Dog collar strangulation is a real risk. Discover how this tragedy can happen and what you can do to lower the risks.
We often assume dog collars are safe and rely on them to carry our dog’s identification tags, but dog collar strangulation is sadly a possibility and there are more and more stories about this type of accident occurring.
Sometimes, the imaginable may happen. A dog's collar may get caught in some branches or one dog's lower jaw may get stuck into another dog’s collar when playing.
More and more doggy day cares are changing their policies on the use of collars and there are fortunately some safer alternatives to regular buckle collars to help prevent the chance for dog collar strangulation.
Risks of Dog Collars
A regular dog buckle collar may look like an innocent piece of equipment. It simply encircles your dog’s neck and it carries important information such as your dog’s identification tags, rabies tags and proof of dog license.
Your dog’s collar also comes handy should you quickly get a hold of your dog or quickly attach a leash to it. However, the same collar one perceives as “safe” can pose great dangers and even cause death.
Indeed, there are several reports of dogs being strangled to death by their collars during play. How does this happen?
A Dog's Mouth Gets Stuck in Another Dog's Collar When Playing
One of a dog's favorite play styles is taking turns biting at the neck. While this may look like an innocent game, all it takes for dog collar strangulation to occur is a dog’s lower jaw to get twisted into the other dog’s collar or a tooth to get stuck in a buckle hole while the dogs are playing.
Both dogs panic, and by the time the owners rush to help the dogs, it may be too late. It takes only a few seconds for strangulation to occur. Collar accidents can therefore even happen with close supervision.
A Dog's Collar Gets Stuck on Something
Another risk is the dog’s collar getting stuck on something. The collar may get snagged in the wires of a kennel and if the dog stays outdoors, the collar may snag on branches, a fence or a deck (the ID tags get caught between the boards) and many other things out there.
"No dog who is crated should wear a lead or collar of any kind because these pose strangulation hazards if the dog becomes distressed," points out Dr. Karen Overall, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.
While collar accidents may sound like freak accidents, the fact that more and more people are reporting them means that they are more common than thought.
Dog Collar Strangulation Statistics
An estimated 26,000 dogs a year suffer from injury or death due to collar strangulation accidents. Sadly, most of these accidents could have been avoided.
How to Prevent Dog Collar Strangulation?
Back in the days when working for an animal hospital, collars were the first thing we removed from a dog upon admission into the hospital.
This meant all dogs coming in for medical procedures that required an in-hospital stay even for just a few hours, had their collars removed immediately.
What did we replace the collars with? We used these flimsy looking identification collars made of the same material as medical hospital identification bracelets with the pet’s name and owner’s name written with a black marker.
We prepared these “collars” the day prior to the dog being admitted. The same collars were used for dogs just dropped off for grooming or dogs boarding while the owners were on business trips or on vacation.
In a dog day care setting, most business owners are starting to recognize that most collars are safety hazards in group play. These establishments are therefore removing dog collars and replacing them with collars that have been purposely designed for safety in group play.
Alternatives to Buckle Collars
So what is a safer option to prevent dog collar strangulation? There are some options to consider.
A Quick-Release Dog Collar
A quick-release dog collar is purposely crafted in such a way as to prevent collar strangulation.
Quick-release dog collars as their name implies, have a buckle that releases quickly when pressure is applied allowing quick intervention should the need arise.
When a buckle collar gets snagged onto something or one dog gets trapped into the collar of another every second counts.
It’s unfortunate, but most people won’t have access to a knife or strong scissors to cut free the dog free in time to save a dog from asphyxiation.
The quick-release buckle therefore allows fast intervention.
A Breakaway Collar
Another option is a safety breakaway collar. This collar looks similar to a buckle collar, but has a safety mechanism which allows the dog to break free of the collar when excessive force is applied.
Tazlab Safe-T-Stretch Collar
The Safe-t-stretch collar prevents collar strangulation by stretching and allowing your dog to slip out of it in potentially dangerous situations. As the Breakaway collar, when a leash is attached, the collar acts like a regular collar.
Some Risks of Breakaway Collars
A word of caution is needed when it comes to certain models of Breakaway collars. Should you end up one day with the need to grab your dog by the collar to either stop him from greeting an unfriendly dog or running into traffic, you risk ending up with the Breakaway collar in your hand and a loose dog in danger!
Fortunately, nowadays there are some solutions for these types of situations. The KeepSafe Break-Away Collar, for instance, offers a way to override the
break-away feature by snapping a leash that connects the two D rings.
A Word About ID Tags
And what about identity? Many people wonder about where to attach ID tags on non-traditional buckle collars.
Many quick release collars have D rings so to allow owners to attach their dog’s collar ID tags, but as mentioned, even ID tags can be dangerous, so some of them offer the opportunity to engrave contact information directly on the collar.
The Safest Solution of All
While dog collars purposely built to help prevent collar strangulation may seem like a safe solution, how safe are they really? Safe is a difficult word to use, so perhaps it’s just better to just say “safer.”
Some doggy day cares prefer to play it safer rather than safe and cut their risks for liability by simply adopting a “no collar rule.” And of course, loads of supervision to keep everybody safe is greatly important too!