KEARNEY, Mo. -- A doctor in Missouri had to remove a chew toy from a dog's mouth with a saw after the bone was lodged in the pet’s mouth.
The vet said he if he hadn't, the dog might have died.
A strong sense of panic set in quickly. Dog owner Amy Walsh was experiencing the same fear any dog owner might when her golden doodle, Bentley, began choking on a nylon chew toy.
The flexible toy, which is made by a company called Lumabone, had gotten wedged in Bentley's mouth in late July. Walsh said the dog couldn't close his mouth, and his tongue was stuck in the back of his throat. The two-year-old dog was having trouble breathing.
"I guess it was the way he bit down on it. He had one of the holes of the bottom part wrapped around his jaw and his bottom teeth to dislodge it," Walsh told WDAF.
Unlike most of Lumabone's dog toys, the one in question has an unusual arched shape with holes at each end.
A Facebook search produced several posts where other owners complained about the same thing happening to their dogs.
"I was terrified. I love him. He's my favorite pup-pup that I look forward to coming home to. I didn`t know if I was going to lose him," Walsh said.
Dr. David Leighr, owner of Long Veterinary Clinic in Kearney, said Bentley was breathing, but he was having difficulty. He used a bone saw to remove the toy from the dog's mouth.
Leighr said he often sees this happen with large bones from hams and other large hunks of meat. Lumabone's website said owners should supervise their dogs while they gnaw on toys like these.
"This particular toy, it was kind of a rough finish. It was difficult to slip it in and out of his mouth. Once it got lodged in there, it was hard to slip out," Leighr said Tuesday.
WDAF made several requests for comment from Lumabone, but the company didn't get back to us. A Facebook post by the company's owner indicated the toy has been taken off the market.
