The team at a veterinary referral centre in Cambridgeshire is urging pet owners to watch out for small items which can be swallowed.
The warning comes after the team at Dick White Referrals (DWR) in Six Mile Bottom revealed it has removed items including underwear, stones, children’s toys, batteries and bones from dogs’ stomachs.
Ferran Valls Sanchez, head of internal medicine at DWR, is advising dog owners to be vigilant to avoid their dog eating something which could cause them problems.
Ferran said: “People would be amazed at some of the items which our team have recovered from inside dogs – there are all sorts, and often they are everyday items which would never occur to many owners as posing a danger.
“Out and about, dogs can pick up anything in a split second – it could be a piece of human food which is toxic to them, like chocolate or chewing gum, or debris from takeaways such as chicken bones, which can splinter.
“My advice would be that if your dog is a scavenger, be extra careful during walks. You could keep them on the lead and you may want to consider muzzling them to avoid them picking anything up off the pavement.
“For persistent scavengers, you may also want to consider working with a dog trainer or behavioural specialist to break the habit.”
Ferran said that, while many dog owners are alert to danger while out on walks, some may not realise the potential risks posed within their own homes which could be prevented.
He said: “Around the house, dogs – especially those with a tendency to scavenge – can get hold of all kinds of small objects.
“This could be items left in places which they can reach, such as coins on the coffee table, or items which they discover themselves by scavenging – for example, by going through the contents of the bathroom bin.
“Dogs don’t have the common sense of humans, so they will just keep eating. My advice would be to lock or tidy away anything which is small enough to be eaten.”
If you think your dog has swallowed something, Ferran’s advice is to take them straight to the vet – as quick action may mean that the item can be removed using minimally invasive methods.
He said: “If you have a suspicion your dog has swallowed something, the best action you can take is to go to the vet. I would always encourage owners to act as quickly as possible.
“If the vet needs help from a referral centre like ourselves to remove the item, which we refer to as a ‘foreign body’, then we are usually able to do this as an endoscopy procedure, which involves passing a special camera via their mouth into their stomach, while they are under anaesthetic. It typically takes around 30 minutes and, providing they recover well, they may be able to return home a few hours later.”
Dick White Referrals offers specialist-led care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Dick White Referrals, visit: www.dickwhitereferrals.com or search for Dick White Referrals on social media.
