A vet has issued a warning to dog owners about allowing their pets to wear a collar while unsupervised at home.
By law, all dogs in Northern Ireland should wear the correct collar identification and not doing so while in public could land the owner with a £1,000 fine.
And while many dogs wear their collars at home too, a recent trauma to a 14-month-old Golden Retriever has prompted a warning from a vet after the puppy needed emergency treatment because he managed to twist his collar and almost choke to death.
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A spokesperson for Royal Vista Vets, said: ""The strangulation hazard of dogs playing while wearing collars is a hidden danger that many pet owners don’t know about, but a story we hear with some frequency in our emergency clinics.
"Thankfully puppy Percy is on the road to recovery after spending some time in our intensive care unit over the weekend. He was an excellent patient and feels better already thanks to some time in our state-of-the-art oxygen kennel. In this photo he had popped his little head out to say hello to our staff during one of his treatments.
"But how Percy ended up spending the weekend with us is an important story that his caring owners allowed us to share to help keep other pets safe.
"Percy and his big brother were playing when Percy’s collar got stuck on his brother’s mouth. Percy panicked and while twisting around trying to escape, he caused his collar to tighten around his neck.
"Thankfully the dogs' owner noticed quickly that something was wrong and managed to release Percy before he lost consciousness."
Percy was rushed to the family's vet and was treated by the emergency team as he was struggling to breathe, drooling profusely and was very distressed.
A spokesperson said: "Radiographs showed that Percy had fluid in his lungs - or non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema - which was caused by the time he spent struggling to breathe. Pain medications and oxygen support quickly helped Percy breathe more comfortably as his body worked to heal from the experience.
"Thankfully Percy’s story has a happy ending but if his owners hadn’t been there to intervene it could have been tragic."
The vet advises that collars should not be worn by dogs if they are playing with others while unsupervised.
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