Pets are like our children — we would do absolutely anything for them. No pet owner should ever have to go through losing their animal over something as silly as a chew toy.
Unfortunately for this dog owner who also breeds golden retrievers, that is exactly what happened. And now, she wants everyone who owns a pet to know that they must be extremely cautious when picking out their toys. Even if they seem harmless, they can be extremely dangerous and cause pets pain — they can even cause death.
The owner goes by the name of Indria Tuckler and she lost her dog to a chew toy. Now, she is issuing a warning about these types of toys so that fellow dog lovers don’t ever have to go through what she unfortunately experienced.
In the letter she posted, she explained that she purchased several “sturdy looking” rope toy balls that were advertised as impossible to be destroyed. Indestructible! She gave them to her dogs to play with but then shortly after, noticed something strange… one of the toys was torn into bits.
One of the puppies, Sam, who was just one-year-old, had chewed it up and swallowed some of the pieces. Then Tuckler naturally threw the rest away in the trash.
Unfortunately, though, Sam was left with severe internal bleeding and died just two days after swallowing the chewed up toy.
As soon as Tuckler shared this tragic story via Facebook, it went viral all over the internet.
Here’s what she shared:
The ball unraveled and tore several holes in her intestines as she tried to pass it. They removed 3 feet of rope that was entangled in her intestines. They also removed 14 inches of perforated intestines.
The damage from the rope was so extensive that she passed away two days later. We did not even have the option of having another surgery. She quickly became septic and bled from her intestines into her stomach.
“This was a senseless and avoidable death,” Tuckler continued. “These items should not be sold for dogs.”
“I believe there is power in numbers and if we can share Sam’s story maybe we can save a dog’s life.”
Tuckler is aware that these rope toys in particular are very common and popular among dogs and their owners. It is extra scary that they are so easy to purchase since they are sold at Petco, Homegoods, and pretty much any other store with a dog toy aisle you can think of.
She hopes that at least, if there’s one good thing to come of this, it is that her young puppy’s tragic death will serve as a warning to other dog owners.
She also adds in the symptoms of a dog who has swallowed its rope toy, comparing it to the symptoms of parasites. Diarrhea, vomiting, lack of appetite, and excessive water consumption are all red flags that could mean your dog is in serious danger.
In addition to Tuckler, veterinarians also agree that ropes are the most dangerous toy a dog can swallow because they are linear objects that travel along the intestines, ultimately causing more damage.
Like Tuckler said, this death truly was senseless and 100% avoidable. Hopefully dog owners can take this seriously and avoid making the same mistake with their beloved pets.
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