When Joe and Breanne Yarbrough came home, they found their one-year-old dog, Riggs, lying on his side with his head in a chip bag.
Their first thought was that he was eating chips from the bag and then fell asleep, but once the touched him, they felt how cold his body was.
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They immediately rushed him to the vet, but it was too late. Riggs had died hours prior after suffocating with his snout in the bag.
They had left the empty chip bag in an uncovered chip bag and had now idea about the potential dangers of it.
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The devastated couple is now warning other pet parents about the dangers of empty bags and just how deadly they could be for dogs.
According to Inside Edition, as many as three pets in the United States die every week from suffocation, and sadly, most pet owners aren’t aware of the risk.
Inside Edition/Youtube
Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Werbe explains how this awful nightmare occurs: the dog picks up the smell from the chip bag, so they put their head inside. As they continue to breath in and out, the bag sucks in. Then, moisture sticks to the inside, turning the bag into a vacuum, and ultimately suffocating the animal within minutes.
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It is recommended to rip empty bags in half before disposing them in your trash bin, and in addition, making sure your garbage is not accessible to your pets.
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