Photo grabbed from iheartdogs.com
I came across a very, very sad post today at YorkiePartners.com – about an owner heartbroken because her beloved dog suffocated from the bag liner on a box of crackers!
Here’s what happened: she and her husband were out for the evening and their dog, a 9-month-old Sheltie puppy, got into a box of Cheezits. She writes “she put her head in the bag inside the box to get to the crackers. The bag came out of the box but she couldn’t get the bag off her head. They came home and found her dead from suffocation! It doesn’t seem possible, that a dog couldn’t get a bag off his head, but they can’t! In fact, I checked online and read more cases of the same tragic accident.”
Another case involved a family whose 6 year old Labrador grabbed a Doritos bag when they weren’t looking. They found him dead with the bag over his head.
Pibbles Animal Rescue’s Facebook page warns:
Chip bags and other food packaging pose serious suffocation risks to our pets. Too many pets, especially dogs, have died from suffocating in chip bags, cereal boxes, pet treat bag liners, and dog food and cat food bags.
A lot of these bags are made from a strong mylar-like material (like a balloon) which helps keep snacks fresher. When a curious dog puts his head into the bag looking for leftover crumbs, the bag creates a vacuum-like seal around the dog’s neck. As he tries to breathe, the bag tightens around his neck, cutting off the oxygen.
When a dog cannot remove the bag from his head, he will usually start to panic, desperately running around until he collapses and dies from asphyxiation, often losing his bowels, as well. This happens within minutes.
How to Prevent this tragedy
- Keep all chips, cookies, snack bags, etc. out of your dog’s reach
- Tear or cut up all chip bags and food bags after use – don’t forget, dogs love garbage, even little dogs like Morkies
- Keep all trash can lids tightly fastened, locked, or behind a cabinet, especially in the kitchen.
- Pass this along to all your pet-owning friends.
This is so frequent…
That change.org is circulating a petition to Frito-Lay to ask them to label their mylar bags as suffocation hazards for pets. Check it out here, and let’s get this done: Petition to Frito-Lay
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