Toowoomba family calls for answers after dog required emergency medical attention following package delivery

A Queensland family has taken to social media to slam a courier company after a package was dropped off over a fence which resulted in their dog requiring emergency medical treatment.

A Toowoomba man had to rush his dog to emergency care after an incident where a delivery driver dropped a package into his yard, giving it directly to his dog.

Craig Daniel took to Facebook on Wednesday, February 19, in a frantic search for an emergency vet in the area after his dog consumed the contents of a package delivered to his home.

In his post Mr Daniel said the delivery driver had walked past a drop box and a mailbox only to leave the package just inches away from his dog.

Mr Daniel said his dog would likely have to get his stomach pumped, after eating pieces of jewellery that were in the package.

Dozens of other Facebook users took to the comment section to say how poor some delivery services are, with one user saying the same thing had happened to them.

“I contacted the company and they emailed back delivered safely. When I replied that it wasn’t, they just ignored! My dogs ate a whole heap of plastic bits,” the user commented.

“It looks like he more or less fed it to your Dog,” another comment said.

“Don’t let them get away with this!! Definitely send them the bill. The driver’s negligence has caused your dog harm,” another user commented.

The delivery company that delivered Mr Daniel’s parcel was CouriersPlease, a company that is partnered with Target, Big W, Kmart and Amazon.

The Chronicle attempted to contact CouriersPlease for comment on the incident but the company was unable to be reached.

Toowoomba-based emergency vet Dave Holl said more than 60 per cent of emergency pet cases involve gastrointestinal issues, many of which are caused by pets eating hazardous objects or food.

Mr Holl has seen dogs who have swallowed anything from hair ties, to kebab sticks, to fishhooks, and even a whole rubber duck, and although treatment is generally effective pets can face severe complications.

“If it causes a complete obstruction, and if they aren’t treated in a few days the animal can absolutely die from it,“ he said.

“Success rate with surgery and the appropriate treatment is good, about 95 per cent of animals if they are treated appropriately will go home.

“How long the animal is left before the owner seeks treatment is really important, so if you leave it too long they are more likely to become sick.”

Australia Post suggests that a few steps can be taken to prevent incidents like this from happening with home deliveries.

As part of their policy, Australia Post will not leave a parcel at a property if they believe a pet might be present or “could interfere with the parcel delivery” for consideration of the pet and the delivery driver.

Australia Post also suggests owners, who expect a delivery may impact their pets, to take steps to avoid an incident from occurring, including sending deliveries to a work address, or choose a signature-on-delivery service to ensure someone is home.