University of Glasgows Small Animal Hospital shared a post on Facebook about a dog named Kobe who sadly got the wired mask wedged in his stomach. While the pup has since recovered, it highlights the dangers disposable face masks pose to animals.
“Littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too”
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“You can see from Kobes sad expression that this was not a fun experience, but happily there was no serious damage caused in his case. A good reminder that littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too.”
The post read: “Kobe was out for an afternoon walk when he spotted a discarded face mask and wolfed it down. Luckily, his owner recognised the risk of this causing damage to his gastro-intestinal tract, and brought him straight to our Out of Hours Emergency Service.
What happens when a dog eats a face mask
The biggest threat comes with intestinal blockage. Dogs can’t digest the materials used to make a face mask. The consequences might not always be immediate but a dog that swallows a face mask may start to show symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. A lack of appetite may also become evident. Your dog might even refuse his favorite treats.
If your dog is super lucky, he may have chewed and torn the face mask into tiny pieces. These pieces may be small enough to pass through the dog’s intestinal tract with little problem. This, however, isn’t a situation when you want to play ‘what-if’. It’s necessary to take your dog to the vet as soon as possible before the face mask causes further distress in the dog’s gastrointestinal tract.
Dog acting normal after eating face mask
Even if the dog acts normal, you shouldn’t assume the dog is fine after he swallows a face mask. Please keep in mind that it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days before your dog starts showing any sort of distress. If the face mask does cause blockage in the dog’s gastrointestinal tract, it may not always happen earlier on. It might, for example, happen in the small intestines.
A dog ate a paper face mask and required lifesaving surgery Animal Rescue League says
“Littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too”
Vets are warning dog owners to be extra vigilant after one pup swallowed a discarded disposable face mask while on a walk.
University of Glasgows Small Animal Hospital shared a post on Facebook about a dog named Kobe who sadly got the wired mask wedged in his stomach. While the pup has since recovered, it highlights the dangers disposable face masks pose to animals.
The post read: “Kobe was out for an afternoon walk when he spotted a discarded face mask and wolfed it down. Luckily, his owner recognised the risk of this causing damage to his gastro-intestinal tract, and brought him straight to our Out of Hours Emergency Service.
“An x-ray was taken to check if the mask contained a nose wire, as this increases the risk of complications – it did, but since this appeared small and flexible our team opted to make Kobe vomit in the hope of retrieving the mask. Kobe was given an injection to make him sick, and fortunately the face mask was brought back up again.
“You can see from Kobes sad expression that this was not a fun experience, but happily there was no serious damage caused in his case. A good reminder that littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too.”
The RSPCA is urging members of the public to dispose of their masks correctly after new figures have highlighted the impact littered masks are having on animals. The World Health Organisation say you must dispose of a single-use mask by putting it carefully in a closed general waste bin (remember they cannot be recycled). When you put your bins out, also make sure the bin is closed so there is no risk of animals getting inside it. If you are feeling unwell, you should leave your waste for 72-hours before adding it to any communal waste area.
“Our RSPCA officers have had to rescue animals from getting tangled in face masks and we expect incidents may go up as time goes on, so the best thing to do is to simply cut the elastic ear straps in half before throwing it away,” Chris Sherwood, the RSPCAs chief executive, told Leader Live.
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