My multiple sclerosis brain and self came close to killing my poor Annie dog! If nothing else I sure caused her to undo suffering and unrest. Ok maybe kill is an over statement but it was one of the potentials on the plate.
Corn cobs are not good for dogs to eat. They get stuck in their intestinal tracks. If this happens surgery is required to remove the blockage or if caught early enough they go into the stomach. The obvious solution is to try and get the animal to up chuck before said corn cob reaches no mans land. Some times nothing happens and the dog lucks out but do you gamble on this?
KRP picked up some corn for dinner. We had baked potato and corn on the cob. I was heading to the kitchen to scrape the cob and remnants of the potato into the garbage. I had to Pee. Now days when I gotta go – I gotta go. I set the plate down and zipped into the bathroom. I came out and forgot about the plate. Annie ate the corn cob. I messed up. Rule around here is never leave foods out on the counter because we have never been able to break Annie’s bad habit of snitching food off the counter top. She is a sneaky lab -she is a lab!
Annie ate the whole dang corn cob and when she snitches off the counter chewing is the last thing her little lab mind things of – she is on a mission scarf the food – do not get caught! KRP noticed there were only two cobs in the trash can not three – the stuff was on. We called the vet and yeah bring Annie in lets get her to upchuck ugh! Not so happy Annie loaded into car, trip out to vet, and now decisions.
One of the vets was fairly new to the practice and did an xray for herself (yeah that means we not have to pay for it woo hoo). She shows us the evil corn cob now close to exiting the stomach area. Info make the dog throw up and if the cob does not make it back out she can choke. Don’t make the dog throw up and since it is a very large chunk of cob chances are this one will get stuck in the lower track. Ugh!
Thank goodness Annie got it up and out! Another xray on our dime to show this to us. I would love to tell you that I hung in there and helped make the decisions but when we hit the should she stay over nite to make sure all the cob pieces were out – a bunch of money there to stay over-nite – or just bring her home and hope for the best – I went out to the car – cause you know it was my fault! I was done I was stressed out so I flaked.
I went back in after chilling a few in the car and KRP had made the decision to bring Annie home and keep an eye or two on her. Since the the second xray did not show any large chunk and if we spent the bucks on the overnite and she did need further intervention . …
I spent all day feeling bad because I am the one that never leaves dangerous items that the dogs can get into out, it is my job and I failed miserably.
Annie has been doing great in the #1 and #2 department – and so I think we have dodged the corn cob bullet.
Next time I shall just piss my pants.
