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Just as we humans do, just about everyone has heard stories about Weird Objects That Dogs Swallow. But, you may have never heard of one swallowing this before: a Teflon baking sheet! In Norwich, UK, a city about 100 miles NE of London, after fixing dinner a woman put down a tray containing grease for her family’s boxer to lap up. To her shock, he ate the Teflon baking sheet also! Kate Scotter reported the incident on the regional morning newspaper’s website, EDP24.co.uk and a veterinarian she talked with mentioned many other Weird Objects That Dogs Swallow:
Mrs Dunthorne, 50, who lives in Bowers Avenue, Mile Cross, and has had Rocky for 12 years, said: “I picked up the tray and realised the baking sheet had gone. I looked at Rocky and he just swallowed it down. I couldn’t believe it.
“I rang the vets and they said to keep an eye on him for two or three days but there was no way I could have done anything to help him.”
Mrs Dunthorne, who also has two terriers Smudge and Milo, said she rang the vet again and was told to take Rocky in immediately.
The vet gave him two injections and the baking tray came back up.
“Out it shot,” said Mrs Dunthorne. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It would’ve killed him if I hadn’t taken him to the vets.”
Mrs Dunthorne, who works at Mile Cross Primary School, said Rocky has been “fine” since the incident.
The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) has a varied casebook of pets that have swallowed unusual objects and can now add a Teflon baking sheet to its list.
Other bizarre items found in pet’s tummies include rubber ducks, socks, golf balls and corks.
There is a name for this type of behaviour in pets – pica. Dogs use their mouth to explore objects as well as to eat them. Sometimes the two functions get confused and a dog will eat an object by mistake, even though it had only meant to investigate it.
Sean Wensley, senior veterinary surgeon at PDSA, said: “It is very important to stop dogs eating inappropriate items because they can cause serious illness if they become lodged in the intestines.
“Symptoms that may indicate your pet has something blocking the intestines include vomiting, abdominal pain, restlessness, dehydration and loss of appetite. If your pet shows any of these symptoms you should speak to your vet immediately.”
What was educational is that this behavior is usually accidental, but has a medical name for it: pica. A dog uses it mouth to both investigate objects and eat, and sometimes gets the two confused.
Also, the veterinarian interviewed gave a very good rundown of symptoms that may indicate your dog swallowed something. If your dog exhibits any of these, you should call your vet immediately, or one of the 24-hr emergency pet hospitals after hours, if you have one in your area.
Fortunately this story had a happy ending. Do you have first-hand knowledge of Weird Objects That Dogs Swallow? If so, please share them with everyone in a comment below.
