Nova Scotia pet owner shares story after her dog dies suffocating on a chip bag
Global News
A Nova Scotia woman is sharing her story after the death of her beloved pet, in hopes it helps other pet owners.
A Nova Scotia woman is sharing her story after the death of her beloved pet, Lexie, in hopes it helps other pet owners.
Deborah Lewis says she knew the moment she arrived home from vacation last week that something was wrong.
“She wasn’t there to greet me, which was a little unusual, and then I came up the stairs and she wasn’t in her chair, which was her favourite spot,” recalled Lewis.
“I was a little worried at that point.”
She found Lexie in the dining room with a chip bag suctioned to her head. Lewis, who is a veterinary technician, says she knew it was too late to help her dog.
“(The chip bag) was on the counter, and my family had thought it was far enough away, out of her reach,” said Lewis. “It wasn’t uncommon for us to leave things at the back of the counter, and she wouldn’t get them.”
She warns the tragedy could happen to other pets, including dogs and cats, because the bag’s strong material can create a vacuum-like seal around their necks.
Veterinarian Ainsley Davidson-Rowe is a colleague of Lewis’s and knew Lexie well. She says Lexie’s case wasn’t the first time she’s seen pet suffocation.
