How unsafe a muzzle can be

This is a post from Mastiff community that I belong too and when I saw it I was very concerned because this is something that has worried me very much since the talk of muzzles being mandatory. I have always said I worry that it will make dogs more aggressive but another thing that worried me is in the summer how are they suppose to sweat in the summer if they cant pant. Now this is not that exact situation but it made me realize my fears could come true and an dog will die because of a muzzle.


Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 7:10 am Post subject: asphyxiation from muzzle

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Hello I am a new member. I have a 4.5 month old female reverse fawn brindle mastiff pup who weighs 72 lbs. She will be 5 months old Dec 12/04.
I also had a 13 month old dogue de bordeaux and I want to share this sad story so that pet owners are aware of what can happen.
My dog was taken to the vet for a suspected obstruction. During the initial assessment the dog was muzzled while having a rectal temp. The vet removed the muzzle and noted the dog's tongue was blue. The dog recovered. This dog never snored or had any previous history to respiratory difficulties.
The dog was then taken for an x-ray and was once again muzzled. He was in care of the vet technician and animal helper. At first they tried to xray without a muzzle and the dog did not cooperate. A third helper was asked to contact me for permission to sedate the uncooperative dog. In the meantime the caregivers decided to muzzle the dog, the muzzles that strap around the dog's muzzle and back of head. The mouth cannot open. By the time the third helper returned from contacting me, my poor dog had died! I was told that the dog struggled and at some point the caregiver realized he had trouble breathing and they immediately removed the muzzle, but it was too late. Efforts to rescusitate were unsuccessful. The vet suspected the dog had a heart problem.
I decided to take the vet for a postmortem at the veterinary college. The dog died due to asphyxiation because of an elongated soft palate with a small flap that easily covered the tracheal opening. (not uncommon for brachiocephalic dogs). His tracheal opening was also very narrow, and the trachea was 5.5 cm in diameter which was smaller than expected for a dog his size. (He was 26" at the withers weighing 82 lbs).
He did not have a blockage. Cause of his diarrhea (and difficulty passing stool) and projectile vomitting suspected due to garbage gastritis from clostridial like bacteria.
I felt that this dog died because of muzzle preventing him from allowing sufficient oxygen into his airway. His anatomy was also not in his favour.
I have looked on the web for any related stories but have found none. This incident was the first of its kind at the vets. The vet has reviewed muzzle use with his staff and are thinking twice before utilizing their use.
I hope nobody has to endure this painstaken loss of such a nature. My dog trusted me to provide him the best care which I thought I had provided. I can only imagine how he struggled for a breath of life and no one realized in time to make a difference. That thought will haunt me forever.


I hope none of of us ever experience this awful experience but I thought that it had merit to post it here and let everyone know what can happen.

That is truly sad, and I can feel his pain. This story should be shared so that something like that does not happen again.

I am bumping this up so the pit and staff owners can see this and maybe use it as ammo against the village idiot. I guess the government could get sued if a dog died while wearing a muzzle for no reason other than MB

A dog gets rid of heat through panting , impossible with a muzzle .
Bryant doesn't care about the physiology of the dogs , as far as he is concerned they can all die and the sooner the better .
I am sure that the OSPCA, OVA and others are aware of how muzzles can kill a dog especially in the summer .
One of my dogs also has a smaller than normal trachea and once in a while he has to cough to clear it . If he was wearing a muzzle when this happened I have no doubt he would be in serious trouble . This is something I cannot leave to chance and I will not risk losing him because some undereducated exboxer passes a law .

That is so very sad! I will NOT be putting a muzzle my dog. There's no way I could ever make her suffer like that. http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/sad/014.gif

I thought you might feel like that and I agree I will never muzzle my dog either because we cant forget all dogs over 100 pounds might suffer the same fate as pits because like pits and staffs they are also all vicious and will rip you apart. Becareful if you run into Buddy he might drown you in drool because he is so vicious

That is so sad. Just thinking about Bryant deciding that my dog should wear a muzzle makes my blood boil. It is soooo unhealthy. I have always thought that his proposed legislation is proposed animal cruelty. I try to not let Duke play with other dogs while he has his gentle leader on. I certainly couldn't put him in a play situation with a muzzle on.

This is awful!! I did wonder about this type of situation in summer and if I were to jog with my dog. So now we can't exercise our "vicious" breeds in the warm weather?? My concern about muzzling my dog is if we are out for a walk and a loose dog comes running up and attacks me or my dog......how is my muzzled dog supposed to protect himself?? Living in a rural area, most farmers allow their dogs to run free.

I refuse to muzzle my dog until he gives me a reason to! Bryant can stick his law up his butt!! :evil:

I have enough issues with Boo being unsure of the world around her. She is over 1 and has had tons of socialization & training, she is just unsure. She's taken longer to come around then any Pit I've ever known. Needless to say, I am very aware of this fact, and make sure to tell anyone who tries to approach her. But, I fear of how unsure she will become if it is mandatory that I muzzle her with this BSL. I think Whinnie will be fine with it, but she lives for fetching sticks, they are her livelyhood, why should I deny her joy, simply because some uneducated A**hole says I should?
I think all those affected by BSL should stand up and scream "I WILL NOT MUZZLE MY CHILD" :yuck: because I certainly won't. Their happiness is worth more to me then a $700.00 fine. :evil:

That's so sad about the dog, I would be devastated. There are also several kinds of muzzles, and you can get one where the dog can open their mouth and pant - if they can't do that I would not use that muzzle. Definitely never muzzle a dog when it is unattended.

I have had to muzzle my dogs on occasion - the one I used was cheap and easily found at petsmart:


http://shop.petsmart.com/product/2534374302023689/2534374302025650/845524441775217.htm

Cage muzzles are also good and can they can open their mouth and breath normally.

I've never had a problem.

I will not be muzzeling my dog, and from reading different forums I have not seen anyone say they will. I cannot afford a lawyer, but I can stand up in court say muzzeling a dog for no reason amounts to nothing more than animal cruelty and I will have no part in that, If enough people stand up and say NO, the courts might listen.

I am trying to imagine just how this would be policed? Try getting a cop out lickety split for a break and enter or car theft never mind an alleged pitbull without his muzzle. City of Toronto Animal Service Officers? I'm not sure Miller has the funds in his budget.

I agree with you all I would never muzzle my dog if he did nothing to deserve it. They can write me tickets till the cows come home, and I would fight everyone of them. If everybody would fight tickets it would tie up the courts and cost the province a fortune. If we pay them it would be exactly what they want.

I think it goes back to the whole arguement I made in the other thread. The dog would have to be muzzled as it is dangerous, therefore the basis would be there is no proof that the dog is dangerous solely because of breed. That would fall back into the territory of all the groups who are putting together funds to fight the ban. If any of us finds ourselves going to court, I think we'll find more than enough assistance.

LL1, did you see the warning that petsmart posted about muzzling that this shouldn't be done for more than 20 minutes at a time?

/sigh

Our daily walks last a minimum of 45 minutes.

This is one place that the law can be fought in court as an open mouth is the only way for them to regulate body temperature . They have no sweat glands so going for a walk or run in the summer would be like us covering our entire body with plastic and going for a jog not just unhealthy but almost suicidal . Muzzling them while unattended is simply inhumane and I have no intentions of paying any heed to this and many other parts of this law .

I did see that ancarett. I would look into a cage muzzle tho if it was for a longer period of time. My dogs can eat and drink and pant while in the petsmart muzzle.

LL1, can I ask why you muzzle your dogs? You don't seem to be as repulsed as most of us are by the possibility of having to muzzle our dogs for no reason other than Michael Bryant will sleep better at night.

It doesn't repulse me altho it's not something I am happy about. I run a rescue and with dogs meeting strange dogs it can be a useful tool. Also some dogs just aren't good with other dogs, and if it allows fosters/adopted dogs to be around them and for they, and the other dogs to remain safe, and are supervised, I don't have a problem with it.

oh. I can see how a muzzle would be useful under those circumstances. However, do you think it could be damaging for a developing dog under a year old who displays no aggressive behavior to have to at all times while outside be leashed and muzzled?

I don't think it is fair, but I wouldn't exactly call it damaging. I think being on leash for all dogs is a good idea, way too many people let their dogs off when they shouldn't. I don't like the muzzling idea but if I had to do it to keep my dog I would. And if I didn't have it, I would do my best to look for a place with a yard, and friends with yards, so that my dog could be outside without a muzzle.

I am actually sickened by the thought of muzzling my dog. I really dont see how to get around it if this law is passed. Hes a real puller so ofcourse I tried the gentle leader and the halti but it made him absolutely miserable to have the thing on his face so I finally gave up . If he thinks that is bad I know hell be very upset by a muzzle. I Know about the panting thing and have heard the cage muzzle is the most humane but Im afraid hell feel to vulnerable and become agressive. He is not an agressive dog now. He doesnt like every dog he meets but he has never been in a fight and he is now six. I have recently found that a harness made by the halty people really helps with the pulling. My question though is does anyone have any ideas incase we have to comply with this about how to introduce the dog to wearing one without traumatising him or her? Is the cage muzzle really the only safe choice? I hate to think of him looking like hannibal lector.

There is one thing that has always bothered me about vet's using a muzzle on dogs. (Although the reason some vet's require this is obviously understood).

They are not sterile. In fact I wonder if they are even washed regularly. :(

Well that's easily solved. bring your own!

I really don't see why it is so upsetting - my dogs are various ages. They fight/fought the Gentle Leader WAY more than the muzzle. If you have trouble walking your dog, use the Gentle Leader as a step in the way for training. Don't give up - that doesn't help you or your dog.


I am actually sickened by the thought of muzzling my dog. I really dont see how to get around it if this law is passed. Hes a real puller so ofcourse I tried the gentle leader and the halti but it made him absolutely miserable to have the thing on his face so I finally gave up . If he thinks that is bad I know hell be very upset by a muzzle. .

I just renewed the dog licence for my APBT, I told the SPCA that there was a mistake, my dog was not a *pit bull* they asked what is was I said a mutt, but he pressed me for some kind of breed, I just said a mutt, so he asked if I had the dog, I said yes, he went out to look at her, first thing he said was, that looks like a pit bull, are you sure there is no pit bull in her, I said no way they might ban them, He said oh yea, then it must be ****** mix, I had had never heard of the breed and said yup, thats what she must be. My local SPCA is "pit freindly" and does not want any part of the village idiots plan for pit's. The girls in the SPCA office had allso never heard of the breed, and got a good laugh when I said there may be quite a few of them registerd here from now on. I gather that most SPCA feel the same way and are not going to give into bryant's law willingly. This is by no means a long term solution, it's just something I felt I needed to do, No dog is safe from bryants law, and I will not stop untill the law is dead.

Almost every time I walk my dog, some un-leashed dog will come running at my dog( Usually complete with owner talking on cell phone, head in the clouds).

The thing that really bugs me about muzzles is:
If my dog was muzzled, that's gotta be a very stressful experience for him.
I would think that after repeated incidents, my dog would start to become very defensive( and possibly aggressive) around other dogs.

Imagine if, as a child, you were hand-cuffed every time you left the house - and repeatedly put in a threatening situation, with no means to defend yourself. I don't think you would grow up to be a well adjusted adult.
( Might end up a little like Bryant, though)

If they don't enforce leash laws, I think this is gonna be a huge problem.

Yes a muzzel can be stressfull for some dogs Loki, I did try on my dog and she got really stressed out, agittated and agessive around new dogs, once I removed the muzzel she was fine again. Now that she is no loger registerd as a pit bull with the SPCA, she will not have to wear a muzzel, if bryants law makes it through. As soon as bryants law, and bryant get defeted, I will re- register her as an APBT.

As soon as bryants law, and bryant get defeted, I will re- register her as an APBT.

I was thinking about doing the same thing, but I ended up re-registering him as a pitty.

This is the debate I keep having with myself:
If your dog looks like a pit, and you can't prove it isn't( ie no kennel papers), doesn't that leave you more vulnerable to the witch-hunt?

If my dog is accused of being a pitty - Yes, he is registered and grandfathered. If my dog is registered as something else, I now have to prove that he is that new breed( which I can't do ). Does the grandfather clause still apply?

Let's say a year passes, and my dog( not registered as pit) gets seized for being a pitty. If the court declares him a pit bull, can he still be grandfathered or is he an illegal dog?

So much of this law is unclear.

My understanding is that you have to prove the your dog isn't a pitbull by the experts opinion. In this case, I'd think the OSPCA is the expert. We've avoided licensing Daisy until this year, when they showed up at the door (the previous owners had a dog) to renew a license. My mother-in-law stated Rotti cross. She's only 65 lbs, but the woman said okay, and now she's officially a "rotti cross".

There is still a lot up in the air about the new bill, My APBT is still an APBT no matter what the dog licence papers say, That I know, and the grandfather clause will still apply because she has had the same vet for years, and he has her breed as pit bull, I would never put her in jeprody. This was an SPCA inspector that gave her new "licence breed", Like I said I never heard of the breed, but I did look it up, and it is a pointer\ hunting breed. The chance of someone knowing she could not be that breed are slim, so the smoke screen should work. It has been said that pits can look like any number of different breeds and mixes, and that 100% identification is next to imposible, so I felt I needed to see for myself, glad that I did, Breed identification is not an exact science, but an interpretation of general charictoristics found on different breeds, bottom line is BSL will not work because exact breed identification is next to imposible, thats something we know, but bryant has not figured that one out yet.

I really don't see why it is so upsetting - my dogs are various ages. They fight/fought the Gentle Leader WAY more than the muzzle. If you have trouble walking your dog, use the Gentle Leader as a step in the way for training. Don't give up - that doesn't help you or your dog.

First and foremost if your dog is not aggressive and has never done anything to warrant a muzzle dont use one. If they keep writing tickets and we keep fighting them in court the cost and clogging up the courts will be staggering and it will go the same way photo radar went out the door to expensive to enforce. Plus they will have to hire so many Animal Service enforcement officers they still are fighting about who will pay for it. So let them argue among themselves by then hopefully it will be election time and bye bye liberals

Muzzeling an inocent dog make's no sence to me as well, I have seen the cage muzzels, and they look scary. I could not see someone walking up to a dog with one of those on and saying, Oh what a nice dog. They would be more apt to say ,why muzzel it? if it is that vicious put it down. The public is allready unsure of a lot of breeds, putting muzzels on inocent dogs would reinforce negitive stereo types, and would do nothing to promote a positive image for troubled breeds.