See the crazy things dogs have discovered and ingested and let it be a reminder to watch your pup and consider what he can get into when out of your sight.
Back in 2010, VPI Pet Insurance was in the news when they awarded a Lab named Ellie the ‘VPI Hambone Award’ for having the most unusual health insurance claim of the year: Ellie ate an entire beehive of bees! Luckily Ellie consumed the beehive after an exterminator had sprayed it; however, she still consumed thousands of dead bees (and we’re happy to report, she’s doing just fine).
VPI also shared other items on their list of most unusual ingested objects by pets. They say “pets” but we’ve got a sneaky suspicion they are referring to dogs! VPI received nearly 2,000 foreign body ingestion claims the past year and policyholders spent almost $3M treating their pets for such claims. And the good news, all pets that ingested the crazy, and in most cases very unappetizing, items made full recoveries!
Among common items that pets consume, such as socks, hand towels, sticks, and rocks, the items listed below are particularly noteworthy. Let this incredible list of not-so-tasty snacks serve as a reminder that many dogs, maybe yours, will eat just about anything so be aware!
Most Unusual Ingested Objects by Pets
- jellyfish
- glue
- tube of denture adhesive
- dead poisoned vole
- bikini
- ink pen
- plastic nose from teddy bear
- magnetic purse clasps
- baseball
- glass Christmas ornament
- hearing aid
- bed sheet
- box of pencils
- avocado pit
- dental floss
- fishhook
- tent door
- toy squeaker
- watch
- 16 steel wool pads
- sponge
- tampon
- 20 cherry pits
- light bulb
- barbecue brush
- Frisbee
- jumper cables
- razor blades
- uncooked rice (1 pound)
- wallpaper paste
- squirrel
- balloon ribbons
- bird (whole)
- butter/sand
- deer antler (partial)
- extension cord
- leash/3 sticks of butter
- pin cushion
- portion of wool rug
- TV remote control
- 10 quarters/one penny/one Canadian coin/three arcade tokens
- foot-long submarine sandwich
- fire log
- wooden toy train
- pine cone
- round chew bone (whole)
- caulk
- eye glasses
- money (paper)
- oil-soaked dirt
- rosary crucifix
- 25 to 30 soiled diapers
- bath bubble mix
- bathtub cleaner/outdoor plants
The Scoop:
Read more about foreign body ingestion – treatment, keeping your pet safe and more.
www.petinsurance.com/foreign-body-ingestion
What is the craziest thing your dog has ingested? Leave a note in the comments and share!
Thank you to Barbara L. Slavin on flickr for the photo of Annie.
Originally published in December 2010; reviewed and updated December 2016.
My dog Reno ingested a fishhook he did not sallow it got caught in the back of his throat
an entire dinner: whole cooked chicken, quart bowl of macaroni, plate of green beans. (Left the salad).
also: entire box of Whitman’s chocolates.
Truly awesome.
Started off the New Year with my dog eating nearly the whole container of rat poison. After the vet induced vomiting, she was alive and well and as the vet put it ” this dog will probably do it again”.
One evening around my Christmas, my Mom bought me some of my favorite chocolate and she had it in her purse. We left to go to dinner and when we came back, my mother’s purse, which was on the chair was on the floor and the chocolate that was wrapped in tin foil and it was all over the place. Our Sheltie Favorite had eaten a WHOLE pound of chocolate. We called the vet and they said that she will vomit and puke, and if it gets out of control then to go to the vet. Favorite didn’t puke or anything! She was absolutely fine.
My daughter had a loose tooth, but it was not quite ready to come out and she wanted something soft to eat so she had some chocolate pudding. Wouldn’t you know the tooth really was ready to come out and while she was eating the pudding it came out and she accidentally spit it on the floor. Our border collie swooped in and licked up the pudding, tooth and all. No harm done to either and had a very good laugh.