If you have a pet that’s a chowhound, you know they will search for food in some odd places. When my pets hear the crinkle of a bag being opened, they come running hoping I will share some goodies with them. As bad as the snacks themselves are for them, the bags they come in are much worse.
Many snacks such as potato chips, dehydrated foods, cat and dog treats and biscuits and so on come in plastic bags or containers. The trade name for what’s known as Plastic Sheet or Polyester Film is Mylar. It is made from a resin called Polyethelene Terephathalate, quite a mouthful.
Mylar is manufactured in different forms and used in many diverse ways. It is strong, durable and in the case of food, keeps it fresh for long periods of time.
Our dogs and cats can’t resist digging into food bags made of Mylar to retrieve even the tiniest bit of yummy snacks left in them. But the results are tragic.
When a pet puts their head into the bag and breathes, it creates a vacuum seal preventing the pet from removing the bag. The animal panics and in a matter of minutes, suffocates and dies.
To avoid such a heartbreaking experience, please follow some simple ways of dealing with these plastics.
- Keep all unopened bags well out of reach of pets, away in cabinets they cannot open.
- If you have a bag of unfinished snacks, place it where your pet cannot reach it, out of sight and smell.
- When disposing of a plastic bag, cut off the top and bottom and place it in a secure trash can.
Please visit Prevent Pet Suffocation at their online website and Facebook page for more information. Sadly there are too many stories on the sites of pets who have suffocated from plastic bags left lying around. Help all animals by signing the petition to print warnings on the bags.
