A leading pet insurer has revealed underwear – most commonly G-strings – were the usual objects most frequently ingested by dogs.
For cats it was string. dental floss, decorative stones and butter – the latter posing a pancreatitis risk.
Nadia Crighton, spokeswoman for the family-owned private business, said the risk to the pet and cost of treatment could be expensive. One case involved a dog swallowing a sewing needle, causing medical expenses totalling almost $5000, which insurance covered, luckily.
Luckily the dog made a full recovery,” she said.
The list covered only cases where the pet ended up making a full recovery, as people did not claim for a diagnosis when the dog or cat had died, she said.
Ms Crighton said cats were notorious for swallowing string and dental floss, which could spell disaster if it became attached to an anchor point such as the tongue.
“The foreign body will then continue down the animal’s digestive tract,” she said.
“This can bunch and actually saw though the sensitive tissues.”
Roxy the cavoodle, whose habit of eating her family’s underwear led to trouble last year, with Rachel Aitchison and her children, Ellen 14, and Isaac 4. Photo: Jamila Toderas
“So it is really important that if pet owners notice something sticking out of their dog or cat’s rear end, like string, do not attempt to pull it out! Seek vet advice immediately.”
Canberra Veterinary Hospital & Canberra Equine Hospital director Mark Ethell said after socks and stones or rocks, fruit stones, macadamia nuts and butchers’ string and kebab sticks which had previously “had something tasty on them” were the most commonly swallowed items at the Lyneham centre.
“As a general rule younger animals are more prone to doing this just as human babies and kids are more likely to be putting things into their mouths,” Dr Ethell said. “Keeping these objects away from where the dog or cat can get them is the key.You need to take care re garbage bins, laundry baskets etc.”
Dr Ethell said when a pet was showing signs of distress it should be taken to see a vet as soon as possible for a health check, and in some cases it may be appropriate to induce vomiting if the swallowing was done recently.
Some things may pass through the dog or cat, but investigations might include X-rays, ultrasound imaging or endoscopy (internal examination of the stomach with a flexible telescope).
An X-ray of a Canberra border collie puppy that ate rocks. Surgery was not required but passing these was probably uncomfortable. Photo: Supplied
Recently in the US a Great Dane exhibiting symptoms of stomach problems and was found to have eaten 43 socks.
Dr Ethell also warned against leaving any medications where pets could access them. He said the non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (such as Nurofen), paracetamol and antidepressants (such as Prozac) were the most common human medications ingested by pets, and results may prove to be deadly.
“Even one or two anti-inflammatory pills can cause serious harm to a pet,” he said.
Rachel Aitchison’s cavoodle Roxy is one of those dogs who can’t resist taking a bite of underwear, and targets only the crotch area of the undies.
She said the eight-year-old had destroyed dozens of pairs of underwear including hers and those of her three children, but refused to chew on her husband’s.
About a year ago the first health problem arrived, as Roxy’s underwear consumption overlapped with eating a plastic yogurt lid, stopping her usual bowel movements and ceasing her appetite. Total medical costs to save the beloved pet topped nearly $4000, with no insurance in place, and now underwear is watched very closely.
“We’ve actively made a point of hiding them - we were always conscious of it, but now even more,” Ms Aitchison said.