The Consumer Council on Wednesday raised concerns about the safety of certain dog toys, specifically those made of leather.

The watchdog tested 30 different dog toys and found that while the majority are safe, one leather toy contained high levels of a chemical called chromium (III) that could potentially harm pets.

Chromium (III) is a chemical commonly used in the process of tanning and manufacturing leather.

While it was found in parts of 28 different toy models, the council said the levels of most toys were below the standard’s upper limit of 460mg/kg set for children’s toys, suggesting a low health risk.

However, in one particular leather toy, the amount of chromium (III) that could leak out was measured to be up to 647.7 mg/kg.

Council chief executive Alaina Shum said the chemical could cause skin sensitisation in animals.

“One more point to add on for the leather toys is it is very hard to wash," she said.

"So in a sense, whereby if we are concerned with the hygienic level, we believe that toys using other materials will be more safe,” she said.

The watchdog added that three of the leather toys tested showed much higher levels of chromium (III) than toys made from other materials like rubber.

The council advised pet owners to visit physical stores when buying dog toys to inspect the products' workmanship and check whether a toy was appropriate for their dog’s age, size, bite strength, activity level and play habits.