Vets Now warns of potential dangers of shredders in the home
Vets Now, the emergency Out of Hours emergency vets with 31 clinics across the UK is today urging owners to be aware of the dangers of at home shredders, following an increase in the number of accidents involving pets.
A Vets Now clinic recently treated a horrific case in which a dog's tongue had got caught and shredded by the cutting bars with the dog sadly losing its tongue. Pets can be attracted to the machine out of curiosity or possibly because food wrappers have been shredded and dogs in particular have been known to lick around the cutting bars. If the machine has been left on automatic, the tongue activates the machine and pulls it into the shredder, with the power of the shredder so strong that the dog loses its tongue.
Shredders have traditionally been part of the office furniture but with the recent rise in identity fraud and our need to destroy personal information securely, the machines are becoming more commonplace in our homes; however, many of them have not been designed with the type of safeguards to provide adequate protection in households and people are unaware of just how easily accidents can happen.
Vets Now therefore urges owners to follow some simple precautions to avoid horrific accidents such as this case:
1. Never put food wrappers through the shredder
Pets are attracted to food and many accidents have been caused by pets licking around the cutting bars, attracted by the smell of food
2. Do not leave the shredder on the "automatic" setting
If the shredder is used frequently, plug it in to a power strip which can be easily turned on and off at the flick of a switch to avoid the machine starting automatically if the on/off button is accidentally activated by an animal
3. Buy shredders with protective bars
When purchasing a shredder, try to find one with protective bars over the opening
4. Keep shredders off the ground
Place the shredder on raised surface if possible to reduce the likelihood of an accident