on.

Oh, Sammi. I am just so sorry that you have not yet gotten over the bad pnumonia, and now you have snow to contend with! :( Please take care of yourself!!

As for the toys, I just don't know. The squeakers don't last long enough in our toys for them to ever have a problem in the washing machine. The squeaker is usually "out" the first day. But my girls will chew on those limp rags that are left for months. So I just throw them in the washer with the dog bedding occassionally.

Sammi, first of all, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT! Snow already huh? Sounds like MN is in for a nice long winter... it was always "fun" to try and trick or treat in your costumes with snow on the ground... wearing your costumes OVER your snow suits and boots. Fun fun fun!

Anyway, I sure hope you are recovering! My best wishes to you :D!

As for toys... I only had one pic up of Lexi with her "frog-boy" toy.... it is grimy and dirty but in tact. Her dinosaur man is also in tact but a few stitches are ripped. It is really weird... those two toys are old and I can't believe they are still good! Other toys just like them have been ripped to shreads with in two days. They usually rip thru the toy to get to the squeeker and rip it out. Then the toy is ruined. So, I don't know - I guess it just depends on their moods :D!

With four aggressive chewers, we are always washing, stitching, or replacing squeakers in toys. I will do a small load of toys every few weeks. I usually do them on gentle cycle, with detergent but no fabric softener (since that lingers on the toy). Then I always throw them in the dryer. Sometimes the squeaker fills with water, but usually, if you press it a few times, it will empty out.
The toys will never look as good as new, but I figure, hey, they're only dog toys that are going to get slobbered on, de-squeaked, and dragged out into the muddy backyard again anyhow. I don't really care how they look as long as the dogs enjoy them! (I think I wash the toys less because of how they look and more because I don't want my babies putting those yucky things in their mouths - how silly is that logic? :rolleyes: )

I've seen replacement squeakers at dogs shows. People use them to get there dog's ears to perk up in the show ring. I'll look around and see if I can find any online...

Sammi, I'm so glad that you are home and feeling much better, five days in the hospital is quite an ordeal.
Yes, we just put our stuffed toys in the wash and hope for the best. Our dogs play with them but they stay pretty good, they like us to throw them and they fetch them, they mostly chew on nylabones or that new Hartz chew ball toy.
Please take care of yourself and take it one day at a time.
Jackie

I'm sorry about your pneumonia! Snow already? That's rough. I hope things clear up for you soon! Like Logan, Daisy's toys are usually shredded in days and she just nibbles on the empty bodies!

Oh, Sammi, I hope that this pneumonia thing is finally over and done with. They don't let you sleep with a dog in the hospital, do they?

First you got to take the pictures when you first get the toy. That's the secret. All our stuffies are looking a bit scruffy to say the least, and probably half of them don't squeak anymore. We never have tried to wash one, but I was thinking about just that the other day. I might try to see what I can do with an exterior wipe off and see what kind of results that gets. As the weather gets cold there will be more "Let's play stuffies" in the living room as opposed to outdoor activities.

I'm afraid Bella is just like Bridget's Daisy. She looks at a stuffy as a challenge. She thinks she must beat her previous record when it comes to time elapsed before it is a mass of unrecognizable material. And, like Daisy, she just continues to nibble on the empty bodies! :D I'm afraid hers are thrown out before they ever get very dirty.

You got one great roll model, Bella!

Love,
Daisy