Near Miss!

[kermat]

Yesterday morning after I had left for work and hubby was having his breakfast, our beagle Max decided to drag out the Nintendo Wii cable from behind the TV and have a good ole chomp on it - its very unusual behaviour for him as he usually doesn't chew anything other than his toys and is very well behaved, Judd is the naughty one!! - anyway hubby hadn't noticed until he heard several loud yelps and saw poor Max scuttle across the room, he went and hid in the corner in the toilet. Upon inspection hubby found the cable chewed almost all the way through.

Max seemed fine, so my husband went to work and then called me to tell me what happened, and I was like, "WHAT??!!!". I would have bundled Max in the car straight away and driven him to the vets!! Anyway that got my husband worried so he called the vet who said that if he seemed ok afterwards (and he did, after the initial scare he went back to chewing one of his toys, couldn't see any burns in or around his mouth) then he was probably ok but just to keep an eye on him. He's booked in for a check up at the vets this morning as neither of us could get off work yesterday. I had my mum go around to our place yesterday afternoon to check on him and again he seemed perfectly normal!!

What we're hoping is that the surge protector powerboard that the cable was plugged into cut off the power before it really gave him a zap, I think 240V across the chops would have done a lot more damage!! But I was so worried all day yesterday.....!!! Has anyone else had their naughty doggies chew through a power cable before??

I'll post an update after my husband gets back from taking him to the vets to see what he said - but again Max seemed fine this morning, still had his normal appetite and was behaving like the perfect beagle!!

[MaddieMoo]

Oh no!!

Hope he is ok. Im sure he wont go near any cables ever ever again.

[black_dog]

From 240V, I reckon that a dog would be (a) 100% fine, no effect, or (b) paws up. In most cases the former. You wouldn't get hidden effects.

Really important with kids and dogs to have RCD protected circuits. Physically impossible to get shocked.

[kermat]

Well my husband has got back from the vets, where Max was given a clean bill of health. The vet pretty much said what you did black_dog, he'd either be dead or 100% ok. Phew!!

Not so good for Judd though - turns out he had a slight ear infection and needs drops twice a day for 10 days, and was also due for his annual vaccination - drops and a needle in one day, he won't be too happy!!

[anthony mazzeri]

I'm thinking if he chewed on the cable that comes out of the transformer/adaptor like most computer stuff has, he'd have been zapped by a much lower voltage of around 12V. Feels like a bee sting, but he'd be fine otherwise.

If he chewed on the cable that actually goes into the wall socket, it would've stung a heck of a lot more! Luckily we have AC alternating current which allows you to break free between the electrical pulses, as opposed to DC direct current which freezes you in place like in the movies.

Max won't be chewing on any cables again any time soon I think! Glad he's okay.

[Poodle wrangler]

Really important with kids and dogs to have RCD protected circuits. Physically impossible to get shocked.

Is that like a surge-protector, or something else entirely?

Glad he seems OK. If there are no burn (entry-exit) should be fine.

Beagles must like cabling. Someone I used to work with got a beagle and it chewed thru new >$1000 trailer wiring.

[black_dog]

Really important with kids and dogs to have RCD protected circuits. Physically impossible to get shocked.

Is that like a surge-protector, or something else entirely?

RCD = residual current device. Goes in the consumer unit (that box with all the trips/switches down the side of the house). Generally you'll need a proper electrician to put it in, if you can find one. It will be about $50 retail (you can spend a lot more but don't need to), and it's a 5 minute installation, so don't get ripped off. You may already have one and not know it of course.

Works so quickly that you can grab/chew the live wire and it will trip before you feel the current. Also, if the dog chews wiring alone in the house, then there is a fire risk. An RCD would stop that too.

A surge protector only protects electronics from spikes, and won't protect you/the dog from the 240V.

Glad that the Max is OK kermat. Didn't think I'd be talking about electrical stuff in Dog Health!

[RL1]

Really important with kids and dogs to have RCD protected circuits. Physically impossible to get shocked.

I wish that was the case, unfortunately it's not and a lot of people believe that once they have a RCD or "Safety Switch" installed they are 100% protected. They are designed to trip in approx. 30 milli seconds once a fault is detected, however like anything they sometime's can fail. Be aware that whilst having one is a must and a great idea, still treat electricity with respect.

Really important with kids and dogs to have RCD protected circuits. Physically impossible to get shocked.

Is that like a surge-protector, or something else entirely?

RCD = residual current device. Goes in the consumer unit (that box with all the trips/switches down the side of the house). Generally you'll need a proper electrician to put it in, if you can find one. It will be about $50 retail (you can spend a lot more but don't need to), and it's a 5 minute installation, so don't get ripped off. You may already have one and not know it of course.

Works so quickly that you can grab/chew the live wire and it will trip before you feel the current. Also, if the dog chews wiring alone in the house, then there is a fire risk. An RCD would stop that too.

A surge protector only protects electronics from spikes, and won't protect you/the dog from the 240V.

Glad that the Max is OK kermat. Didn't think I'd be talking about electrical stuff in Dog Health!

Yes, only use an electrical contractor, if you don't and you make an insurance claim you won't be covered....

[black_dog]

Taking your point, RL01, probably worth saying that the circuit breaker 'trip switch' that has replaced wire fuses looks very similar to an RCD. A circuit breaker will trip when there is a short, e.g. current flowing from mains via you/dog to ground, but only after the shock. An RCD will trip when the connection is made and before the shock. (But yes, it's backup safety, don't rely on it when rewiring a plug.) You can tell the difference because an RCD will have a 'test' button.

[Poppy's mum]

Had a cat who jumped on the iron cord and bit it one day when i was ironing. you would have thought I could have seen that one coming! cat was 100% ok though I had a minor heart attack.

When i was a kid i stuck my finger in a light socket and experienced a zap like a bee-sting and a burnt (blistered) thumb. How dumb was that? kids!!