The Ruff Report: Dogs and Safety

Pets capable of swallowing strange objects

A tent peg, a man's hairpiece and a rubber duck - those are some of the weird objects that have been removed from the stomachs of curious pets.

A list of the top 20 household items that surgeons have removed from pets has been released by PDSA, a veterinary charity in the United Kingdom, in order to encourage pet parents to take a safety inventory of their homes.

"Dogs, especially puppies and younger dogs, use their mouth to investigate objects as well as to eat," PDSA veterinary surgeon Sean Wensley states in a media release. "Sometimes a dog will swallow an object by mistake even though it had only meant to investigate it."

PDSA encourages pet parents to do a safety audit of their homes to identify and remove dangers. "Owners should give their pets the chance to investigate new objects by providing them with plenty of pet-safe toys to play with," Wensley states.

According to PDSA, the top 20 household items that surgeons have removed from the dogs stomachs are: A 10-inch tent peg, a star-shaped Christmas decoration , a kitchen knife, alphabet refrigerator magnets, a man’s wig, ‘Ann Summers’ underwear, a bell, a fishing hook, socks, a rubber duck, a baby’s dummy, golf balls, coins, balloons, a metal ball from a computer mouse, shoe laces, a power ball, a corn cob, needle and thread, a box of chocolates.

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Owners who want to learn more about keeping their pets safe can download a free copy of PDSA’s ‘Pet Safety Indoors’ leaflet at www.pdsa.org.uk.

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