HEAD: It’s a Dog-Eat-Cob World
Roast ‘em, boil ‘em, butter ‘em, salt ‘em—there’s just no way to mess up corn on the cob! But every summer we see dogs get into trouble because they ingest corn cobs. It might be ok if our canine friends just shredded them into small pieces that could pass through their system. Instead, they frequently swallow a big chunk of cob that gets lodged in their intestinal tract and causes a blockage.
To complicate matters, corncobs don’t show up on X-rays—so they can easily be missed when vomiting dogs are examined. A diagnosis often can’t be made until after more specialized (and yes, more expensive) tests confirm the problem. At that point, surgery is the only solution.
The moral of the story is obvious: Corn cobs belong in the garbage, well out of paw’s reach! If you toss them on a compost pile, make sure it’s secure, as compost poisoning of all types is another frequent cause of hospitalization for our pets.
As always, if you think your dog may have ingested a corn cob or anything potentially dangerous, contact us at 999-999-9999.