Collar caught on crate--choking hazard
We keep Cosmo in his crate when we aren't home because he is still not trustworthy. He's usually pretty happy to be there. I stopped home at lunch today and found he was latched to the inside door of his crate by the D-ring on his collar. He was completely immobilized.
Even as I write this, I am still disturbed. Poor puppy. I have no idea how long he was trapped like that. I could barely get him free. I thought I was going to have to call the fire department. I was able to free him after tinkering for a minute or two.
The thing that saved him was that he remained calm. He didn't thrash around. He's such a mellow little guy that I think he just accepted that he was caught and just stayed with his head against the door. When I finally got him out, he was completely nonplussed, just happy. I was the one who was a wreck.
Now the lesson and your advice: Do you all take off collars when you crate? This seemed like a complete freak occurence but I don't want to take any chances. Cosmo has his rabies tag and dog park license attached to his collar, and that ring is what got caught. I know it will be a pain to take the collar off each time, but I won't risk that happening again.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stephanie on
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My two don't wear collars in the house either.
One day last Christmas they were wrestling - Bear's bottom jaw got caught in Goldy's collar and in a panic he "rolled" his body - tightening the collar and strangling her. They were in a panic, I was in a panic - I grabbed the scissors - luckily sitting out from wrapping presents earlier and was preparing myself to reach in to the flailing dogs. I figured if I stabbed one - that was better than Goldy strangling to death. Stab wounds can be treated, no oxygen - not so much.
Right as I was picking my spot to cut, Bear rolled again and luckily in the right direction and freed himself.
That day I swore off collars in the house forever.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Stephanie, I've known others with this experience. It's especially important not to leave collars on dogs that are prone to playing with each other if they are being left home alone. Thanks for sharing your story, it can save lives.
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Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on
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Thanks for the warning. Admittedly I keep the collars of at home for vanity, it ruins their lovely ruff, glad to hear all is ok.
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Permalink Reply by Alison Prasavath on
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Noodles only uses a harness for his walks, so he also has no collar on in the house. His tags are all hooked to the harness and he is more than thrilled to get it off after walks. He doesn't mind wearing it, but he knows when I reach for it, that means he gets to go on a walk. Our backyard is fenced in and if he comes out front, either my husband or I will be out there with him, so we have no fear of him escaping (we live on a court, so it would be quite obvious him attempting to leave the court). I'm glad everything turned out okay.
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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Here's the collar FAQ:
http://www.mycorgi.com/forum/topics/some-info-about-collars
I like the Martingale-type collar 'cause it slips off-and-on so easily. I replaced the chain with nylon rope to make it quieter and lighter. Arguably, it wears looser and may be more prone to getting caught on things.
They don't wear collars in the house. Thus we rely on the microchip should they get loose somehow -- and we recently discovered that Gwynnie's chip was undetectable(!). Home Again replaced it, no charge. Verify your chip when you go to the vet.
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To all those who prefer not to keep collars on their dog except for walks, hopefully your dogs are microchipped. I personally want identification on my dogs. For years I ran a lost and found for dogs as a community service in my area and most people who were looking for their dogs did not have collars on them and said their dogs never got out, EXCEPT something unusual/unexpected had happened. Nobody plans accidental "stuff"....... If a dog looks lost and has some identification on him, most people who care enough to interact with him will assume the owner wants him back and try to make a phone call or whatever. If they have no tags to help them make that effort, it's a different story. Microchipping works well if the dog ends up at a shelter. Vets can scan for a microchip but few people will take a stray to a Vet to see if it has one.
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Permalink Reply by Judy & Taffy on
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Same thing happened to Taffy, but luckily we were home at the time. She thrashed and actually moved the crate forward 3 feet. I shudder to think what would have happened if she'd been alone. No collar in the crate EVER now.
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Permalink Reply by Chris West on
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One of the first things my obedience instructor said was to NEVER EVER leave collars on your dog in the crate. They are in a small confined area, there is absolutely no reason for them to be wearing a collar. He said you could set the collar on top of the crate if you are worried about it being there in an emergency, but to never leave a collar on in the crate. I personally collar Frosty only when he is outside the house, he never wears it inside. However, when he is inside, the collar is always right next to the door. I am so glad he was ok!!!
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Permalink Reply by Sandy Clarke on
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Thank you all for your comments. I will investigate the martingale collar. I have to say, Cosmo does not cooperate with putting the collar on each time, but I know we can work on it (he feels the power and backs away--catch me if you can!). A friend of mine suggested that I get a flat collar with no rings or loops and just keep the tags on a separate clip to take on and off easily. I thought that was an interesting suggestion. I also remember seeing collars that had an information pocket or you can get your telephone number printed right on the material. All good food for thought.
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Permalink Reply by Vee Luther on
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My 3 are microchipped but collarless in the house. One of them wrestles with the cat every night (around 8 p.m.--go figure) and we had one of those episodes where the cat got a claw stuck in the collar. Oh my, it was esciting and very noisy for about 30 seconds. fortunately, they righted things. I agree, never a collar in the crate, though.
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Permalink Reply by Priscilla, CARLY, and Frankie on
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I started taking the collars off my two... i had heard about these freak accidents~~ this is so scary... i actually dont let them wear their collars unless we go out of the house, because they wrestle so much. I dont want either one of them to gag or strangle to the other one... Im so glad your Cosmo is ok
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Permalink Reply by George Gardei on
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My crate had a warning in the instructions to remove the collar for this very reason.
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