GCh. SunClipse Mystique aka Missy 11/02/2007 – 09/15/2013

We have the results from the autopsy performed on Monday morning and willingly share the report in the hope that by doing so, it may save the life of one other Tibetan Terrier or beloved canine friend.

Missy died of a foreign body lodged in her intestinal tract, both perforating and protruding from her intestines. The foreign body was a common plastic squeaker that she had ingested some four months earlier. During the initial episode, she had regurgitated two other squeakers, and although we took x-ray images to verify that there were no additional obstructions, the last squeaker was missed in the image.

Marge & I plan to mount an awareness campaign informing owners of our puppies and others about the potential damage that objects of this nature cause, the veterinary costs to remove and rehabilitate, or worse, the inevitable death that may happen. We seem to take for granted that our dogs will understand the ramifications if they ingest an indigestible object, and consequently either chew the object into small enough pieces, or not swallow it. One must remember that there are built in protections afforded children by the Consumer Protection Agency and trade associations, but these protections do not transcend to our canine friends. Just as you would not allow a child to play with a toy that has a marble in it, toys with squeakers or other loose objects should not be given to our dogs. Allowing them to play, destroy, and chew into submission objects of this nature is an accident waiting to happen. It is something that doesn’t have to occur, it is something that you control as the caregiver. Whatever you do, think the process through before you give your or your dog or a client’s dog a toy: can it become separated or dislodged, it can be swallowed, and can it cause death. We hope through this awareness and education that you do not have to go through what Marge, myself, Lois, and Dina have experienced the past few days.

Photos by Lisa Croft-Elliott

The unfortunate result of allowing our dog to chew and destroy something as simple as a stuffed toy with a squeaker imbedded has impacted hundreds of owners and breeders in a few short days. The sadness shared with Dina and Lois, as well as my wife, and all of the friends that Missy made in the dog show world cannot overcome the loss of this wonderful dog, but we hope that her story will make an impression on at least one other owner and will save the life of at least one additional dog. A preventable death, an awareness and education required, but still an unfitting end.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=34373

Posted by admin on Sep 26 2013. Filed under Breaking News, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.