Suffocation by Snack Bags, Is Your Pet at Risk?

Recently a pet sitter of ours arrived at a client’s home for their daily dog walk only to find that sadly the dog had passed away. She found the dog at the base of the stairs with a potato chip bag stuck firmly on his head. She started Cpr immediately but it was too late. Cause of death, suffocation by the snack bag.

When a pet sticks their head in a bag or box to get the food, their breathing creates a vacuum and the bag tightens until they can’t get it off and they suffocate.

Imagine the horror. Imagine how the sitter felt, as she has known this dog for years. This however, is nothing compared to what the owner felt when our pet sitter called to inform her of what had happened. Utter devastation are the only words to describe this situation.

Now of course we thought that this was a freak accident. The truth is, this happens to many pets. Here is what we know…

*Which bags are dangerous?

• Snack bags-pretzel, popcorn, cookie, cracker, chips (69%)
• Cereal bag (8%); Pet Food bag (8%); Pet Treat bag (5%)
• Bread bags, cheese bags, even hard plastic and cardboard containers, and more…

*Where Are They Finding These Bags?

• In or near the home trash or recycling can (32%)
• Coffee table or side table (21%)
• Counter (11%)
• Under a bed (7%)
• Outside which blew into their yard
• In owners car

Unfortunately, 90% of people, who’s pet suffocated had never heard that this was even possible (like us!). So, we are working to raise awareness on this subject in the hopes we can prevent it in the future.

You can help too! Please click HERE to visit the change.org page to petition Frito Lay to add pet suffocation warning labels to your chip bags). Tell others about this danger. Keep bags, boxes and containers up and away from your pets!

*Statistics provided by Dr. Jason Nicholas on www.preventivevet.com

Terie Hansen is the Owner of Good Dog! Coaching & Pet Care. For more information www.gooddogcoaching.com