A charity is urging dog owners to keep their pets safe this Christmas after stepping in to save the life of a retired police dog who got a meat bone stuck in his throat after eating the roast leftovers.
The Thin Blue Paw Foundation – a charity that supports working and retired police dogs across the UK – is reminding dog owners to be extra vigilant over the festive period when there are lots of potential hazards and dangers around the home.
Charity trustee and co-founder, Kieran Stanbridge, said: “Christmas is a wonderful time but it can also be dangerous for our furry friends. With potentially hazardous Christmas decorations, like tinsel and chocolates hanging from the tree, as well as poisonous plants like poinsettias and mistletoe around the home, it’s imperative that you keep a very close eye on your pet.
“Chocolate, mince pies and Christmas pudding will undoubtedly be on your menu over the holidays, but it’s important not to leave any lying around within reach of your dogs, as these can all be toxic to them. And remember that Christmas dinner leftovers, particularly meat with bones, can be very dangerous.”
Eight-year-old German Shepherd Enzo – who served with Cheshire Police as a general purpose and firearms dog for three and a half years and is now retired and supported by the Foundation – needed emergency veterinary treatment just weeks before Christmas last year after getting a chicken bone stuck in his throat.
RPD Enzo worked for Police Scotland before moving to Cheshire Police where he worked as a general purpose and firearms dog with the force for three and a half years. He retired in November 2020 at the age of six due to hip dysplasia and was adopted by police worker, Joy Bennett.
He was enjoying retired life when, last winter, he had to be rushed to the vets after he started vomiting up blood.
Joy said: “Enzo is very inquisitive and has a tendency to open the kitchen bin when we’re not in the room, so we ensure we empty it every night and don’t put anything like bones or the wrapping from meat in there and put it straight in the outside bin. Unfortunately, one of the family forgot and put chicken leg bones in the bin.
“He seemed a bit off colour for a couple of days but was still eating and going to the toilet normally so we didn’t expect anything much but then he started vomiting blood so we rushed him to the emergency vet.
“He had scans and x-rays under sedation and the vet found a chicken bone lodged in his throat. Thankfully they were able to remove the bone, gave him antibiotics to treat the cuts inside his throat and also prescribed pain killers to help him.”
Enzo was kept in the vets overnight and was then thankfully able to return home to his worried family who then faced a large vet bill.
Joy, from Tarporley, Cheshire, added: “We were all absolutely worried sick about him, he is a massive part of our family and after seeing the blood that he vomited we thought that was it.”
Enzo, like many other former working dogs, is difficult to insure due to his previous working life. But Joy registered him with the Thin Blue Paw Foundation – which offers financial support to the owners of retired police dogs – so she turned to them for help.
Thin Blue Paw’s Kieran added: “Being able to help dogs like Enzo is exactly why we established the Thin Blue Paw Foundation.
“When these four-legged heroes retire from service they often arrive in their new homes with health problems and degenerative conditions as a result of their strenuous working lives, and that means many insurance companies won’t offer them cover.
“When something unexpected happens, like in this case, it means the financial burden falls solely to their owners and this can be a huge weight to bear. We wanted to be there to help these dogs and their owners access the best veterinary care and treatment without having to worry about how they’d pay the bill.”
