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View Full Version : A warning and a plea to all dog owners



ReaperSS
02-08-2013, 06:20 AM
This was just posted on another website im on and happend just recently. So horrible and i thought i would post it here so this dog didnt die in vein, may save another dog or dogs if awareness is out there.
Here is the post.....

"I know many of us here own dogs and in some cases work with dogs.


An unfortunate incident occurred here where I work a few days ago.

One of our military working dogs, Bety was out with her handler being exercised and carrying out continuation training. As part of the training, positive reinforcement is used. When a dog does well it is rewarded with a ball.

On this occasion, the ball was thrown for Bety and it became lodged in her throat. She started suffocating. Her handler was on hand to pull the rope that ran through the ball. The rope came away leaving the ball still lodged firmly in the back of her throat. He tried in vain to free it but it was too far back and he couldn't get his fingers around it nor through the hole where the rope came out.

After a short while she passed out. As her muscles relaxed he was able to dislodge the ball and clear her airway. He tried for ten minutes to resuscitate and revive her but unfortunately it was too late and she died before the vet could attend or she could be taken to the vets.

So, if you have a dog, please check the balls and toys you use with him or her. Make sure they are too big to be swallowed. Buy balls with ropes to assist removal if one does become stuck but make sure the rope is fit for purpose. Don't be complacent, this accident could've happened to anyone of us who own or work with dogs. Please be vigilant and be aware of what you use as you dog's playthings. If there is anything which you might look at in a different light now, bin it and buy something else.
I should point out that the ball was an issue ball. We can't just go out and buy our own dog toys, they have to be bought via the defence force and through their recommended supplier who have to satisfy that their equipment is functional and fit for use.
On this occasion it sadly wasn't so even with all safety measures in place, accidents can and will happen"

Sebdullah
02-08-2013, 07:10 AM
:(
as sad as this story is it is a good reminder that accidents can happen & how easily an unfortunate thing like this can occur

heavyduty1340
02-08-2013, 07:42 AM
Fark man that was really unfortunate, and sorry for the loss - thanks for informing us

I will be checking my dogs toys straight away.

prick of a thing having to watch a dog die.

crabman
02-08-2013, 08:03 AM
That sucks. When i was a kid playing fetch with a neighbours dog on the road, she ran into a kerb and fractured her neck. Owners didnt notice a couple a days, just thought she was unwell and not moving around much. Lucky the poor thing didnt break it as it was fixed up a few thousand dollars later.

Would suck so much having it suffocate to death in your arms.

shifted
02-08-2013, 08:05 AM
Terrible thing to happen let alone witness, poor pooch and poor guy :(

Mates dog ate a tennis ball recently, cost him $7k for emergency surgery as it blocked his intestine, he almost lost the pooch. My dogs rip apart everything so I keep checking the toys regularly to be sure. He is getting insurance now to be safe.

Small balls are a bad idea. I try and keep to tug of war ropes, soft teddies and soccer balls (though that too isn't the best). Even kong balls don't last long and end up in pieces. :-/

Chase_d
02-08-2013, 08:16 AM
Woah - truly unfortunate. I personally never actually ever thought about that.

We used to use a large softball when playing fetch with our dogs. We only recently swapped to a smaller rubber ball as the younger one of the two was catching the large (hard) softball at whilst it was still going quite fast.

Think I will look into some alternatives now.

I couldn't possible imagine how distraught that owner would be as you be, I imagine you would be helpless in such a scenario.

Fozzy
02-08-2013, 08:24 AM
Terrible thing to happen let alone witness, poor pooch and poor guy :(

Mates dog ate a tennis ball recently, cost him $7k for emergency surgery as it blocked his intestine, he almost lost the pooch. My dogs rip apart everything so I keep checking the toys regularly to be sure. He is getting insurance now to be safe.

Small balls are a bad idea. I try and keep to tug of war ropes, soft teddies and soccer balls (though that too isn't the best). Even kong balls don't last long and end up in pieces. :-/

Make sure he is careful with the insurance. Pet insurance companies are nothing but a pack of thieving pingpingpingpings and will more than likely treat that as a pre existing condition and any similar operations in the same area will not be paid out on... I did all the research for the new dog recently and considering it was going to cost more than my car to insure and the lists of exclusions and the horror stories out there from other people. I decided it was better to self insure.

shifted
02-08-2013, 08:32 AM
Self Insure Vs. Pet Insurance?

What is Self Insurance?

crabman
02-08-2013, 08:37 AM
The ASX?

ola
02-08-2013, 08:39 AM
I'm assuming it's the concept of putting money aside to cover unforeseen accidents.

Fozzy
02-08-2013, 08:40 AM
As in put a plan in place to cover unforeseen circumstances. Putting money away etc etc Having a credit card to cover the expense etc etc.. Sure its a risk but thats a personal thing to weigh up.

I havent taken any of my pets to the vet in the last 10 years except for checkups/vaccinations I have 4 of them now so in theory if I was paying insurance on all of them it would be about 1500 a year (generous minimum) Im 15k better off.

Just make sure he does all his research is what I am saying.. There is 100s of horror pet insurance stories out there more so than the good ones in my research as there is just way to many loop holes for them. Also you still have to pay the bill with pet insurance and then they reimburse you.. You have no way of knowing if they will actually pay out until you submit the paperwork.. So you could dump 10-12k on a cancer treatment or something and then find out its not covered.

Its obviously a personal choice but you just need to read all the PDS's very carefully.. Keeping in mind 95% of them are all underwritten by the same company so their PDS's are basically the same.

Lozzle
02-08-2013, 11:09 AM
Also never throw sticks for your dogs. I've seen firsthand when a stick goes down the wrong way both being caught midair and when retrieving it from a bouncedown. Seeing a dog choking up blood with half a stick down it's gullet or into it's throat is not fun for anyone!

stumps.
02-08-2013, 11:19 AM
Re pet insurance

I have it and it costs me 38.42 per month for the silver coverage.

My dog had a very sore mouth last year and everytime he opened it was in pain for some reason. Went to the vet straight away and recommended cortizone tablets and two types of blood test to diagnose the problem.

It cost me $800 on the spot

The tablets fixed him and the next day he was fine. Blood tests came back inconclusive.

Pet insurance gave me back $650 which I am really happy with.

I am happy with my investment.

huggy_b
02-08-2013, 11:33 AM
Small dog, a golf ball is big! :p


But I've heard good and bad reports re: pet insurance. Personally I will dip into my savings to fix my dog if it comes to that. There are a lot of exclusions when you read the fine print.

Fukushima
02-08-2013, 11:50 AM
My dog chewed up and shredded a Bundy can the other week.

Thankfully no dark tarry stools so no signs of gastrointestinal bleeding. Dumbarse.