Devastated Pet Parents Warn of Deadly Dangers of Snack Bags

Hundreds of dogs each year fall victim to the innocent act of trying to sneak a treat from a seemingly harmless snack bag. And, there’s one very simple way to protect your pets.

Most dog owners are already aware of the dangers of onions and chocolate, chicken bones, rawhide, and other hazards to the dogs we love as family, taking precautions to prevent access and consumption of the dangerous snacks.

But, one seemingly harmless item in every household – snack bags – are claiming the lives of hundreds of dogs every year. Once their head is stuck inside a snack bag, a dog can die within mere minutes.

Earlier this year, Christina Young kissed her dog, Petey, goodbye before heading out for work. She never imagined it would be the last time.

While his family was away, Petey, an opportunist like so many of our dogs are, snuck a potato chip bag off the kitchen counter and helped himself to a snack. That simple innocent act would cost him his life.

Christina posted his heartbreaking story to Facebook:

Snack bags, like those used for potato chips and pretzels, dog food and treats, bread bags, cereal box liners, and other food packaging can quickly become deadly for our food-driven friends.

Luckily, armed with the knowledge that snack bags are dangerous, it’s easy to prevent the snack bag suffocation that claims the lives of 3 to 5 dogs every single week.

PreventPetSuffocation, a group dedicated to educating the public on the suffocation risks our pets face from chip bags and other products, was created in memory of Blue, the founder’s beautiful rescue dog, who suffocated with his head trapped inside Cheetos bag.

To prevent pet suffocation, they encourage pet parents to:

• Keep snack bags and other air-tight containers safely out of your pet’s reach. So many of us are guilty of clipping a snack bag closed and leaving it on the kitchen counter or a tabletop. Instead, put bags inside a pantry or cabinet, at a height you dog cannot reach.

• Always cut or tear open snack bags after use. An empty potato chip bag thrown in the trash can be deadly. Tear the bag completely open or cut it so that if your dog gets hold of it, there’s no risk of suffocation.

• Educate others on the dangers of snack bags to pets. In the same way that animal lovers have learned to snip plastic 6-pack rings before throwing them away to avoid death and injury to birds and sea life, we can make it a habit to snip our chip bags to prevent suffocation in our furriest family members.

You can also visit PreventPetSuffocation.com for valuable information, shareable infographics, and to sign the group’s petition to require suffocation warning labels on snack bags, in hope of preventing more pet deaths.

Please, pass it on.