Revealed: The weird items vets removed from 400 pets this year

Surgery: Hooch swallowed a corn husk and nearly died
PDSA
Mark Chandler15 June 2016

Nearly 400 pets have required surgery to remove swallowed items including corn on the cob, socks, radio aerials and even knives in the past year, statistics show.

According to vet charity PDSA, bones, stones and corn were the most common blockages that needed to be surgically removed from animals over the last 12 months.

Other items in the charity's top 10 list included plastic, rubber balls, socks, baby's dummy teats and kebab sticks.

Among the patients was American Bulldog Hooch who wolfed down a corn on the cob husk form his owner’s bin and needed emergency surgery to save his life.

Swallowed: Items included a needle and thread
PDSA

Vet Rebecca Ashman explained: “Pets, especially puppies and younger dogs, like to use their mouth to investigate objects as well as to eat. Sometimes a pet will swallow an item by mistake, even though they had only meant to investigate it.

“We might think it’s comical but in some cases it is incredibly dangerous and can even prove fatal. If an object moves along the digestive system, it can cause a tear or life-threatening blockage.”

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