We have heard lots of wild stories about dogs eating things that are not food. Often, people say puppies eat their shoes and gnaw on furniture. We have never heard a story like this one before. An Ohio dog mistook something very hard and crunchy for food. Luckily, the pup suffered only short term consequences.
One Hungry Pooch
Meet Finnegan. This four-year-old Golden Retriever lives in Wellington, Ohio. He recently got into a spot of trouble after a family barbecue.
His mom, Laurie noticed a pile of decorative rocks in front of the backdoor of her house. She attributed it to her kids. But soon enough, she realized Finnegan was the mastermind.
The pooch went potty and, sure enough, he passed some rocks.
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Laurie found out one of her guests had dumped something enticing onto the rocks: butter and other juices from tinfoil shrimp packs. We can understand why Finnegan wanted to eat them!
As soon as Laurie, an employee of Wellington Veterinary Clinic, saw Finnegan in distress, she took him to the doctor.
A Startling Discovery
The doctors immediately took X-Rays of the pup. To their surprise, they found a belly full of rocks.
“It had to have been at least five pounds. His stomach was full. His intestines were full; they were all throughout him,” Laurie told WJW.
Finnegan’s doctors considered several different methods of treatment.
“Surgery was definitely an option,” Dr. Steven Krantz said.
But, the rocks were moving through Finnegan and doctors were closely monitoring him. So, they decided on a different course of treatment.
Thankfully, they could avoid surgery. “We were able to monitor him, manage his medications and safely get him through this,” Dr. Krantz said.
The ordeal lasted five long days. But Finnegan managed to pass all of the rocks on his own. In the end, the entire amount of stones filled eight plastic bags.
“It’s just one of those things, sometimes even good dogs get into stuff. He is awesome; he’s back to his regular self, he is under very intense supervision but he’s great,” Laurie said.
Phew! We are glad to hear Finnegan is okay.
Warning: if you think your dog ate something peculiar take her to vet. Some symptoms to look out for include vomiting, diarrhea, not eating, weight loss, swelling, abdominal pain, lethargy, weakness, and fever.
Watch Finnegan’s story below.
Featured image c/o Wellington Veterinary Clinic
Toledo, United States.
