Lort Smith Animal Hospital is urging pet families to keep an eye on left overs when serving dinner to their pooches.

Three-year-old Pip, a Welsh Corgi, affectionately known as ‘Pip the pig’, believes that no crumb should ever go to waste, which is how he found himself at the Emergency Department at Lort Smith Animal Hospital.

He was brought in when he stopped eating, started stumbling around and just wasn’t himself. When his mum, Veronica, discovered a shredded milk carton in Pip’s bed, she worried he may have swallowed part of it, or even the plastic straw normally attached.

Scans revealed a foreign body lodged in Pip’s intestine. When Pip went in for surgery, the cause became clear, it wasn’t the milk cartoon, but a corn cob causing the blockage.

Pip’s family would occasionally share leftovers with their dogs, unaware that a small piece of corn cob had accidentally been mixed in. It was tiny, and Veronica says she didn’t realise that corn cobs weren’t digestible for dogs.

“I know about grapes and chocolate and onion and garlic, but I had no idea about corn cobs. Pip loves corn,” says Veronica.

“Poor thing, he just looked so sad. It must have been so painful for him,” says Veronica.

Pip’s story is a reminder that even well-meaning choices, like sharing table scraps, can sometimes have serious consequences.

‘’Foods that seem harmless can lead to painful intestinal blockages or conditions such as pancreatitis,’’ says Lort Smith Chief Veterinarian Dr Jessica Wilde

“Stick to dog food, and make sure food scraps, such as corn cobs, are thrown away and kept well out of reach of dogs, especially if they like to go through the bin. Items such as corn cobs can kill your pet.’’

MEDIA INTERVIEWS & CONTACT

Suzana Talevski: Head of Media and Digital Content, Lort Smith
Mobile: 0403 047 945
Email: stalevski@lortsmith.com