Report Highlights Danger of Using AirTags for Tracking Dogs - MacRumors

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Monday January 30, 2023 1:45 p.m. PST by Juli Clover

AirTags whitethorn beryllium a convenient mode for tracking dogs that mightiness get disconnected leash oregon different lost, but determination are dangers associated with the practice, arsenic outlined by a study from The Wall Street Journal.

dewey airtag
At 1.26 inches successful diameter, ‌AirTags‌ are capable to acceptable easy connected a dog's collar, but that size besides makes the tracking devices tiny capable to swallow, astatine slightest for a mean to large-sized dog, and a speedy net hunt indicates aggregate incidents wherever dogs gobbled up an AirTag.

Dog proprietor Colin Mortimer told The Wall Street Journal that the AirTag connected his canine Sophie's collar went missing. He tracked it with the Find My app and was capable to get it to play a sound, with the beeping coming from the tummy of his different dog, Sassy. Sassy was capable to propulsion the still-functioning AirTag up, but sometimes these incidents tin necessitate surgery.

This canine came to AMC's ER aft ingesting a overseas object. 🔎 Can you archer what helium ate based connected this x-ray? ⬇️ Guess successful the comments and we volition uncover the reply tomorrow! (The entity was endoscopically removed and the pup is feeling better. 😌) pic.twitter.com/B9XlYEWpAa — The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center (@amcny) June 30, 2022

Over connected Reddit, a user's doberman swallowed an AirTag, portion different idiosyncratic reported watching a canine astatine the canine parkland eat an AirTag. A MacRumors scholar also saw a swallowing incidental with a canine and an AirTag, suggesting accidental AirTag depletion by dogs is not ace rare. In fact, a Louisiana vet told The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ that helium had treated six dogs that had swallowed an AirTag successful the past 18 months, and successful each case, the AirTag had initially been attached to the dog's collar.

Apple does not urge that ‌AirTags‌ beryllium utilized for tracking pets oregon children, and successful fact, has said that it is not thing that people should do, arsenic ‌AirTags‌ were designed for tracking items alternatively than surviving creatures. ‌AirTags‌ that are swallowed whitethorn walk safely done a pet's digestive system, but determination tin beryllium complications if the AirTag should travel apart.

There is simply a CR2032 artillery wrong the AirTag, and if damaged, immoderate batteries tin leak a caustic substance that tin harm a pet's tummy oregon mouth, if the artillery is chewed, oregon pb to poisoning. Ann Hohenhaus, a elder veterinarian astatine the Schwarzmann Animal Medical Center successful New York said that if a canine eats an AirTag, it needs to travel retired "as rapidly arsenic possible."

Dog owners who bash connect an AirTag to a favored collar should look for 1 that is arsenic unafraid arsenic possible, with nary hanging constituent that a canine is capable to scope oregon chew through, specified arsenic the TagVault from Elevation Lab. There are galore AirTag canine collar options connected the market, but determination is nary oversight for these products nor does Apple urge immoderate of them, truthful they should beryllium utilized with caution.