Here at the veterinary hospital, holidays don’t necessarily mean spending time with family and friends. For us, a lot of our busiest times are during holidays and Easter is no exception. While most people are aware that chocolate and candies are bad for our furry four legged friends, there are many more dangers to be aware of. More than just the normal edible items found in our baskets on Easter morning can be catastrophic.
We recently had a very sweet 10 month old lab mix named Gus at our facility. Gus had not been feeling well and presented to the clinic for vomiting and lethargy. Upon an ultrasound examination, it was determined that Gus had a gastrointestinal obstruction. Some foreign material was lodged in his stomach preventing anything from moving through.
Gus was taken to emergency surgery that night and we were very surprised by what we found. It turns out Gus had eaten a stuffed animal, but not just any stuffed animal. He ate an entire stuffed bunny rabbit completely whole! On top of that, Gus also chewed up and ate part of a teddy bear. Gus may still be a baby, but it is important to have supervised play time with your pet and any toys. Even animals that are older and have never eaten things in the past have still surprised us and their owners!
If you are ever in question over what your pet may have eaten, it is always best to call your regular veterinary hospital or Triangle Veterinary Referral Hospital if it is after hours, than to wait and see if they will be alright. Depending on what was ingested, we may be able to induce vomiting or suggest other preventative treatments. We hope everyone has a happy and healthy Easter!
-Kristen Schoen, RVT
