The Railtown Animal Clinic has put out a warning on social media to dog owners about the risks of leaving collars on unsupervised pets.
The vet clinic posted Wednesday on Facebook saying they have recently seen an increase in collar-related injuries when dogs are left alone. Some examples of these injuries are when a dog gets their collar stuck in its crate, or around their jaw because it is too loose and doesn’t fit properly. Other examples included in the post relate to houses with two or more dogs who regularly play together.
“Many tragic accidents happen when one dog’s teeth or ID tags get entangled with the other dog’s collar,” the post says. “Their natural reaction is to jerk, twist, and try to pull away, but this is what leads to strangulation.”
Owners are advised to remove the dog’s collar when left unsupervised or when owners go to bed at night. Adding for owners who are worried about their “escape artist” pet getting away without identification, microchipping is a safe and reliable alternative to an ID tag.
More collar safety resources can be found online.Â