Top 10 Items Surgically Removed From Dogs

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI)

Are your socks worth $1,000? They could cost you this much if your vet needs to surgically remove one from your dog’s stomach!

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has found that socks top the list of items surgically removed from pets’ gastrointestinal tracts.

These are the most common items surgically removed from pets:

1. Socks
2. Underwear
3. Pantyhose
4. Rocks
5. Balls
6. Chew toys
7. Corn cobs
8. Bones
9. Hair ties/ribbons
10. Sticks

Other frequently ingested objects include nails, sewing needles and nipples from baby bottles. VPI has also come across claims for swallowed pagers, hearing aids, drywall, snail bait, batteries, rubber bands, toy cars, and sand with bacon grease poured on it.

While this list of swallowed objects may make you laugh, Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI, said they can cause very serious problems.

“Some of these objects will pass naturally,” she said, “but others have a tendency to become lodged in pets’ gastrointestinal tracts, resulting in pain, vomiting, or internal injury. In those cases, surgery may be a necessity.”

Pet owners can take the following actions to prevent costly foreign body removal surgery:

Keep a clean living space.

Make sure that personal items are not left on the floor or within easy reach of your dog.

Be aware of your dog’s chewing tendencies and what appeals to him.

Remember that table scraps can contain excessive grease, bones or other objects not easily digested by dogs.

“Most of these incidents occur without the pet owner’s knowledge,” McConnell said. “Pets can get anxious if left alone and start chewing on objects to relieve boredom or stress. Never ignore these signs that a pet may have swallowed something inedible: continual vomiting, dry heaving and/or coughing. If these symptoms occur, your pet should be examined by a veterinarian.”