Is Labubu safe around dogs and cats? What the figures are made of, what pets do to them, and what to do if one gets chewed

Collectors worry about dust and sun. Pet owners have a different list of worries, and almost no guide for blind-box figures addresses it. The advice that exists is either about dog toys or about children's toys, and a Labubu is neither.

This guide covers what the figures are made of, the three ways they can hurt a pet, and what vets and veterinary sources say to do if the worst happens. It is general information, not veterinary advice. Every pet and every incident is different, and anything involving a swallowed or chewed object should go to a vet, not to an article. If your animal has already chewed or swallowed part of a figure, skip to the section on what to do and phone your vet or an emergency clinic first.

What the figure is, and what the label says

The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a Big Into Energy Labubu pendant from 2025, and its catalogue record lists the materials as PVC, polyester, iron wire, vinyl and paper. That matches retailer listings, which describe the same series as PVC with polyester fibre filling, about 17 centimetres tall. Other series differ. Retailer pages for other Labubu lines mention zinc-alloy hardware or ABS plastic, so the materials list on the product page for your specific figure is worth reading rather than assuming.

The labels tell you who the product is for, and it is not a pet. Most retailer listings for Pop Mart Labubu pendants carry a recommended age of 15 and over (a few third-party listings show other ages, so go by the box), and one European listing adds the warning "Not a toy" alongside a choking-hazard note for small parts. A Target listing for another Pop Mart series shows the same choking-hazard flag. We found no testing of these figures as chew toys, which fits the fact that they are not sold as chew toys.

Three ways a figure can hurt a pet

Obstruction and injury

PetMD's veterinary-reviewed guidance, updated in December 2025, says swallowed objects can cause choking, poisoning or intestinal blockage, and lists plastic as a risk for choking, puncture and blockage. It treats swallowed sharp items, along with batteries and string, as emergencies. A veterinarian writing for Dogster notes that plastic toys can break into sharp pieces that cut the intestine, and that both plastic and plush items can obstruct a dog that eats them.

A Labubu has both a hard part and a soft part, and the hard parts are small enough to matter. The plush fabric and filling can be pulled out in pieces, the vinyl can be bitten through, and if the iron wire listed in the museum record is exposed once the figure is torn, it adds a sharp edge. We do not know how often this happens, because we found no published case reports about Labubu or comparable blind-box figures. The reasoning is simply that a figure like this fits every category of object that vets warn about.

Size matters in both directions. Small dogs and puppies can swallow pieces that a large dog would pass or not bother with, and Pop Mart's own small-parts warning is a reminder that the pieces are small in absolute terms. PetMD says passage can take 10 to 48 hours, and also says waiting is risky and you should call a vet rather than assume the item will pass.

String, straps and cats

Cats are the reason the pendant format deserves its own warning. Veterinary sources describe a condition called a linear foreign body: a cord, thread or tinsel that a cat swallows, which can anchor at one point while the intestine keeps moving. Vetlexicon, a veterinary reference, says treatment is surgery in most cases and that the prognosis is guarded when the problem is chronic. The condition is more likely when cats find thread-like items attractive, and a source for owners from Gallant says the movement of a dangling cord mimics prey, which is why cats pounce on it.

A Labubu pendant is a loop, a ring and a dangling body that sways. That is not an accusation against the product. It is the shape a cat finds interesting. If you have a cat, the pendant hanging off a bag at cat height is the scenario to avoid, along with loose threads on worn plush.

Chemicals: real research, unclear risk

PVC is made flexible with additives, often phthalates. A 2006 Danish Environmental Protection Agency report noted that phthalates in children's toys are regulated in Denmark while pet toys are not, and cited an earlier investigation that found large amounts of two phthalates, DEHP and DINP, in PVC toys for cats and dogs. A 2013 peer-reviewed study in Chemosphere found that phthalates and bisphenol A leached from some dog toys and training bumpers into synthetic saliva, with chewing increasing the release. The bumpers released far more than the toys, and a researcher on the team said when the work was first presented that actual exposure was not known.

Two things follow. First, this research is about dog toys and training gear, not Labubu, and we found no testing of Pop Mart figures in contact with pets. Second, the US rules that limit phthalates apply to children's products, and whether a 15+ collectible counts as one is the question our compliance guide covers. Retailer descriptions that call the paint non-toxic are marketing copy, not test results. The honest summary is that nobody has measured what a pet would absorb from a Labubu, and an owner who wants to be careful should simply stop the chewing.

If your pet has chewed or swallowed a figure

Read this as a summary of what veterinary sources agree on, then call your vet.

• Take the figure away safely. PetMD says to remove an object from the mouth only if you can do it easily and safely, and not to pull anything lodged deep in the throat.
• Call your veterinarian right away, or an emergency clinic if yours is closed. If you think something may be poisonous, PetMD lists the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661. Check the number on their site before you rely on it.
• Do not make the animal vomit unless a vet tells you to. PetMD says some items do more damage coming back up.
• If you see string or cord hanging from the mouth, do not pull or cut it, according to PetMD. One veterinary columnist for Catster suggests carefully cutting a cord that is dangling from the rear of a cat and monitoring closely. The advice differs, so ask your vet which applies before you touch it.
• Collect the details they will ask for: which figure and series, what parts may be missing, how long ago, and your pet's size and symptoms. Keep the packaging and any remaining pieces.
• Even if your pet seems fine, call. A veterinarian writing for Dogster says that some objects take weeks to pass if they pass at all, and a Newsweek report quoting a pet-safety expert says that if treated early enough a vet may be able to induce vomiting or retrieve an object with an endoscope, but that many cases end in emergency surgery.
• Signs to watch for afterwards. Tufts' dog-health newsletter lists persistent vomiting, more drooling than usual, loss of interest in eating, diarrhoea and lethargy as classic signs of a blockage. Dogster's veterinary author adds straining or inability to defecate and weakness. For cats, Vetlexicon lists vomiting, loss of appetite, depression and weakness. Any of these after a chewing incident means going to a vet, not waiting.

Practical ways to keep both safe

• Keep figures out of reach, not out of sight. A closed display case or a shelf the animal cannot reach beats a lecture to the dog. Acrylic cases made for pendants are sold widely, and a lid you can latch is more reliable than a bare shelf.
• Take pendants off bags before you put the bag down. Straps and loops are the cat hazard. If you carry one daily, unclip it at home and store it away from where the bag lives.
• Mind the packaging. Blind-box inner bags, cards and tissue are also tempting. Throw them out where the pet cannot dig them out.
• Do not hand a figure over as a distraction toy. The UK charity PDSA notes that the fuss a dog gets after eating something it should not can teach it that grabbing objects is a way to get attention.
• Be strictest with puppies and kittens. The Cat World guide to linear foreign bodies says kittens may be at higher risk of linear foreign bodies because they explore with their mouths.
• Teach 'leave it' and 'drop it'. Lort Smith's emergency-care guidance recommends these commands as part of preventing swallowed objects.
• Choose a proper chew for the chewer. Giving a dog something that is safe to chew is easier than guarding every shelf.

Fake Labubus and pets

The advice above assumes a genuine figure. Counterfeits are a bigger unknown. In August 2025 the US Consumer Product Safety Commission warned that fake Labubu plush figures and keychains can be small enough to fit in a child's mouth and block the airway, and that some break apart and release small pieces. The UK government's product-safety database lists a Labubu-style plush toy with a pull cord as a counterfeit presenting a serious risk of choking. Those are child-safety findings, but the same traits, small pieces and loose cords, are the ones that matter for a pet. We cover how to tell a real figure from a fake in our authenticity guide.

Questions pet owners ask

Sources

• Victoria and Albert Museum — catalogue record for the 2025 Big Into Energy Labubu pendant (materials list).
• PetMD, veterinary-reviewed guidance updated December 2025 — swallowed objects, plastic hazards, what not to do.
• Vetlexicon — linear foreign body in cats, treatment and prognosis.
• Dogster, veterinary-authored guidance — plastic and plush obstructions, sign lists.
• Tufts Cummings School, dog-health newsletter — signs of a blockage.
• Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2006 — phthalates in pet toys; Chemosphere, 2013 — leaching from dog toys into synthetic saliva.
• CPSC, August 2025 — counterfeit Labubu small-parts and breakage warning.
• UK government product-safety database — Labubu-style plush with pull cord listed as a choking risk.
• PDSA, Lort Smith, Cat World — prevention and training guidance.

General information, not veterinary advice. Checked November 2026.