Unexpectedly: Apple AirTag has a problem... with dogs (or dogs with them)

We recently told a story with a happy ending about how an Apple AirTag attached to a collar helped find and rescue a lost dog. But, as it turns out, there is a flip side to the coin.

What this time

An article in The Wall Street Journal describes repeated incidents in which animals have simply eaten AirTags attached to collars, even if they had been attached with special straps and clips.

For example, one owner lost a gadget that was attached to his dog Sophie's collar. When he activated the audible alert, he found (or rather heard) the tag in the belly of his other dog, Sassy.

And Rose, the dog, had been chewing on the device and eating parts of it for a long time. Luckily she didn't swallow the battery.
Luna, a 6-month-old puppy, was taken to the vet after she ate the device. The vet even wanted to operate, but luckily the tag came out naturally after a while.

According to veterinarians, because AirTags contain batteries, there is a significant risk that they could leak and cause organ damage. The risk of battery leakage is increased if the battery has been damaged by chewing or if it has been in the dog's stomach for an extended period of time.

Incidentally, Apple itself doesn't recommend using AirTag to track pets either. But who's listening.

Source: The Wall Street Journal