Kmart has been called out for selling a pet toy that contains antifreeze — an ingredient that is deadly to dogs.
During the festive period, a pet owner bought the ‘fetch cooling bone’ for $5.50 for his dog Bandit and admitted he knew it contained the substance but thought it was fine to keep an eye on his pet.
“I purposely gave it to him where I could watch him, but within two minutes I looked away for about 30 seconds and looked back and he was walking away from things inside,” the pet owner from Tasmania wrote online.
After discovering that his dog had ingested the substance – with only a small fatal amount – he rushed Bandit to the vet as his mouth began to foam. The dog was given fluids and closely monitored but was eventually given the all-clear to go home with an expected full recovery.
Dog owner ‘freaked out’ Kmart sells toy with deadly ingredient
After the ordeal, the dog’s owner admitted he should have “known better” and considered not sharing his story because of bad feelings about his decision, however, he believes other pet owners need to learn animal from his mistake and warn about the dangers.
He also said he is “confused” that the retailer chooses to sell toys that contain “toxic” ingredients for the animals they are intended to use. There are warnings on the back of the packaging, however, the dog owner believes the deadly dangers should be more clearly stated.
“I don’t think there is much awareness of the toxicity of ethylene glycol… I shudder to think of other dog owners who don’t know the dangers and give it to their dogs,” he wrote.
Kmart responds to dangerous pet toy claims
Yahoo News Australia understands this is the first complaint the retailer has received about the product but Kmart is encouraging any customers with an issue to get in touch.
“Safety is always our number one priority, and we always want to hear from customers about any concerns with our products so we can investigate and evaluate,” a Kmart spokesperson told Yahoo News.
This isn’t the first Kmart pet product to be in the firing line for being dangerous for dogs. A festive themed dog treat was flagged in early December because it contained raw bark that could cause choking.
“Regarding rawhide, these foods are probably one of the worst things ever created for dogs,” Kirra Graham, Director of Pet Drs, told Yahoo News Australia last month. “Rawhide is particularly dangerous because it is a by-product from the leather industry.”
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