Your pet could be at risk: The disturbing link between dog deaths and this common food packet!
- Replies 5
It's not uncommon for our four-legged family members to rummage and explore at home. After all, it's in their nature to stick their nose in places that they shouldn't!
But while curiosity is part of their adorable personalities, it can also sometimes lead to very dangerous and sometimes fatal consequences.
It's been revealed that thousands of furry friends die every year due to a common household hazard that many pet owners are not aware of—empty food bags.
Bags that previously held food—anything from chips to pet food—pose a massive risk and are known to cause suffocation, according to warnings from vets and safety advocates.
'Empty bags are attractive to dogs and cats because they retain the smells and tastes of food residues,' warned Dr Liz Arnott, Chief Veterinarian at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) NSW.
'Once the animal’s head is inside the bag, inhalation can cause the bag to seal around their nose and mouth, leading to suffocation.'
One such instance occurred recently when Alfie, an 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, tragically lost his life through suffocation from a chip bag.
Alfie's devastated owner, Jess Godsmark, hoped that sharing her heartbreaking story with the advocacy organisation Prevent Pet Suffocation would help raise awareness of this dire but largely unknown hazard.
'You think your dog is safe at home ... but on Sunday, October 29, I came home from shopping to a total tragic accident,' Godsmark shared.
'My beautiful baby boy I found with a bag of crisps over his head that one of my other dogs had managed to get off the kitchen table, as he never got on the chairs.'
'I’m absolutely devastated. I feel broken, numb and totally empty.'
Another family lost their three-year-old Pyrenees Pit pup, Stella, to a similar tragic accident involving a chip bag.
'In a short hour’s time when we were gone, our dog got into the [rubbish] and pulled out a chip bag. She suffocated in it,' Mike Gonzales shared.
'She had gotten the chip bag all the way up to her ears, and when they inhale, the bag forms a vacuum seal that suffocates them in minutes.'
The Gonzales family were 'devastated beyond belief' to find Stella lifeless on their dining room floor after getting stuck inside the chip bag.
Prevent Pet Suffocation estimated that two to three pets are lost each week in the US due to food bag suffocation.
In Australia, veterinarians have also seen suffocation cases involving items like chip or snack bags, cereal box liners, and even bread bags.
Dr Bronwyn Oke, the Chief Vet at Victoria RSPCA, explained the disturbing reality: 'There’s a panic, and they’re not thinking...they’re not thinking logically about how to get the bag off their head.'
'And they start breathing faster and faster, and they pull in the plastic closer to their mouth, and all the actual oxygen becomes absorbed, and they can suffocate that way.'
Prevent Pet Suffocation have advised pet owners to take the following measures:
Every pet owner's nightmare is to lose their beloved friend in such a heartbreaking manner. Please be cautious and aware of this potential danger.
This news comes after pet owner Kayla Sylvia-Jayne shared her ‘really traumatic’ experience of almost losing her beloved pup, Malibu, due to mould poisoning.
Now, she’s hoping to spread awareness of this common—yet potentially deadly—mistake.
Her traumatic 24-hour ordeal began when Kayla was cleaning out her kitchen and tossed out some mouldy fruits.
'I was cleaning out my fridge and cupboards, and there were just some rotten strawberries and apples that I threw into a bag. I didn't really think she had eaten anything, but obviously she did, and I didn't think much of it.'
She noted that the 'tiny bit' of rotten fruit her dog ate had 'messed her up so bad'.
You can read more about this incident here.
Share this story with your family and friends to help keep all their furry family members safe and free from harm.
Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below!
But while curiosity is part of their adorable personalities, it can also sometimes lead to very dangerous and sometimes fatal consequences.
It's been revealed that thousands of furry friends die every year due to a common household hazard that many pet owners are not aware of—empty food bags.
Bags that previously held food—anything from chips to pet food—pose a massive risk and are known to cause suffocation, according to warnings from vets and safety advocates.
Empty food bags pose a massive risk as they are known to cause suffocation among pets. Image source: Freepik.
'Empty bags are attractive to dogs and cats because they retain the smells and tastes of food residues,' warned Dr Liz Arnott, Chief Veterinarian at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) NSW.
'Once the animal’s head is inside the bag, inhalation can cause the bag to seal around their nose and mouth, leading to suffocation.'
One such instance occurred recently when Alfie, an 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, tragically lost his life through suffocation from a chip bag.
Alfie's devastated owner, Jess Godsmark, hoped that sharing her heartbreaking story with the advocacy organisation Prevent Pet Suffocation would help raise awareness of this dire but largely unknown hazard.
'You think your dog is safe at home ... but on Sunday, October 29, I came home from shopping to a total tragic accident,' Godsmark shared.
'My beautiful baby boy I found with a bag of crisps over his head that one of my other dogs had managed to get off the kitchen table, as he never got on the chairs.'
'I’m absolutely devastated. I feel broken, numb and totally empty.'
Another family lost their three-year-old Pyrenees Pit pup, Stella, to a similar tragic accident involving a chip bag.
'In a short hour’s time when we were gone, our dog got into the [rubbish] and pulled out a chip bag. She suffocated in it,' Mike Gonzales shared.
'She had gotten the chip bag all the way up to her ears, and when they inhale, the bag forms a vacuum seal that suffocates them in minutes.'
The Gonzales family were 'devastated beyond belief' to find Stella lifeless on their dining room floor after getting stuck inside the chip bag.
Prevent Pet Suffocation estimated that two to three pets are lost each week in the US due to food bag suffocation.
In Australia, veterinarians have also seen suffocation cases involving items like chip or snack bags, cereal box liners, and even bread bags.
Dr Bronwyn Oke, the Chief Vet at Victoria RSPCA, explained the disturbing reality: 'There’s a panic, and they’re not thinking...they’re not thinking logically about how to get the bag off their head.'
'And they start breathing faster and faster, and they pull in the plastic closer to their mouth, and all the actual oxygen becomes absorbed, and they can suffocate that way.'
Prevent Pet Suffocation have advised pet owners to take the following measures:
Every pet owner's nightmare is to lose their beloved friend in such a heartbreaking manner. Please be cautious and aware of this potential danger.
This news comes after pet owner Kayla Sylvia-Jayne shared her ‘really traumatic’ experience of almost losing her beloved pup, Malibu, due to mould poisoning.
Now, she’s hoping to spread awareness of this common—yet potentially deadly—mistake.
Her traumatic 24-hour ordeal began when Kayla was cleaning out her kitchen and tossed out some mouldy fruits.
'I was cleaning out my fridge and cupboards, and there were just some rotten strawberries and apples that I threw into a bag. I didn't really think she had eaten anything, but obviously she did, and I didn't think much of it.'
She noted that the 'tiny bit' of rotten fruit her dog ate had 'messed her up so bad'.
You can read more about this incident here.
Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below!
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