The dog ate my homework was a classic excuse to get out of those pesky equations in high school but the dog ate my underwear? That’s a new one.
Pet Insurance Australia (PIA) has revealed that the archives of their insurance practice have shown the top five ingested objects by pets, with underwear surprisingly topping the list.
Nadia Crighton from PIA said that while the dogs may show a taste for underwear, the results are no laughing matter.
“For some, it’s simply a case of disbelief that their companion animal has found themselves in this situation,” Crighton said.
“For other owners, it’s finding out that Rover’s tummy ache was caused from an embarrassing ingestion of a particular under-garment.”
“The most popular variety removed from the stomachs of dogs seems to be g-strings,” Crighton continued.
“However funny or mind boggling this may seem, the risk to the pet, and the cost of surgery can be very large. Luckily, for the dogs and cats on our records they had good insurance, so the financial part of the stress was removed from the ordeal.”
Socks took second on the list with PIA noting that a Great Dane in the United States was taken to the vets with stomach issues and was later found to have eaten 43 socks unbeknownst to its owner.
“PIA had a case back in 2015 where a dog had ingested a sewing needle to the tune of around $5000,” Crighton said of other outlandish claims.
“It was a very serious and unusual case, but luckily the dog made a full recovery, and the owner had comprehensive pet insurance.”
Cat owners will also note the third item on the list, string and dental floss, can cause problems for our feline friends.
“Even though the stereotypical image of a cat chasing string is cute, in reality it can spell disaster for cat owners,” Crighton warned.
“The string can actually become attached to an anchor point, normally being the tongue. The foreign body will then continue down the animal’s digestive tract. This can bunch and actually saw though the sensitive tissues.”
“So it is really important that if pet owners notice something sticking out of their dog or cat’s rear-end, like string, do not attempt to pull it out! Seek veterinary advice immediately.”
Pet owners be warned, if Fido is hanging around the laundry basket, make sure all your items are present and correct.
TOP FIVE OBJECTS INGESTED:
5. Butter (causing pancreatitis)
4. Decorative Stones
3. String & Dental Floss
2. Socks
1. Underwear – with the most popular being g-strings
