Owner set to sue Tesco over dog that died after eating treat

Sally Fraser with much-loved six-year-old Border Terrier, Bobby

Sally Fraser, from Alloa, lost her beloved Border Terrier, Bobby, in August after buying him the treat from the pet aisle of her local supermarket.

Now she is calling for the supermarket to remove the product from its shelves  and is considering legal action to recoup the £2,200 vet’s bill to treat six-year-old Bobby.

“We are completely and utterly devastated by his death,” said Fraser. “He was a much-loved part of the family and his loss is unbearable for us. Everyone who met Bobby loved him because he was such a friendly and good-natured dog.”

Bobby started to feel unwell while the family were visiting a relative in Dunfermline a couple of days after he had eaten the bone. Fraser took him to a vet, who diagnosed that fragments of bone had blocked his intestines.

She said: “The following  day we were informed that  he had only managed to  pass a small section of bone and that he would require  an operation to remove the rest.

“Later they phoned to say that they had managed to remove it, although the next 24 hours would be critical. Bobby died 14 hours later.”

Fraser said she had written to Tesco and had since received a letter saying that the company plans to “investigate further”.

She added: “There was nothing on the packaging to say it wasn’t suitable for Bobby – it said not to give to dogs under three months or over seven, and he was six. It’s just worrying to think that other people could be feeding their dogs this treat without knowing what could happen.”

She added: “I am going to speak to Citizens Advice and see what my legal position is. We didn’t have pet insurance as he was such a healthy little dog.”

Tesco said the product had already been taken off sale as it was a limited-edition discounted range. A spokeswoman for the supermarket said: “There’s nothing more important than the safety of our products so we were sorry to hear of this incident. Since being made aware of this incident, we’ve investigated with the supplier, removed this product from sale and are speaking to Mrs Fraser to understand if we can offer any further help.”