Dogs Eat the Darndest Things

Animals can be weird and maybe a little unpredictable. Maybe that is why I love my job so much. I am not a plain person. I like to fly by the seat of my pants as the old saying goes. A frequent question for my pet owners is… your dog ate what!? And this year especially, I also get a sequel of… a cat ate that!? Nothing would surprise me anymore. In 10 years of practice,my colleagues and I have had some real treats on what you find in an exploratory surgery. In my naïve vet school days I used to think, “no way, I won’t see that.” Now I am thinking, “yep, the old binky incident of 2006.” Don’t feel bad when it comes to telling us what might be missing, we can keep a secret. Maybe not from all the staff… but from the public we sure can. So your dog ate three of your daughter’s tampons because she is a teenager and has a messy room? Sorry about the 399+ rocks your dog ate because you poured bacon grease on them not thinking. It happens/happened. I believe you on all this.

The questions in the exam rooms as to why your dog eats its toenails off the exam room floor will probably not be ending any time soon. Maybe your dog licks his rear like anal gland excrement is candy. Maybe your cat ate your husband’s prescription like it was a cat treat. It isn’t that we enjoy your animal doing something so silly, it is more that we are here to help. All we really want is to get your pet home to you safe and sound. Sometimes surgery is necessary. Sometimes fluids get that crazy object to pass right on through. A scope used to pull it back out the way it came, sure thing. If we can fix it, hopefully it will be our little inside joke for years to come. My dog had nine lives when he was a puppy. Everything from eating things he shouldn’t have, to jumping off a cliff and being bitten by a rattlesnake. Before you turn me in, let me tell you it was not experiences I wanted to live through but my dog had other plans.

Be sure you do your part to keep your pet safe. Avoid giving prescription medications to your pet without getting the A-ok from a veterinarian first. Do not feed foods to pets that you shouldn’t just because you googled it and three peoples’ dogs eat m&m’severy day and lived to tell the tale. Maybe I am letting my sarcastic side out a little in this blog but ultimately having a tale to tell is a lot better than wishing for one. My dogs are kenneled for their safety, and at times, my sanity. Do what is best for your pet and family’s lifestyle. Just make sure to let your pet be a part of it. The more fun you have with your pet the better you all will feel. I lost my danger dog recently and I would give a lot to get him back. So enjoy each day with each pet, weird or normal. Dogs will do silly things, eat the grossest or smelliest thing that they find. Just don’t let them kiss you on the lips until they brush their teeth.