A couple’s puppy died after swallowing a teething toy bought on Amazon – leaving them devastated. The seven-week-old dog – named Miss Red Collar – was rushed to the vet after chewing the product, which has since been removed.
An operation was performed to remove the toy from the puppy’s stomach but, sadly, it could not be saved. Two other puppies developed symptoms and needed surgery – which they survived.
Steven Pooley, 58, and partner Gulin Milne, 52, said they felt “terrible” after the death – and had to pay around £4,000 for surgery and tests on the other dogs. Steven said: “It’s absolutely horrible. I’m absolutely devastated.
“We’ve been raising these puppies for almost eight weeks, in our home and all around us. We’ve become so attached to them. We’ve loved and cared for them every moment of every day. It’s really horrible.
“I just want to warn others not to buy these and put their pets at risk. There are many sellers all selling these products under different names on Amazon – this is a total mystery as to who the actual manufacturer is.
“The green bone and the pink heart were broken. The toys didn’t chew at all. The puppies bit them into pieces and swallowed them.
“There were no bites lying around so we just assumed the toys were gone.”
Steven and Gulin, from Bala, Wales, helped their Alaskan malamute Nala, two, and Bryn, six, raise ten puppies. The piglets were about seven weeks old when they gave the dogs a pack of chew toys on February 10.
And, that night, two chewers are missing. Steven then noticed that Miss Red Collar did not eat lunch or dinner on February 11.
He got sick six times during the night and the last one smelled like dirt, Steven said. After Googling she suspected she had a blockage in her intestines and rushed her to the emergency vet.
But even though they removed all four rubber tumors in his intestine and rehydrated him, the dog died while recovering from the op. The second puppy, Mr Gray Collar, became ill and underwent surgery on February 16.
And the third, Mr Brown Collar, went under the knife on February 18. Both survived, and all the other puppies need to be checked.
Steven and Gulin own holiday cottages and are not breeders; the pregnancy happened accidentally. But Steven says the puppies can fetch up to £1,000 each.
He said: “They don’t know if he was shocked or if he was just too weak during the whole episode to survive the operation. It’s not about the money – we love them so much. I’m just so horrified that these toys have been damaged like that.
“It wasn’t until the vet sent the specimen pot that we realized what had caused the blockage – we were devastated by the guilt of what we had left lying around. We never thought that puppy teething toys could cause this injury. I can hardly believe it.
“We’ve already found a home for this puppy and we had to call and tell them – it’s really heartbreaking.”
Steven called and emailed Amazon who said they were sorry for the loss and would investigate the incident. But the product is still online – much to Steven’s dismay.
She said: “It’s horrible. I can’t believe they haven’t stopped selling them. I think that’s the worst part of me. I just want pet owners to be aware. We are physically and mentally tired
“It’s not just because of what we’re going through but because of our very real fear that other owners and puppies have gone through the same trauma and potential death. We feel like we should be compensated for this, but we’re not We want to make a profit from this so we plan to donate any proceeds to a charity we know called Sally’s Helpful Paws.”
Amazon said: “Customer safety is a top priority and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. We ensure that our selection meets industry-accepted standards, and we develop innovative tools to avoid listing unsafe products.
“The product in question has been removed while we investigate.”
