Wolfie and the Balloon

[Wolfiesmom]

Wolfie was playing around the kitchen with a balloon. It was pretty impressive how he kept it up in the air by hitting it with his nose. I tried to get it with my cellphone video camera, but he hit it with a tooth and popped it. I tried to get him to play again and video it, but he was only mildly interested after popping the first balloon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdPqn7TMtqQ

[Daisy&Lucky's Mom]

Wolfie was very gentle w/ his balloon . Wolfie you are as smart as you are handsome.

[selzer]

On the danger of giving unsolicited advice, I would not let my critters play with a balloon.

The gal I worked next to for a bunch of years had a two-year-old niece. The baby was happy and playing with a balloon. She fell on it and popped it and a piece went into her mouth and into her throat. They had an EMT right next door that rushed over. There was nothing they could do. They could not get the balloon out, and they could not get the air in. The child died.

I would call that a tragic and freak accident. But dogs are far more likely to pop a balloon in their mouth. I just wouldn't play that game with my dogs.

[Wolfiesmom]

Originally Posted by selzer

On the danger of giving unsolicited advice, I would not let my critters play with a balloon.

The gal I worked next to for a bunch of years had a two-year-old niece. The baby was happy and playing with a balloon. She fell on it and popped it and a piece went into her mouth and into her throat. They had an EMT right next door that rushed over. There was nothing they could do. They could not get the balloon out, and they could not get the air in. The child died.

I would call that a tragic and freak accident. But dogs are far more likely to pop a balloon in their mouth. I just wouldn't play that game with my dogs.

I never thought of a piece flying into his mouth as the balloon popped. I keep him in a small area, and as soon as he popped the first balloon I was there to quickly get the pieces. He didn't pop another one, but I'm glad you told me this. How tragic for that little girl and her family.

[selzer]

I thought it was just a freak and tragic accident but, I got this from google:

"Of all children’s products, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death, according to CPSC injury data. Since 1973, more than 110 children have died as a result of suffocation involving uninflated balloons or pieces of balloons."

The report was from 2011 and so that is in almost 40 years, so I would expect more kids get killed by lightning or certainly drowning. You cannot have your kid in a bubble. On the other hand, dogs are very likely to bite down on a balloon, and knowing the possibility is there, how could we forgive ourselves if it actually happened? And nearly 3 kids a year, that still is a lot.