Every year, ìVeterinary Practice Newsî hosts the annual ìThey Ate What?î competition, where veterinarians send in the most eye-popping radiographs their practices have encountered.Dogs can eat some very strange things, some you would not believe they could swallow, but X-rays donít lie, as you will see with some of the top winners.I thought you might like to see some of the most interesting X-rays of what dogs can swallow; and, of course, cause serious problems for the dog, the family and the surgeon!
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| Zeus, a 1-year-old Doberman pinscher, had been vomiting for a couple of days. His activity level was normal and he had a good appetite, despite the vomiting. Radiographs revealed many dense objects in his stomach. Surgery led to the removal of 26 golf balls. In the future, his owners will be sure to count their golf balls more closely when he retrieves them from the driving range. |
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| Olive, a 7-month-old female labradoodle, suffered from several days of not eating, vomiting and diarrhea. Abdominal radiographs showed an odd mass in the stomach. The mystery object was removed using an endoscope, and both the patient and T-rex are doing fine. |
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| Emily, a 4-year-old Chihuahua, presented with constipation. Radiographs showed a very large foreign body. Emily went to surgery the same day, at which time a spray bottle of glitter perfume/cologne was found in the abdomen. What makes the case stranger is that the bottle was not in the intestine, but rather free-floating in the abdomen. Though there were adhesions next to the colon, there was no evidence of perforation along the GI tract. Experts cannot explain how this happened. The patient had an uneventful recovery from surgery and continues to do well. |
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| A 10-week-old Labrador retriever was presented for tiredness and drooling. A radiograph showed the end of a fishing pole, which was removed after light sedation. The puppy fully recovered. |
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 | Willow, an 8-month-old Australian shepherd mix, was brought in after ingesting 18 buttons and nearly an entire womanís belt the day before. The dog was acting normally. Two abdominal radiographs were obtained to ensure the belt and buttons were moving through the intestines. The X-rays clearly showed that the foreign objects were on their way out of the dog. This one did not need surgery, but rather close observation to make sure it came all the way out! |
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 | Yogi, a 1-year-old neutered cat, came in to the veterinary hospital after a few days of vomiting. His owner reported that he liked to eat hair ties found around the house. Exploratory surgery found more than 30 hair ties and other string-like objects. These were surgically removed, and Yogi was back to his normal self the very next day. |
What is the moral of this interesting and visual story? If your pet is not acting right, especially a young pet that is vomiting, and if you are missing something around the house, you may find it in your petís stomach.
| Dr. Jim Humphries is a veterinarian in Falcon and also serves as a visiting professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. He provides hospice and end-of-life care for pets. He lives in Falcon with his wife, horses and rescued Great Danes. www.MobilePetDocs.com |
