Why litter is harmful to our dogs
We already know that littering has a detrimental effect on our environment, but we might not be aware of a less obvious risk involved: littering can be harmful to our dogs. This is a fact that dog owner, Geneve Smith learned for herself, when her small dog became sick after ingesting litter off the streets in Turramurra, New South Wales.
“We were walking down the footpath when she dived and grabbed something. I didn’t see what it was but tried to pull her away.”
Shortly after, her dog became ill and stopped eating. Upon visiting a vet, it was found that the animal had ingested a corn cob which was now blocking her stomach.
Though surgery was not required, this might not have been so had it happened to a larger dog, within which the corn cob could have travelled further and caused more damage.
“It was fortunate because she’s a small dog and it hadn’t gone any further than the stomach. If it gets into the small intestine, it’s surgery,” Smith said.
According to Keep Australia Beautiful, a shocking 780 pieces of glass, metal and other harmful materials were found per 1000 square metres of dog walking areas throughout Australia.
Dr. Justin Wimpole , author of First Aid For Dogs, had this to say on the matter:
“We see it all — deep cuts from broken glass, rusty fishing hooks and line caught in the back of the throat, and severe damage caused by things like the skewer from a chicken satay stick. The sad thing is that it’s completely avoidable.”
So if you needed one more reason to keep Australia clean - do it for our pets.
Image source: North Shore Times
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