Family's heartbreak as 16-month-old Cocker Spaniel dies after eating discarded face mask

A 16-month-old Cocker Spaniel puppy had died after eating a face mask, leaving his family heartbroken.

Oscar the puppy died earlier this week after eating a face mask which perforated his intestine.

With vets unable to save the pup, Oscar’s owner, Emma Paul, from Cheshire, said she, her partner and three children were left in ‘complete and utter shock’ following the incident in Duke’s Drive.

Oscar, a 16-month-old Cocker Spaniel, died earlier this week after eating a face mask on Duke’s Drive in Chester

Emma and her family will be putting up posters on and around Duke’s Drive this weekend as a plea to dispose of litter correctly

The family now want to raise awareness for other dog owners so the incident never happens again.

Speaking to CheshireLive, Emma said the family came downstairs on April 19 to find Oscar ‘quite poorly.’

She said: ‘He was sort of fine over the weekend. He had his normal two or three times a day walk.

‘On Sunday afternoon he was a little quiet but he’d been out and he’d

been walking.

‘It was on Monday morning when we came downstairs that he was obviously quite poorly.

‘We rang the vets, straight away and got him straight down there and they just didn’t know what it was.

‘They thought it might have been some sort of toxin poisoning, so he was on drips and had blood tests and all sorts.

‘Then we had to take him over to Chester Gate on Monday evening for

overnight care. They were fantastic as well. Lots and lots of investigations took place, he had a blood transfusion.

‘They discovered he had sepsis by Tuesday afternoon, so operating was the only thing they could do at that point.

‘I think they just realised once they’ve opened him up that the damage to his intestine was just too great for him to survive. The wire had gone and scraped down his intestine.

‘I spoke to the vets on Wednesday and they said it was a face mask that he’d eaten probably Friday or Saturday on a walk. They said it was the wire that had caused all the damage.’

Emma said she was in shock but also felt anger following the incident.

She said: ‘It was just complete and utter shock and also anger, because there is a lot of litter.

‘My husband goes out every morning with him with a litter picker and picks up all sorts around.’

Emma and her family will be putting up posters on and around Duke’s Drive this weekend as a plea to dispose of litter correctly.

In terms of a message following the tragic incident, Emma has asked people to think twice about their actions.

The family now want to raise awareness for other dog owners so the incident never happens again

She said: ‘For dog owners, be vigilant. Just be so aware.

‘I mean Oscar was a right monkey for picking things up, but dog owners be vigilant.

‘And just the general public, please think about your actions, really.

‘There are bins everywhere or just keep it until you get home.

‘There is no need to litter, particularly something like a face mask, the damage it’s going to do.

‘There’s wildlife as well, think of what’s it’s done to a dog, what’s it going to do to all the other wildlife as well.

‘Our message would just be think twice anybody about your actions.

‘I would hate anybody else to have to go through what we’ve been through this week. It’s just the most traumatic and heartbreaking experience.’