A rescue puppy nearly died after eating litter on Wandsworth Common earlier this month.
Rocky, a 10-month-old Staffy cross, had to undergo a major surgery that he is still recovering from when a piece of corn on the cob was found lodged in his small intestine.
His owner Yvonne Szachulska, 47, described seeing him in such discomfort as really heart-breaking.
The NHS therapist said: “He is on the mend now but it was really scary.
“If he didn’t have the surgery he would have died.”
Szachulska explained that the morning after their walk on the common, Rocky started vomiting and seemed lethargic.
Despite the out-of-hours vets giving him an anti-sickness injection, the following Monday EcoVets, Wandsworth, operated on Rocky and removed the food that was causing a major obstruction.
A representative from a south west London vets claimed Rocky’s case isn’t unique.
They said: “It’s a very familiar story. It’s not uncommon at all and it does present a great danger.”
As a result of the incident, Szachulska is now nervous to walk Rocky in the park in fear of it happening again, and is reluctantly considering buying him a muzzle.
She said: “Of course, dogs don’t learn from their experiences, so I know that as long as Rocky is off the lead he will do the same thing again.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry because next time he may not be so lucky.
“Perhaps people don’t realise that leaving food around can be as bad as leaving plastic around because it can really harm animals.
“No one would want a 10-month-old puppy or any dog to go through what Rocky went through.”
The vets’ representative added that they didn’t think people were aware of the potentially deadly effects of leftover food on pets and wildlife.
According to Szachulska, herself and other dogwalkers have noticed lots of food waste, including corn on the cob, chicken bones and peach stones, particularly in Wandsworth Common and nearby King George’s Park.
She explained that with people picnicking in the hot weather, more litter is being left behind which can be fatal to the wildlife.
In order to prevent this, Szachulska suggested the council could supply more bins and put up signs explaining the consequences of littering your food.
Szachulska assured that Rocky is recovering well but urges people to be more responsible with their waste to help keep all wildlife safe in Wandsworth Common and King George’s Park.
Featured image credit: Steve Daniels via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 2.0 licence
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