A little over-eating always happens during the holidays: a second helping of turkey here, a larger than normal slice of pie there. Five pounds of cookies in a single sitting, however, is too much for anyone – man or dog.
But that’s just what a 2-year-old Labrador retriever named Gus did when he managed to down one-eighth of his weight in cookies recently while his owners were away. “My wife and I had some guests staying with us from out of town over Christmas,” explained Gus’ owner, Ken Boll of Cottage Grove, Wis. “We had trays of cookies and fudge on the counter for them to enjoy, and we just kept replenishing everything throughout the weekend, so the trays were always full.” Ken wasn’t concerned about Gus getting into the cookies as the Lab hadn’t shown much interest in the treats, and the various trays and tins were covered with lids or plastic wrap.
“We came back from an afternoon Packers game, and everything was gone,” Ken said. “And there’s Gus standing in the kitchen, wagging his tail, happy as can be.” Gus had not only managed to reach and eat every cookie on the counter, but he had also consumed a plate of fudge, the plastic wrap that had been covering the fudge, and had even started chewing on a metal cookie tin. “He left the chocolate covered blueberries,” Ken said. “He must not have liked those.”
Uncertain of how much chocolate had been in the cookies and fudge Gus had eaten, Ken took no chances and paid a late-night visit to an emergency veterinarian. The veterinarian weighed Gus before and after inducing vomiting to determine the amount of holiday snacks that had been gobbled up. “It was five pounds,” Ken said. “The veterinarian got tubs of the stuff out of him.”
Ken said he’s thankful that Gus never appeared to be in any discomfort before or after seeing the veterinarian and that his furry friend bounced back right away from the experience. “You can’t plan for everything,” Ken said. “The next time you leave the house, make sure that everything is out of reach.”
9:59 pm
Ahh poor Gus thank goodness he is o.k.my niece’s cocker spaniel was not so lucky a few years back after eating M&M’s she got off of the table. She ended up passing away after a week in the hospital. Gus by the way is quite handsome!!
10:00 pm
Yeah, my girl (boxer) showed no interest in Halloween candies while we were around, but ate a bunch, wrappers included while we were out for a few minutes. Sneaky these little ones!
10:02 pm
hehe… thats a labrador retriever for ya. i work in the vet field and have seen many labs come in for eating things. 19 pig ears, 21 chicken wings, ping pong ball and so on… they are crazy. my own chocolate lab ate a squeeker mouse toy thankfully it came back up.. they sure are crazy but boy do i love them
10:06 pm
I too am a “Sconnie Packer” fan and have a 2.5 year old yellow lab . Boy they can eat!! Hes wonderful and glad he will be fine.”
10:09 pm
These little guys are eating machines.
My old Black Lab, Brian Boru, used to open the refrigerator and wipe out everything on the lower shelves…..leftovers, huge blocks of cheese from Costco, etc. (I finally had to velcro the door shut)
He always did a clean job, never left a mess and the door would close itself when he was done. Glass bowls with leftovers looked like they just came out of the dishwasher. What a master criminal!
Wiping counters clean of party food was a favorite of his too, just like your little guy. He grabbed about two feet of linked coctail weiners off a tray before I had a chance to cut them. I chased him all over the house but I was laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. The weiners were flying like streamers from his mouth. Must have looked like a Warner Brothers Cartoon.
I miss that boy but he had a good life of adventures. He passed on almost ten years ago and I’m still laughing. These guys give far more than all the snacks they swipe. I hope there are kitchen counters and refrigerators in Doggie Heaven.
I think Gus deserves a cookie.
10:10 pm
What a handsome boy. Sure glad he has an iron clad tummy. Boy we learned the hard way too. Our cocker spaniel devored a 2 lb box of chocolates during the night. She came to me moaning and when I got up I slipped in a big puddle of her throw-up. At the time (due to the amount of Yuk) I gave her milk and all was OK. Months later I learned how dangerous that moment had been for her. She passed away at the ripe old age of 18-bless her heart. This handsome devil needs to learn not to have such a sweet tooth – Ha Ha. Loved it and sooo glad he is OK.
10:11 pm
I have a rottie lab mix who has an insatiable appreciation for human food too! I’m glad Gus came out ok. ! My rottie decided to jump up on the counter 2 years ago and eat half of the leftover christmas ham! He had never been so thirsty as after that incident. I’m thankful Gus has such wonderful owners who take good care of him. Good luck with the hambone award! Gus has my vote already!
10:11 pm
thats a lab for you….we have 3 and can never leave food out or it is gone!!!