Pet collar safety warning!

Always read the instructions! Even if it is the hundredth time you're putting a collar on your pet.

I bought Teddy a new Seresto flea collar on the weekend. These collars are amazing. They last for 8 months so even though they are really pricy it is well worth it to keep the fleas under control on Teddy especially as he can't use his back feet to scratch himself due to his disability.

This was his 4th Seresto collar so you'd think I would have remembered how to put them on correctly.

I assembled the collar and put it on him, leaving him to roam around but not checking the fit. It looked about right.

Monday morning my husband found the collar laying on the floor, chewed through, and Teddy gallopping about like a maniac. Dashing from one room to the next, inside, outside running around the garden.

I realized that I had made the collar too loose and that he had gotten it stuck over his bottom teeth in the night or early in the morning. The only way of escape was to chew through the plastic.
I felt horrible. You would think having the collar not so tight is doing your pet a favor when in fact you're putting them at risk of injury.

In the process of chewing through he cut the corners of his mouth. Thankfully not badly but enough that there were blood marks on the collar and on his fur

Again, this was my mistake, nothing to do with the manufacturer of this collar.

I kept an eye on him during the day to see if he had any reaction. Thankfully he is okay and his mouth is healing well.
All the pieces were accounted for so he didn't swallow any part of the collar.

I was able to repair the collar so he could wear it again. I cut the buckle piece at an angle and the rest of it also at an angle, securing it with a reflector.

This effectively creates a breakaway collar should he ever get it stuck anywhere again.
I refitted the collar making sure it was tight enough that he couldn't lick it but loose enough to put my fingers under his collar.

So please learn from my mistake. Make sure you read the manufacturers recommendation every time. The pet should not be able to get a paw into the collar, get it into their mouth or be able to lick it.
It should also not be too tight causing discomfort. The animal should be able to eat and drink comfortably.

The universal recommendation is being able to fit 2 fingers comfortably under the collar.

When using a new flea collar check your pet's skin every day for irritation or burn. If your pet has a reaction to the collar remove it immediately and check in with your vet about what to do next. Some cats can be very sensitive to toxins and could have a a severe reaction. Dog collars can be fatal to cats so make sure you use the right collar for your pet every time.

One of the reasons I love using Seresto collars is that they do not smell. If you can't bear to be near your pet because of the smell of a flea collar, just imagine what it's doing to them!

I 'm happy to report that Teddy is doing fine. We got him his magnet pad and he is using it, but I will put that in a new post.

I hope you found this info to be useful. Please do spread the message.

Hope you have a good day
Lizelle