Dog Owner Warns Of Pet Suffocation From Crisp Packets After Her Dog's Tragic Death

A grieving woman shared the story of the tragic loss of her dog, hoping that it will prevent other people and their pets from suffering the same fate.

In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Christina Young from Texas spoke out about how her dog, Petey Pablo, died from an unfortunate household accident.

On February 19, 2018, Young explains that she and her partner, Christian, headed out to work as usual. However, when she kissed her pet goodbye as she always did, she had no idea it'd be for the last time.

Tragically, while the couple was out, Petey Pablo, discovered a packet of unopened crisps in the kitchen that got stuck on his snout and suffocated him.

“Last Monday, Christian beat me home from work by about 10 min and was surprised when Petey didn’t greet him at the door like usual,” Young wrote.

“As he walked in further he saw our sweet boy laying lifeless with a stupid chip bag over his head. He was able to get them off the counter that we will forever blame ourselves for leaving out.”

“He ate every chip out but of course went back for crumbs. With there being nothing left inside every time he would go for more he would inhale making the bag tighter and tighter around his head ultimately resulting in suffocation.”

The distraught woman added that Petey was a clever dog, so she couldn’t understand why he would not have used his paws to remove the packet from his head. But after she did a little research, she found out that this was, in fact, an extremely common cause of many pet deaths.

“The stats on how often this happens is shocking,” she explained.

“Three to five pet suffocations get reported every week, and 42 percent of those occur while the owner is in the next room. It only takes about 3 minutes for their oxygen to drop to fatal levels. With this happening so often we were so surprised by the lack of awareness on this topic out there.”

She also explained that she and her partner did not realize just how dangerous something like that could be and hope that other pet owners will learn from their heartbreaking loss. She adds:

“Chip bags, cereal bags, bread bags, popcorn bags, dog/cat treat bags seem to be the most common”.

“So I just ask that in honor of my boy Petey that you be extra careful, warn other dog owners and give your fur babies some extra love today and every day after this.”

“I pray none of you ever have to experience your heartbreaking this way.”

British Veterinary Association senior vice president Gudrun Ravetz told The Independent, “Pets are curious and will manage to sniff out food wherever it is, with vets often seeing the tragic consequences of dogs and cats falling ill or, in worst case scenarios, dying from food packaging.”

“We would advise pet owners to keep food safely stored out of reach of their pets, use pet-proof containers to store any edible items and monitor them while on walks outside. In case of an emergency, contact your local vet immediately.”

References: The Independent, Love What Matters, Christina Young