"Misidentified as Food..." Series of Pet Dog Deaths Due to Discarded Masks

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[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] A dog that swallowed a discarded mask during a walk in the UK has reportedly died, causing public sorrow.

On the 23rd of last month (local time), a local UK media outlet reported the story of a 16-month-old Cocker Spaniel pet who swallowed a mask discarded by someone during a walk and subsequently passed away. According to the report, the family of Emba Paul, who lives in Cheshire, UK, took their pet dog 'Oscar' to the hospital for examination after noticing abnormal behavior such as refusing to eat.

Later, X-ray results revealed that Oscar was suffering from sepsis caused by swallowing the mask. The veterinarian diagnosed Paul, saying, "It appears he mistook it for food and swallowed it during a walk 3 to 4 days ago." However, Oscar did not survive despite surgery because the wire in the nose bridge part of the mask had pierced his organs.

On the 29th of last month (local time), UK media reported that Paul, Oscar’s owner, appealed, "Please think twice before throwing masks on the street." Paul and his family reportedly put up posters in their neighborhood urging people to dispose of masks properly, saying, "There are trash bins everywhere. You can also take them home and throw them away."

Accidents where pets mistake masks for food and swallow them occur frequently worldwide. Masks do not dissolve easily and contain wires that can cause fatal injuries to animals' organs, so they must be disposed of in trash bins. Tufts University Veterinary Hospital in the United States has reported that more than ten dogs that swallowed masks have undergone surgery so far.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.