Vets are warning people not to litter with disposable masks after a dog accidentally swallowed one on a walk.
Staff at the Small Animal Hospital at the University of Glasgow took to Facebook to share Kobe's story. The dog required treatment after the incident, and vets revealed that it was lucky that there was not any serious damage.
Per the Facebook post, Kobe was brought in by his owner after he spotted the face mask and "wolfed it down"
Because the mask had a wire nose, vets said that the situation became more dangerous for the dog.
'Kobe was out for an afternoon walk when he spotted a discarded face mask and wolfed it down. Luckily, his owner recognised the risk of this causing damage to his gastro-intestinal tract, and brought him straight to our Out of Hours Emergency Service," the Facebook post begins.
The post continues:
"An x-ray was taken to check if the mask contained a nose wire, as this increases the risk of complications – it did, but since this appeared small and flexible our team opted to make Kobe vomit in the hope of retrieving the mask."
"Kobe was given an injection to make him sick, and fortunately the face mask was brought back up again. You can see from Kobe’s sad expression that this was not a fun experience, but happily there was no serious damage caused in his case.
"A good reminder that littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too. Thank you to Kobe’s owner for allowing us to share his case and to our Out of Hours Emergency Service for writing his story and for all the essential work they do."
Kobe was then given an injection to make him throw up, and it worked. He made a full recovery but vets shared the story to remind people to dispose of their masks properly.
"You can see from Kobe’s sad expression that this was not a fun experience, but happily there was no serious damage caused in his case. A good reminder that littering is not only bad for our environment, but poses a danger to our pets too," the vets concluded.
