Recently, a stray little puppy in San Diego was taken in by their County Animal Services and had to undergo surgery for an object he swallowed. What was that?
A six-inch corn-dog stick.
Fortunately the pup was ok, and is going to a foster home to recover! But that got us thinking: No matter how much we try to protect our pups, sometimes we can’t predict when they will turn into monsters of destruction. Who’d have thought that dirty socks might look like a tasty treat? Luckily, vets are trained to help pups who’ve encountered an eating emergency, but even they are sometimes surprised by what dogs have deemed snack-worthy. Enter the “They Ate WHAT?” contest held by the folks at Veterinary Practice News to find the craziest pet x-rays out there:
Rubber Ducky, You’re NOT the One
Sesame Street’s Ernie would be sad after seeing what this pup did to some rubber duckies.
A mother with a dog named Woof called the vet saying her dog had eaten a rubber duck. For months, the mother would notice her 3-year-old son’s rubber ducks kept going missing. She would eventually buy him another one.
One day, while she was giving her son a bath, the family pup came in and ate the boy’s rubber duck! The mother brought the dog to the vet where the doctor found 5 rubber duckies! The vet surgically removed the rubber ducks, along with a toy truck and a piece of another toy, and the now duck-free pup made a full recovery.
Unfortunate Shish-kabob
A short-haired pointer named Marley decided that the hooman food was just too enticing.
When her owner placed two skewers of meat and veggies on the kitchen table and turned her back for a moment, Marley snatched them up. After finding only one skewer, Marley’s owner took her to the vet.
The doctor thought there was no way a dog could swallow a skewer, but to his surprise, there it was on the x-ray, clear as day! The vet performed an exploratory and gastrotomy, and Marley was out the door and back to being a healthy pup!
Great Dane Owner Makes ‘Socking’ Discovery
Next time you are doing laundry and can’t find that missing sock, you might want to check your dog’s stomach.
A 3-year-old Great Dane was taken to the vet after he started vomiting. X-rays showed a large amount of foreign material in the pup’s stomach.
After exploratory surgery, the family was shocked to find out their dog had eaten 43.5 socks! You read that right, 43.5 socks. Fortunately, the dog was fine and we assume the family will institute a new rule of not leaving socks out within reach of their curious pup!
Pooping Out Bright Ideas
When Colby, a 10-month-old Golden Retriever, started vomiting and kept throwing up for nearly two days, his owners took him to the vet. That’s when they discovered their pup had eaten a light bulb…yep, an entire, intact light bulb. After a day of intravenous fluids, Colby passed the light bulb intact.
Playing Hooky
Remember people, when fishing, don’t leave unattended baited hooks sitting around your dogs.
Never thought I’d write that sentence.
A 7.5-week-old puppy named Elvis went with his owners on a fishing trip. Apparently, the chicken liver bait was enough to entice the pup to try it out. Unfortunately, he swallowed the hook as well.
Elvis was taken to the vet, where they performed a gastrotomy. The hook had perforated the stomach, but thanks to timely surgery and antibiotics, Elvis made a full recovery.
“Only Made it Out to Needles”
In what has to be one of the strangest examples of dogs eating odd things, a 9-pound Chihuahua had 9 sewing needles removed from all over the body. Presumably, the pup ate a box of sewing needles, then the needles migrated throughout his body.
The dog required a ventral abdominal exploratory and a ventral sternotomy. He is now doing well and is needle-free.
Turtle Power
A 12-year-old Welsh Corgi ate nearly 2 cups of pea gravel from a turtle tank. The owners had cleaned out the tank and dumped the gravel in their flower bed. Then they cleaned the barbecue grill and dumped the grease on the gravel. This temptation was too much for the Corgi, who devoured most of it.
The pup made a full recovery after surgery.
Pug Pennies
A two-year-old Pug named Stella was brought to the vet after she continuously vomited one night. During an abdominal exploratory, one quarter and 104 pennies were found in the pup’s stomach.
After surgery, Stella made a full recovery. Maybe the owner can go buy her a treat with the newly obtained $1.29.
Yep, That’s a Knife
A Lab named Lucy was brought in to the vet’s office after she swallowed a pocket knife. The vet fed her a small meal and administered Apomorphine, which induced a vomiting episode that expelled the 9.2 by 2.3 cm knife.
Hacky Sack
When the owner of a 15-month-old Golden Retriever puppy returned home from work, she found the pup, named D’Jango, playing with a Hacky Sack. Her son said another Hacky Sack was missing, so a trip to the vet ensued.
Radiographs gave a crystal clear picture of the intact Hacky Sack inside the puppy’s stomach. Apomorphine was administered and D’Jango vomited out the intact Hacky Sack.
Luckily, all of these pups made a full recovery from their, um, gastronomic adventures, but it’s a good reminder that if your dog swallows dangerous materials, get them to a vet!
Featured Image via Veterinary Practice News
