Tommy lost part of his paw because litterbugs left broken glass
Pet suffers horror injury and owner fears for kids too
A Hamilton mum is warning dog owners to be careful when out with their pets after her pooch lost part of his paw from standing on broken glass.
Colette Mckenzie fears discarded litter could seriously hurt dogs or even children at a popular walking spot in Eddlewood known locally as ‘the bing’.
Her beloved pup Tommy, an English Springer Spaniel, came home from his walk trailing blood everywhere leaving Colette sick with worry.
The area is reportedly full of litter and broken glass bottles, often buried beneath grass that has been left unattended during lockdown.
Colette, 34, told the Advertiser: “I was absolutely raging. He came in from his walk and there was blood everywhere.
“A neighbour came round to help who deals with pets because I didn’t know what to do at first.
“It’s awful that Tommy’s been hurt and now I’m left with a vet bill of £100 because somebody’s smashed a bottle and just left it.
“It’s not just the fact your dog’s injured, but then you need to pay for that to get treated.
“We’ve not all got lots of money, and the vet told me it could have been a lot worse.
People need to know it’s not difficult to put your rubbish in a bin.
“If you’re taking it up in a bag at least put it back in.
“So many dogs go up there. It’s Tommy’s favourite walk and we let him off the lead when we go up, he loves it.
“But because the grass isn’t getting cut you don’t see everything, some litter isn’t visible but it’s there.”
Recovering Tommy lost part of his paw from the injury which Colette feared would get infected. She added: “The vet said it was definitely glass that slit his paw because the cut was so deep.
“One part of his paw was split in two so he had to get the bottom of it removed.
“The vet cut it off but it must’ve been excruciating for him. It just shows you the severity of what a glass bottle can do.
“He just needs plenty of rest, I think it’s all been pretty traumatic for him, it’s exhausting going to the vet, and we were all shattered by it, it’s not just
Tommy it’s us as a family as well.
“Every time you go the vet, it’s £25 per visit at least because that’s just their consultation, when we first took him it cost £93. At the end of the day this negligence comes at a cost, these things aren’t cheap.”
After the ordeal, Colette is calling on dog owners to be careful in areas where grass is overgrown and urges the culprits of broken glass to be more considerate.
She added: “Since lockdown lots of people are buying puppies so they need to walk them and the majority are off their lead when out walks like that, so the grass not being cut isn’t helping because they could be exposed to injuries left, right and centre.
“I’ve got five kids who all come out walks with us so see if a dog can get injured like that, what if a kid fell?
“My youngest is six so we’re worried for them too. For families going out walks, which everyone is doing right now, it’s a concern with glass bottles and things like that lying around.”