THE WINNERS

A Shish Kabob Skewer Goes Missing

Gulf Breeze Animal Hospital
Gulf Breeze, Fla.

Marley, a neutered male German shorthaired pointer, has always found trouble to get into. I quit encouraging his owner that he would grow out of it when he recently turned 6.

Marley's owner presented him, saying that she thought he'd eaten a shish kabob skewer. She had prepared two skewers with meat and vegetables for the grill and left them on the kitchen counter for "just a moment." When she returned, the kabobs and Marley were gone.

Finding him under the bed, the owner recovered one of the skewers, but not the other.

Not thinking it was possible that he'd swallowed the skewer, I decided to radiograph Marley to appease the owner. Well, there it was, within the stomach.

The exploratory and gastrotomy were uneventful. Marley was soon out the door and on to his next adventure.

Great Dane Eats 43½ Socks

DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital
Portland, Ore.

A 3-year-old male Great Dane was observed repeatedly vomiting and retching all day.

Abdominal radiographs revealed a severely distended stomach and a large quantity of foreign material.

During exploratory surgery performed by a DoveLewis veterinarian, 43½ socks were removed. The patient was discharged home one day after surgery.

The Great Dane is still doing well, according to the family, and the Internet has fallen in love with his story.


Hook, Line & Sinker

The Animal Clinic PSC
Lawrenceburg, Ky.

On a Saturday night, the owners brought in Elvis, a 7-week-old, 6.5-pound male mixed-breed puppy. They had been catfishing and baiting their hooks with chicken livers, which Elvis apparently found too tempting to ignore.

He gulped down a liver – hook, line and all. He presented to our clinic after hours.

A gastrotomy was performed to remove the hook, which had perforated the stomach. Fortunately, a timely surgery and antibiotics provided Elvis with a full recovery.

Is That a Lightbulb?

Golf Rose Animal Hospital
Schaumburg, Ill.

Cody, a 10-month-old, 58-pound golden retriever, had been vomiting for two days before the owner approved radiographs.

The light bulb passed intact after a day on intravenous fluids.





Rubber Ducky, You're the One

Animal Emergency of Pasco
Port Richey, Fla.

A client with a dog named Woof called, saying her dog had eaten a rubber duck. Her 3-year-old son had lost his rubber duckie, so Mom, unable to find it after a month, bought him a new one.

Watching her son in the tub, she saw Woof come in, nose around in the water and gulp down the duckie.

Radiographs found five rubber duckies. Every time a duck went missing, Mom would buy a new one.

We surgically removed the flock, along with a toy truck tire and a piece of another toy, and Woof did very well.

Pins & Needles (But Mostly Needles)

Veterinary Surgical Specialists Inc
Tustin, Calif.

Yoda, a 9-pound Chihuahua, presented for shoulder lameness. The radiographs showed nine needles.

Surgical removal of nine sewing needles from all over the body required a ventral abdominal exploratory and a ventral sternotomy.

Presumably, he ate a package of needles and digested the paper, and the needles migrated through his body. The lameness was caused by the one that was poking into his brachial area.

He is doing well.





For Turtles Only

Glenwood Falls Animal Hospital
Cypress, Texas

A 12-year-old male neutered Welsh Corgi ate approximately 2 cups of pea gravel.

The owners had cleaned out the turtle tank and dumped the gravel in the flower bed. They then cleaned the barbecue grill and dumped the grease over the gravel.

He recovered from surgery without incident.


Dog Plus Change

Acequia Animal Hospital
Albuquerque, N.M.

Two-year-old pug Stella presented for vomiting 40 times overnight.

During an abdominal exploratory, one quarter and 104 pennies were removed from the stomach.

This patient recovered fine, but the $1.29 did not go toward her bill.








Is That a Knife in Your Stomach?

Capitol Illini Veterinary Services
Chatham, Ill.

Lucy the Labrador came to us while staying with grandpa. She had found a closed pocketknife on the coffee table and swallowed it.

We fed her a small meal and administered Apomorphine. A quick vomiting episode produced the 9.2 by 2.3 cm pocket knife.



Hacky Sack

Akron Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center
Akron, Ohio

Owner returned home to find D'Jango, a 15-week-old male intact golden retriever, playing with a Hacky Sack. Her son said another Hacky Sack was missing.


Radiographs showed the puppy had eaten it and it appeared to be whole.

Client elected for emesis. Apomorphine was administered conjunctively.

After a second dose, D'Jango vomited food and an intact Hacky Sack.


Know Your Size

Jackson County Veterinary Clinic PLLC
Edna, Texas

What is more embarrassing than your vet and his entire staff knowing your bra size?

Norris, a 2-month-old rat terrier, presented with vomiting and stomach pain. Radiographs found a small metal clip in the stomach.

The owner was asked to view the radiographs to identify the object, with the (male) veterinarian present.

We don't know who was more embarrassed, the owner or the veterinarian, when she determined that Norris had eaten her bra.

Approximately 14 inches of bra and bra strap was surgically removed from the stomach and small intestine. Norris is thriving, but he is no longer allowed to enter the family laundry room.

"They Ate What?! Contest": A Tradition Since 2006

Veterinary Practice News editor Marilyn Iturri created the "They Ate WHAT?!" contest in 2006 to showcase the humorous situations veterinarians and pet owners can face as well as the clinical advances available through digital radiography.

The competition was a hit with readers from the start. Some trends have been apparent from the first year.

"This year's entries featured some of our old standards, such as cats eating hair ties and hair bands, threaded sewing needles and other shiny objects," Iturri said. "Dogs often seem to eat golf balls, small rubber balls, rubber ducks and clothing items, plus a variety of metal objects not meant for consumption."

What stood out this year was what the animals had eaten and how much, according to Iturri. "One dog had swallowed five duckies and one of our top three winners ate 43½ socks," she said. "That broke our socks-eaten record. And a pug ate a package of sewing needles, which previously we saw only cats do."

Unlike previous years, the items eaten by pets weren't as expensive as previous years. "One thing we didn't see this year was radiographs of expensive diamond rings in dogs," Iturri said. "One year, two were entered, both reportedly worth $15,000. Another year, a cockatiel had swallowed an engagement ring."

Despite the light-hearted nature of the contest, Iturri said the message to pet owners is serious.

"Don't trust your pet not to eat something she shouldn't," she said. "And if you think she ingested a foreign body, get her to your veterinarian right away. The longer you wait, the more damage is possible and it can be harder to retrieve the item."

Data suggest that as a foreign object passes through the animal's body, costs to treat it increase – with more pain for the pet and possibly a worse outcome.

The average cost of a claim for an object caught in the esophagus is about $800, which increases to a little more than $1,000 when the object moves into the stomach, and to more than $1,700 when it reaches the intestines.

If it remains untreated, the intestine can rupture, and pets can get septic abdomen and peritonitis that can cost $5,000 or more.

While the contest is over, Iturri said the call for new X-rays begins April 2015. The contest will be announced both on VeterinaryPracticeNews.com and the Veterinary Practice News magazine.

See More X-Rays:

• 2013 X-Ray Contest Winners
• 2012 X-Ray Contest Winners
• More Crazy X-Rays

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM
Modern medicine and modern medication can do some pretty amazing things – it can instantly deal with parasites, or give immediate comfort to a dog or cat in pain.

There is a "but" here... These conventional medications can have a host of side effects that can seriously harm your dog or cat. There are also the unquantifiable effects of chronic medication use on your pet's immune system or organ function, and how that may make them more likely to develop serious disease such as cancer.

Consider the FDA reports on this common anti-inflammatory drug, Rimadyl.

Cumulative Veterinary ADE Reports
January 1987 to January 2014
Drug: CARPROFEN (RIMADYL)
Species: DOG

This NSAID (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) has numerous reported and under-reported side effects from permanent organ damage to even death. It is in your pet's best interest to avoid this medication, and similar medications, if possible.

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM

It is a mistake every pet owner could easily make. As spring approaches, you head to the local home and garden store for mulch to freshen up your flower beds. Next to the bags of traditional shredded mulch are bags of a newer type – Cocoa Mulch.

According to National Cocoa Shell, the nation's largest retailer of cocoa shell mulch, the material is leftover from the cocoa bean roasting process – making the product more environmentally friendly than regular mulch. Plus, who couldn't resist putting chocolate smelling mulch down in their garden? For chocolate lovers across the country it's a dream come true.

But there's a catch. Cocoa mulch is extremely toxic to pets, especially when curious dogs have access to the outdoors.

Dr. Maureen McMichael is a veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana who specializes in emergency and critical care. She says, "Cocoa mulch is significantly more toxic than milk chocolate or even baker's chocolate because it has quite a bit more theobromine in it." Theobromine is the toxic compound in most chocolates that is responsible for the clinical signs seen in pets after ingestion.

Though it, too, can be deadly to pets, milk chocolate has only 44 mg. per ounce of theobromine. Baking chocolate has nearly eight times the concentration of theobromine in it compared to milk chocolate, making it one of the most toxic kinds of chocolate, but still not as concentrated as cocoa mulch.

In addition to having more theobromine in it, cocoa mulch is also usually found in an unlimited supply to the pet. Your Labrador may gobble up that chocolate bar on the counter, but left to their own devices, most dogs will eat cocoa mulch until you catch them or toxic effects start to set in, leading to the ingestion of large amounts of the toxin. "Unfortunately, many of the dogs that present with a history of eating cocoa mulch do not survive if they were not stopped quickly," notes Dr. McMichael.

The clinical signs of chocolate or cocoa mulch toxicity include: hyperactivity, muscle tremors, fast heart rate, hyperthermia, and seizures. There are anecdotal reports from gardeners who unknowingly purchased the mulch and later found their dog dead after a very short exposure time. Incidents such as this are likely a result of heart arrhythmias that develop after ingestion.

After time, the sweet smell of the cocoa mulch will wear off, and some have questioned if, after that point, it is safe for dogs to be around it. Dr. McMichael cautions that "it is possible that dogs are not attracted to it once the smell wears off but that does not eliminate its toxic load – it is still toxic."

The moral of the story is: don't purchase cocoa mulch if you have an outdoor pet. That said, if you happen to make the mistake of buying the mulch and you catch your animal eating a bite, time is of the essence. The quicker you can get Fido to the veterinary emergency clinic, the better the chances are of survival.

For more information on the topic, please contact your local veterinarian.

You've taken the first step – you've decided to begin your journey for your next dream rental. As the famous saying goes, there's no place like home. And, like all responsible pet owners know, your dog's coming with you.

As a new tenant, there's no doubt you'll want to work hard and take the extra necessary measures to please your landlord, especially if he's cautious about having a pet in the mix. While every situation is different, it's best to err on the side of preparation and know what to expect from your landlord before the lease is signed and the deal is sealed.

Here are some questions your landlord may ask you regarding your dog:

• How long have you had your dog?
• Do you have written proof of vaccination/good health?
• Were there any previous complaints about your dog at your previous rental?
• May I contact your current/past landlords about your dog?
• Who would look after your dog when you're away?
• Has your dog been spayed or neutered, and is he/she housetrained?
• Do you make a point of cleaning up after your dog?
• How often is your dog alone at home?

Once the question process has been completed to both your satisfaction, your landlord may next develop a pet policy in the form of a written agreement between the two of you.

A basic pet policy may include the following:

• Screening applications: A few simple questions will help sort out responsible pet owners and tenants.
• A written agreement: This will ensure everyone has the same information regarding rules and regulations for pet owners.
• Realistic limits: The pet policy should have clear guidelines on the type and number of pets allowed per dwelling.

• Specific parameters: It is useful to set specific parameters concerning which common areas pets are and are not allowed to go, when dogs must wear leashes and whether any types of pets must be confined to tenants' apartments.
• Assurance of cleanliness and healthy pets: Responsible pet owners will agree to immediately clean up after their pets and take all necessary sanitation precautions. They will also have a medical record of their pet to show all required vaccinations have been administered.
• Written disciplinary procedures: Written procedures which are jointly agreed to and state clearly what actions will result in a warning or some sort of punitive action will reduce disputes and make for better relations between the property management and tenants.
• Predetermined emergency arrangements: Property management may wish to have on hand details of local vets in case of emergency, especially in a situation where you are not immediately available.
• Available services: An outline of the locations and availability of parks, pet washing services and other amenities in the local area may be included.
• An agreement on cleanliness of premises: Tenants should readily agree to undertake to keep the property in excellent condition and free from animal odors and hairs.

Remember, it is more than possible to establish a friendly relationship with your landlord and co-exist in a way that's fair to everyone involved. If you're already a responsible dog owner, you're over the first hurdle!

Lobbying for the New York State Devocalization Bill is Playing with Fire...

A proposed devocalization ban is now before the New York State Senate. Please do NOT ask your Senator to pass it (yet)!

New York lawmakers have repeatedly advised Animal Advocates of Western New York and Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets that:

The Senate will NOT step on the toes of the veterinary lobby, which is particularly strong in New York and is fighting to keep devocalization legal. Last year's experience with this legislation supports that.

If Senators are pushed to pass the devocalization ban, they may feel their hands are tied and do that.

But lawmakers warn they will ONLY pass it if amendments are added. Appeasing the veterinary lobby means these amendments will ALLOW and LEGITIMIZE DEVOCALIZATION, which would cause even more dogs and cats to have their vocal cords cut.

Once that happens, there's no turning back. Bad laws are worse than no law. And they never become good laws.

LEARN ABOUT LOOPHOLE AMENDMENTS THAT HURT ANIMALS

Loopholes are rarely obvious. And they can be added to a bill any time before it's signed into law – often during the final vote on the floor.


►CLICK HERE to learn about sneaky loophole amendments that turn devocalization bans into laws that sanction this cruelty.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Because caring people consider devocalization a shameful practice, individuals who have animals devocalized and the vets they pay to perform it have kept it in the shadows. They pretend it's not happening or trivialize the great damage cutting even a little vocal cord tissue causes.

Here's how you can fight back to protect animals' vocal cords and lives:

• Educate the public by sharing pages and videos from this website (with attribution to Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets), and posts from the United Against Devocalization Facebook page.
• Bring your vet or vet tech or vet nurse on board by having him or her submit this online form. Even without legislation, it's important for vets to take this unequivocal stand against elective voice-altering surgery:

SMART LOBBYING 101

If you're serious about protecting animals, lobby with your eyes wide open. You must know exactly what you're supporting every step of the way – or you shouldn't support it. Even trusted animal organizations can get it wrong.

• Always read the bill you're being asked to support directly from the legislature's Web site. Animal advocacy organizations can get it wrong. Have your lawmaker or his/her staff explain it if you don't understand it. That's part of their job!
• Read the bill AGAIN before lawmakers vote on it, in committees and on the floor, to make sure sneaky language that hurts animals, including these loopholes, hasn't been added.
• Then, read it ONE LAST TIME before it goes to the governor. If loopholes were added, urge the governor to veto it.

This takes a little more time than reading an action alert. But it's the ONLY way you can be sure you're lobbying for – not against – animals.

• And They Call this "Bark Softening"?
• Devocalized: Kandi's Story
• Meet Duke: Needed More Surgery to Survive "Bark Softening"
• Jaxon's Story: Abandoned and Unable to Bark for Help
• More Videos of Some of the Victims

Dr. Deva Khalsa
Homeopathy is fun to use and the fact that it works so very well with so many medical problems makes it all the more rewarding. Most of the commonly used remedies are inexpensive and easy to find. They can be found at most Health Food Markets, some human pharmacies, online at a multitude of sites and even at KMart. I suggest you compile a kit of common remedies to have ready and waiting when minor emergencies occur because there's often not the time to run to the store and this stuff always seem to happen late at night or on a major holiday!

Homeopathy has particular rules associated with using it and this can be confusing and put off prospective students. But for many simple and common accidents and illnesses, it can be pretty simple to use.

The first thing to do is to assemble a homeopathic kit to have at home and then buy a book or two about homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies number in the thousands and are made from anything and everything. But you only need to learn some of the rules of homeopathy and have about a dozen remedies to be off and running.

HOMEOPATHY SIMPLIFIED

Here is the straight goods on how to work with Homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathic remedies need to melt on the gums so they should not be hidden in a treat or in food. Our dogs have a built in pouch on the side of their mouth and the remedies can go right in there.

Try not to handle the remedies but drop them straight from the bottle into your dog's cheek.

Remedies come in tiny white pellet or liquid form. Either form can be placed directly into your dogs cheek. It's not important if you give one drop of the remedy or five or one homeopathic pellet or three because homeopathy is an energy medicine and there is typically none of the physical substance left in the remedy. One tiny white pellet could treat an elephant and 10 pellets could treat a mouse.

That's a hard one to digest, if you'll excuse my pun, but people are always worried about how much to give and how often to give. The amount is no big deal and you give it until they get better. If it's not working at all, you stop giving the remedy. We're all just too used to using antibiotics that have to be calculated to the weight of the dog and have a certain time they need to be given. This is simply not the case with homeopathy.

Because homeopathy is an energy medicine the remedies should not be stored next to heavy electromagnetic appliances such as televisions and computers or left in the bright hot sun for a long time.

WHAT DOSE SHOULD I GIVE ?

Unlike drugs, Homeopathy does not work by body weight (e.g., give 500 mg per 25 lbs. of body weight). With Homeopathy, the original physical substance is sequentially diluted and this is why you have the funny numbers after the name of the remedy. Arnica 6x does not mean that you have to give it six times! It means that the remedy has been diluted six times.

To confound you even more, the more dilute the remedy the more powerful it is, so very highly diluted remedies are usually only available to doctors. The potencies most commonly available to you are 6x and 30x (diluted 1/10 either 6 or 30 times) and 6c and 30c (diluted 1/100 either 6 or 30 times).

WHAT MAKES IT BETTER AND WHAT MAKES IT WORSE

Homeopathic remedies are chosen in accordance with how the patient experiences his illness. For instance, one person who has a cold may want everyone in the house at attendance and worrying about him while another wants to be left alone to lie quietly in the dark. Each of these individuals would need a different remedy based on the individual picture they present.

Let's say your dog has arthritis and stiffness. Look that up in a Homeopathy text book and you'll be given a choice of remedies. The specific way the problem presents in your dog will determine the remedy you choose.

For example, look at arthritic stiffness in dogs. Your choice of remedy might depend on whether your dog is worse or better when he first gets up after resting. If he's better after resting, he might need the remedy Bryonia as noted above. I've found that most dogs are stiff at first but after walking a bit they get less stiff after they move around for a bit. Oftentimes these same dogs are worse in cold damp weather. With this presentation you'd likely choose the remedy Rhus toxidendron. Rhus tox, as it is commonly known, is much cheaper than NSAIDs and also much safer to use.

If you were to determine that Rhus tox was the best remedy for your dog, you would simply put a few pellets to melt in his cheek pouch about three times a day and watch him over the next week, noting changes in his condition. If he gets better, you've got the right remedy and if there is no change, there's no harm done. Go back and do a little more reading in your handy books on homeopathy. When you have the right remedy, and you'll know, because there will be improvement.

12 HANDY REMEDIES

You may want to go out and purchase these commonly used remedies to have on hand in case the need arises. They are small and make a great travel kit too.

• Apis mellifica – great for bee and other insect bites. Give every 20 minutes for a few doses after a bee sting.
• Arnica – good for general pain, stiffness due to overexertion, soreness and musculoskeletal injuries.
• Arsenicum album – great for GI upsets from eating spoiled food where there is both vomiting and diarrhea. Give twice an hour for a few hours.
• Borax (the remedy, not the powder) – excellent for fear of thunderstorms and fireworks. Give this at the 6c potency twice a day for a month during the season.
• Calendula (can be used both as an oral remedy and as an external ointment) – use for skin infections or any kind of external infection. It's a remarkable healing agent and a tube of the ointment should always be on hand to apply topically to scrapes, infections and wounds. You can also buy a tincture and dilute it 1/10 and flush any cuts or wounds with it.
• Hepar sulphur – is wonderful to treat painful abscesses anywhere on the body and painful infected anal glands.
• Hypericum – is an excellent remedy to give for any pain due to nerve damage or injuries to nerve-rich areas. I once closed my finger in a window and learned firsthand the wonders of Hypericum. Great for when you cut your dog's toenails too short.
• Myristica – phenomenal remedy for anal sac infections and chronic anal sac problems.
• Rhus tox – for arthritis that's better after moving around, general musculoskeletal injuries, red swollen eyes, skin infections and skin itching.
• Ruta – fantastic for any injury to tendons or ligaments and this remedy has a real affinity for the knee so you would use it immediately after any knee or cruciate injury.
• Silicea – pushes foreign bodies like splinters or foxtails out of the skin.
• Ledum – the first choice for any type of puncture wound, including those from insect bites. Insect bites that require Apis will be hot and red, whereas bites that require Ledum will be cool and appears bruised.

With a small investment and a little planning, you can build your own Homeopathic kit. These remedies aren't that difficult to use and can give your dog fast and effective relief from many common injuries and illnesses.

Darwin was admitted to the Emergency Veterinary Hospital of Ann Arbor with clinical signs of the mystery illness. Dr. Lindsay Ruland says his owner, a local veterinarian, told her he had had gastro- intestinal and upper respiratory symptoms in the weeks leading up to the dog's illness.

Source: DVM360 Magazine
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