BOSTON -- To get on store shelves, children's toys have to pass strict standards for safety.

But toys in the pet aisle don't.

Team 5 Investigates took 20 pet toys to the lab RMD Inc. in Watertown. While only one dog toy had lead levels higher than what's allowed in children's toys, lead detectors found everything from slight traces to lead levels much higher.

"Right now, it's looking to be 1,000 ppm (parts per million) or a little bit over perhaps," said Paul Bennett, a scientist at RMD, as he examined a "Spinmeister" dog toy.

The final reading: 1,360 ppm.

That's pretty high compared to the federal limit for children's toys, which is 300 ppm.

Wornick: "So you're not bringing this home to your family?

Bennett: "Probably not."

Like with humans, excessive amounts of ingested lead can cause a variety of problems for dogs and cats.

"Lead toxicity typically causes either gastrointestinal signs like vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite," said Dr. Lisa Moses, a veterinarian at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. "Or in more serious cases, actual seizures or other neurological problems."

But Team 5 Investigates discovered, there are no federal safety guidelines for pet toys. No federal agency monitors them for lead content or choking hazards.

Angell's medical files contain x-rays showing how dogs swallowed everything from a ball to rubber ducks.

"I think it makes a lot of sense for there to be similar regulations for animal toys that there are for kids' toys," Moses said.

Both Petco and Petsmart -- two of the largest national retailers for pet supplies -- told Team 5 Investigates in statements that they hire independent companies to check for toxic chemicals and other safety concerns before products are stocked on store shelves.

Team 5 Invesigates also contacted Cardinal Pet Company, the distributor of the Spinmeister.

In a statement, the company said its tests on the Spinmeister also found lead levels higher than what's allowed for children's toys, and stopped selling it, but can't control the sale of any leftover inventory still available at some stores.