Dec 28
Between a Rock and a Hard Place?
Dec. 28, 2009
If the VPI Hambone Award nominees taught us anything, it’s that our pets are unpredictable and will eat ANYTHING! Read Ed Rico’s story about his curious Vizsla, Bella:
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Bella, one of my Vizslas, was not being herself one evening. She would not eat her dinner which is very unusual for her as she is very food motivated. Then she started drooling. This all happened during the pet food recall scare, so I panicked and rushed her to the emergency hospital. After some X-rays we saw a round blockage in her intestine. She had emergency surgery and stayed at the hospital that night. The doctor called me around 1:00 a.m. to tell me her two blockages were a clump of grass and a rock. When I picked her up the next day they gave me the rock. The rock was a perfectly round river rock that was in one of my plants. Bella recovered and of course we removed all rocks from the plants and from anywhere else in the backyard. The surgery was over $2500, thank God for doggie insurance. This is only 1 of Bella's surgeries.Smart thinking removing all the rocks from your household plants! You wouldn’t believe how many claims we receive for pets that ingest common, garden-variety objects. Like the grass found in Bella’s stomach, fertilizer is another toxin often ingested by pets. The strong smell of fertilizer can motivate dogs to taste or eat it. Unfortunately, some fertilizers contain organophosphate pesticides which can impair the nervous system. In 2008, VPI received 60 claims for organophosphate poisoning; the average amount claimed for plant poisoning was $427.
Do you have an unbelievable tale you want to share? Visit the Tell Us Your Story section and your pet’s story could be highlighted in the “Hambone Nation” blog!
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