23 February 2024 , 11:16
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A couple's puppy tragically died after swallowing a chew toy they bought from Amazon - leaving them heartbroken.
The seven-week-old pup, named Miss Red Collar, had to be rushed to the vet after chewing on the toy, which has since been taken off the site. Despite an operation to remove the toy from her stomach, the young pup sadly didn't make it. Two other puppies also got fell ill and needed surgery, but luckily they pulled through.
Steven Pooley, 58, and his partner Gulin Milne, 52, are devastated by the loss and now face a bill of around £4,000 for the surgeries and check-ups for the other dogs. Steven said: "It's absolutely dreadful. I'm utterly devastated. We had been raising these puppies for nearly eight weeks, in our home and all around us. We became very attached to them.
"We've loved and nurtured them through every moment of each day. This is absolutely horrible. I just want to warn others so they don't buy them and put their pets at risk. It's the green bone and the pink heart that broke apart. The toys weren't chew proof at all. The puppies bit them into pieces and ingested them.
"There were no bits lying around so we just thought the toys were lost." Steven and Gulin, who live in Bala, Wales, had been helping their Alaskan malamutes Nala and Bryn raise ten pups. The litter was about seven weeks old when they gave the dogs a pack of chew toys on February 10. That same evening, Steven noticed two chew toys were gone.
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The Alaskan malamutes puppies (Bryn Melyn Alaskan Malamutes/SWNS)On February 11, Miss Red Collar, as they lovingly called their little pup, didn't eat her lunch or dinner. Later that day, she was sick six times and the last one smelled like poo, according to Steven. Soon after starting his internet search, Steven suspected a blockage in the puppy's tummy. He quickly got her to the emergency vet.
Despite the doctors' efforts to remove four chunks of rubber from her intestines and help her regain her strength, she sadly died while recovering from the surgery. Another puppy named Mr Grey Collar also fell ill and needed surgery on February 16. Two days later, on February 18, Mr Brown Collar, another of their puppies, had the same operation. Both survived, and all the other puppies had to be checked over.
Steven and Gulin own holiday cottages and are not breeders; the pregnancy happened by accident. But Steven said the puppies can fetch up to £1,000 each. He said: "They don't know if she was in shock or she was just too weakened by the whole episode to survive the operation. It's not about the money at all - we're so fond of them. I'm just so horrified that these toys broke apart like that.
Steven Pooley with some of the puppies (Bryn Melyn Alaskan Malamutes/SWNS)"It wasn't until the vet sent the specimen pot that we realised what had caused the blockage - we'd been wracked with guilt wondering what we'd left lying around. We never imagined the puppy teething toys could cause this harm. I could hardly believe it. We'd already found a home for this puppy and we had to phone and tell them - it was absolutely heartbreaking."
Steven contacted Amazon about the incident, who apologised and promised to look into it. He said: "I just want pet owners to be aware. We're physically and mentally exhausted. This is not just because of what we're going through but because of our real fear that other owners and pups will be going through the same trauma and potentially death. We feel we should be compensated for this, but we don't want to profit from it so we plan to donate any compensation to charity we know called Sally's Helpful Paws."
Amazon said in a statement : "Customer safety is a top priority and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations and Amazon policies. We ensure our selection meets industry-accepted standards, and we develop innovative tools to prevent unsafe products from being listed. The product in question has been removed while we investigate."