A Labrador retriever came in to see us as she had been vomiting for 48 hours after eating and seemed lethargic. We admitted her for x rays as vomiting after eating can be a sign of a foreign body. Sure enough, we saw a clear, round disc in her stomach that definitely shouldn’t have been there! The round disc turned out to be a mini tennis ball which she must have discovered whilst foraging around exploring and managed to swallow completely intact!
Our four-legged friends can have incredibly inquisitive noses, so where possible, do make sure that anything they might be tempted to chew up or eat but shouldn’t is kept out of reach. This is especially pertinent with Easter this weekend and our traditional celebration with chocolate eggs and Easter baking. Theobromine in chocolate is toxic to dogs (the darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of theobromine and the more toxic the chocolate), and raisins and sultanas in hot cross buns and other Easter treats can cause gut problems and in serious cases, kidney damage. And don’t forget the potential for cooked bones from the Easter roast, or corn on the cob kernels to become foreign bodies if ingested! If you are worried your dog may have eaten something poisonous, check out the poisons guide on our website for guidance but if in any doubt please call us on 01922 411755.