Weirdest summertime pet plights according to vets

Vets have faced their fair share of pets in predicaments these holidays, including seasonal grass seeds wedged in the snouts of curious dogs and a prickly incident involving a cat and a ball of yarn.

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A DOG swallowing a razor blade, a prickly incident involving a cat and a ball of yarn and strange holiday snacks are just some of the absurd animal anomalies keeping vets extremely busy over summer.

Sandy Bay Holistic Veterinary Centre owner Dr David Boersma has helped creatures from mighty Wedge Tailed Eagles to cuddly kittens with summer being particularly busy.

Dr David Boersma (Sandy Bay Holistic Veterinary Centre owner) with a Bengal kitten at the practice. Photograph Eddie Safarik

“A few pets certainly tried to eat Christmas cake,” Dr Boersma said.

“One dog ate a bar of chocolate and it took several doses of morphine to sick it all up.”

The veterinarian observed more grass seeds stuck in paws and other places over warmer months.

“We got a grass seed out of a small dog’s nose,” he said.

Generic image of a scared cat. Photo from iStock.

At the After Hours Veterinary Emergency Centre, veterinarian Dr Edie Bishop said the warmer months were flat out with odd presentations.

Kevin the Pug after AHVEC staff discovered 14 rocks in his stomach. Source: SUPPLIED.

Rocks recovered by AHVEC staff from the stomach of a curious Pug. Source: SUPPLIED.

A Pug named Kevin swallowed several rocks, while another Staffordshire Terrier chewed a razor blade.

Dr Bishop had seen multiple dogs a day eat raisin-filled Christmas puddings and cakes, ham wrappers from bins, kebab skewers from barbecues, corn cobs and big bones.

“It always surprises me what dogs will eat,” she said.

An X-ray revealing rocks recovered by AHVEC staff from the stomach of a curious Pug. Source: SUPPLIED.

“They drink a lot of sea water in summer.”

Some accidents were unavoidable, but people can take steps to keep pets out of trouble.

Sandy Bay’s Dr Boersma suggested keeping chocolates and risky foods like raw minced chicken above dog-height.

Shards of a razor blade recovered by AHVEC staff from the stomach of a curious Staffordshire Terrier. Source: SUPPLIED.

An X-ray revealing shards of a razor blade recovered by AHVEC staff from the stomach of a curious Staffordshire Terrier. Source: SUPPLIED.

He advised staying on the beaten track and keeping dogs on a lead to avoid devastating snake or tic bites.

“Dogs try and protect their owners so they’ll run into the bush and try and attack the snake when the snake is actually trying to disappear,” he said.

A woman has been rushed to hospital after being bitten by a venomous snake this morning. File Photo.

Dr Boersma recommended keeping water bowls on the perimeter of properties to avoid snakes looking for water closer to home.

“Keep dogs confined to the yard, keep grass short and remove rubbish snakes can hide in.”

MEET THE ANIMALS WHO CAUSED MEDICAL MAYHEM

Kevin the Pug – Kevin’s owner took him to AHVEC with excessive vomiting, only for staff to discover through radiographs he had ingested several rocks into his stomach and intestines. After a successful surgery, 14 blue metal rocks were removed and Kevin made a safe return home. Dr Bishop said some dogs became repeat offenders and took a shining to apparently tasty rocks.

The thread-loving kitten – Cats love playing with wool, but they don’t count on swallowing a needle and thread like this unlucky feline. Dr Boersma assured us curiosity did not kill the cat in question, but the incident could have ended tragically. “We did open its abdomen because I thought it ate a curtain cord – a needle or thread can cause a severe issue if it gets caught in intestines,” he said. Dr Boersma recommended packing needles and sharp objects away after use.

The miracle miniature poodle – A walk in the park turned sour when a miniature poodle was attacked by a larger dog. Dr Bishop doubted whether the pooch would survive due to severe injuries and the pet being 15-years-old. “He was with us for two weeks back and forth,” Dr Bishop said. But the little fighter made it home for Christmas. “It was really nice to see pictures of him going for walks again.” Dr Bishop warned holidays were a common time for pets to fight, with some unhappy about sharing their turf with relatives’ pets and others competing for treats.

Staffy’s spiky ordeal – AHVEC staff were perplexed when small shards of a razor blade were found in a Staffordshire Terrier’s stomach. Dr Bishop and the team had to carefully remove each shard in surgery, with razor-sharp objects posing a serious threat to health and sending the lucky Staffy home with its tail between its legs.

The chocoholic – Chocolate and raisins among other holiday treats are poisonous to dogs. Dr Boersma said one had eaten an entire chocolate bar over summer. The dog had a strangely high resistance to morphine, so Dr Boersma doubled the dose before the chocolate finally emerged from the poor puppy’s stomach.

Seedy hound – Vets can attest grass seeds get stuck everywhere from ears to mouths to paws in summer. Dr Boersma said one dog was unlucky enough to have one lodged up its snout. “It was a small 6kg dog so I don’t know how it managed to sniff up such a large seed,” he said. “We removed it and it’s been fine since.” Dr Boersma recommended keeping fur on paws trimmed as short as possible to avoid seed surgery.