When we have a dog in our family, we want to take care of them and make sure they get the most out of life. This would include buying them toys so they can play. That is what Indira Tuckler did when she bought a few rope toys for her dogs. They appeared to be sturdy so she thought they were safe and they came from a reputable store.
Unfortunately, within a day, the toys were torn to pieces by her dogs. She threw away all the of the shreds that she found but it was already too late. Sam, her 14-month-old Golden retriever had swallowed a piece of rope. It damaged her intestines and she died.
“The ball unraveled and tore several holes in her intestines as she tried to pass it,” Tuckler wrote, in a post shared on the Facebook group Vizsla Dog Lovers. “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.”
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Even though she believes that the rope toys were ‘impossible to destroy’, it proved to be fatal to her pet. She is now sharing the story to warn other pet owners about the possible dangers.
“Linear objects pose more danger because they travel along the intestines causing more damage as they clinch the intestines into a tight ball,” she explained. “According to an article posted by Germantown Veterinary Clinic ‘Ropes are the most dangerous objects your dog can swallow’!!”
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A number of retailers offer the ‘Real Simple’ toys, including Petco, Pet Smart, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and Homegoods, where these were purchased. The symptoms can include diarrhea, drinking excess water, loss of appetite, vomiting, and could be confused with parasites or an upset stomach. It is difficult to see the rope on an x-ray so surgery is typically the only option to identify the problem.
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“This was a senseless and avoidable death,” Tuckler concluded. “These items should not be sold for dogs. I believe there is power in numbers and if we can share Sams story maybe we can save a dogs life.”
Incidentally, it is also a good idea to keep these rope or string toys away from cats. A similar problem could easily happen and has happened to some felines.