Can your dog choke on his or her collar?!

@dragon54u (31633)
United States
August 18, 2009 8:55pm CST
I was just sitting outside watching my Cookie jumping up and down and barking at a cat that was on the other side of the fence and I remembered the day I came home from school to see my dog lying on her side recovering from a near death experience. I was fourteen (41 years ago!) and my neighbor stroking her and talking to her. Tippy was tied up while I was at school because we couldn't afford a fence. After school and during the night she was inside or I was playing with her. She had been jumping up trying to reach my neighbor, a very sweet lady, and her collar caught on the fence. Mrs. McCurdy was working in her garden and just happened to wonder why Tippy was so quiet--her collar had caught on the fence and she was choking to death! It was loose but not enough for her to slip out of. Thank God my neighbor hurried around and got her free! Nowadays I make sure my dogs can slip out of their collars if they are caught on something. I don't walk them now that I have a fenced yard--there are so many stray dogs here and Gus wants to challenge them all so walking is dangerous for my two--but I make sure they can slip out of their collars if they struggle. In my other residence when I could walk them I used a harness in addition to the collars. Are your dogs safe? It's an awful way to die. Collars can be caught on furniture inside the house, too!
1 response
• United States
19 Aug 09
I had an experience w/ my cat a few months back. The wildest one of course so I was afraid to get clawed. She had never worn a collar and it was hard for folks to tell the 2 appart so I bought them collars. Her older sister had worn one before & was ok w/ wearing one again. The baby girl, nope she had it in her mouth and was kinda gagging on it. I had to call my hubby to help so one of us could wrap a towel around her so we didn't get clawed the other to remove the collar from her mouth.
@dragon54u (31633)
• United States
19 Aug 09
Cats are different from dogs! My dogs are really upset when I take their collars off--that's their jewelry, their clothing, their decoration! They like getting new ones and preen like crazy, sniffing each others' new collars and stretching their necks in the other one's face! Cats, on the other hand, hate constrictions. I don't blame them! Maybe you can use a ribbon around your cat's neck, very loose so that she can get it off herself, and gradually make her used to a collar? It's important in case she gets lost! But loose enough so she can't choke, of course!
• United States
19 Aug 09
Yes , some collars they can. I will never leave a choke collar on them again . One day my two dogs where playing and the one's collar hooked on to the others choke collar , and the poor thing was choking . Lucky enough I was right there when it happend and I was able to get the collar off quick enough .