His dog suffocated in a chip bag, and he wants to prevent other pet deaths

Ian Reid was devastated when he returned home to find his beloved dog, Mingus, dead with a chip bag almost vacuum-sealed to his muzzle. The retired surgeon from Indian Harbour, N.S., found Mingus motionless and cold behind a chair, with the bag tightly clinging to his face.

The incident left Reid with profound feelings of guilt, as he had left the open chip bag on his TV stand, unaware of the danger it posed to his pet. When he took Mingus to the veterinarian clinic for cremation, the vets were shocked at how the dog had died. None of them were aware of the lethal hazard that food packaging presents to pets.

Residual food left in the chip bag was enough of an enticement for Mingus to stick his nose deep into the bag. As he breathed in all the oxygen, he couldn’t get the bag off his head. Reid wants other dog owners to be aware of the risk of food packaging and prevent similar tragedies from happening.

Bonnie Harlan, who founded the non-profit organization Prevent Pet Suffocation, had a similar experience in 2011 when her rescue dog, Blue, died from suffocating in food packaging. Despite her efforts to save him with dog CPR, it was too late. Harlan receives messages from people around the world about similar incidents, emphasizing the international nature of the issue.

Although chip bag suffocation isn’t directly addressed in vet schools, veterinarians like Maggie Brown-Bury and Marti Hopson stress the importance of educating pet owners about potential hazards. They recommend cutting up food packaging to prevent animals from getting trapped and advocating for warnings on chip bags to raise awareness.

Reid and Harlan have reached out to organizations like Frito Lay to advocate for warning labels on chip bags. While Frito Lay did not respond to requests for comment, Reid hopes that sharing his story will prevent other pet owners from experiencing the same tragedy.

Ultimately, the goal is to raise awareness about the risks of food packaging to pets and promote preventive measures to avoid unnecessary deaths. By spreading information through veterinarians, word of mouth, public campaigns, and warning labels, we can protect countless animals from suffocation accidents.