A VET has revealed the dangerous reason why dog owners shouldn’t keep the collar on their pet while indoors.
Under UK law, all pet dogs must wear a collar with the owner’s name and address on it when in a public place.
Falling foul of the legislation could land the owner with a hefty £2,000 fine under the Control of Dogs Order 1992.
Many owners also keep their pet’s collar on when the dog is at home too.
However, a traumatic experience suffered by a 14-month-old Golden Retriever has led to a warning from a vet.
The pup needed emergency treatment after he managed to twist his collar and almost choked to death.
A spokesperson for Royal Vista Vets in Colorado, US, said: “The strangulation hazard of dogs playing while wearing collars is a hidden danger that many pet owners don’t know about, but a story we hear with some frequency in our emergency clinics.
“Thankfully puppy Percy is on the road to recovery after spending some time in our intensive care unit over the weekend.
“He was an excellent patient and feels better already thanks to some time in our state-of-the-art oxygen kennel.
“But how Percy ended up spending the weekend with us is an important story that his caring owners allowed us to share to help keep other pets safe.”
Percy and his big brother were playing when Percy’s collar got stuck on his brother’s mouth, according to the vet’s
Percy panicked and while twisting around trying to escape, he caused his collar to tighten around his neck.
The spokesperson added: “Thankfully the dogs’ owner noticed quickly that something was wrong and managed to release Percy before he lost consciousness.”
Percy was rushed to the family’s vet and underwent treatment by the emergency team as he was struggling to breathe, drooling profusely and was very distressed.
A spokesperson said: “Radiographs showed that Percy had fluid in his lungs – or non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema – which was caused by the time he spent struggling to breathe.
“Pain medications and oxygen support quickly helped Percy breathe more comfortably as his body worked to heal from the experience.
“Thankfully Percy’s story has a happy ending but if his owners hadn’t been there to intervene it could have been tragic.”
The vet advised that collars should not be worn by dogs if they are playing with others while unsupervised.
