From one little acorn grew a $4000 vets’ bill
They might not have had a break away but Auckland Anniversary Day proved an expensive day off for a North Auckland couple whose schnoodle, Merlin, swallowed an acorn.
Almost $4000 later, the little nut was removed and the sevenmonth-old puppy’s health was restored.
The miniature schnauzer-toy poodle cross was out for a walk with his canine brother, Arthur, and his owners, Bill and Linda Blockley, when he ate the acorn.
Linda said they are very watchful about what their dogs picked up in the park and were caught by surprise at its impact.
‘‘He must have picked one up that we didn’t realise and swallowed it,’’ Linda said.
‘‘We got home and he wouldn’t eat his breakfast, and a couple of hours later he was like, really obviously, in pain.’’
Being a public holiday, the Blockleys had no choice but to rush to an emergency vet to treat the pup in surgery.
Veterinary Hospital Group managing director Grant McCullough said to find an acorn causing obstruction in a dog was ‘‘pretty rare’’ and it would just pass through larger-sized dogs.
However, corn cobs were very common, as were stones and small rocks.
Even with careful owners, it often came down to ‘‘bad luck’’ when dogs ate things they shouldn’t and getting professional advice early was crucial, McCullough said.
‘‘If a dog’s not eating, then there’s something wrong.
‘‘They don’t stop eating just for the sake of it,’’ he said.
‘‘They might not be able to tell you they’re feeling sick but if you know your dog well enough, you’re going to know when [there’s a problem].’’
The longer a blockage sits there, the worse the prognosis, he said.
He said it was also important not to make a game of throwing stones or small rocks that dogs could be encouraged to swallow and to find more appropriate toys to play with instead.
During the holiday season, ham bones could also be a problem because of the preservatives, which could cause gastroenteritislike symptoms.
The summer also bought with it an increase in skin issues, such as itchiness and potentially fleas.
However, good products were available to deal with fleas, McCullough said.
Karaka berries are another summer hazard and can potentially kill dogs that eat them.