herptrader
Very Well-Known Member
I am not much of one for dogs and really dislike cats but a number of the outcomes described in this article have the potential to make one's stomach churn!
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/going-to-the-dogs/2005/08/21/1124562751584.html#
Human leftovers, detritus are going to the dogs
By Richard Macey
August 22, 2005
THE growing environmental awareness of Australians and their taste for multicultural cuisine have created some unexpected but deadly problems for the nation's pets.
While dogs continue to suffer serious gastrointestinal problems after eating torn tennis balls, bottle tops and even mango pips, vets are now also seeing dogs that have fallen seriously ill after swallowing satay sticks and even tampons.
Richard Malik, a specialist at Sydney University's Post-Graduate Foundation for Veterinary Science, said such problems were not observed a few years ago.
"There is a new generation of foreign bodies" that pets swallow, he said. "Everybody used to flush tampons down the toilet." To protect the environment they were now placed in bathroom sanitary bags, destined for the garbage bin.
However, said Dr Malik, tampons were very attractive to dogs. "They raid the bags. Dogs love blood."
The tampons lodged in the pet's stomach, while the strings continued through the intestines. "The string causes the intestine to bunch up like a concertina, and eventually cuts through the gut wall, resulting in peritonitis and eventually death."
He knew of at least five cases in recent years, but suspected many more went unnoticed because there was no formal reporting system for veterinary matters. "Indeed, dogs may die without reaching a vet," he said.
Dr Malik detailed the tampon threat in the foundation's newsletter Control & Therapy.
Vets examining pets that were vomiting or suffering abdominal pain "need to be on the lookout for 'new' foreign bodies, not well described in older veterinary textbooks," he wrote. "Although this topic may initially appear unseemly, owners need to be made aware of the new danger common to many households."
Dental floss, yo-yo strings and sewing thread posed similar threats to cats.
Dogs swallowing satay sticks left over from barbecues was another growing problem.
The sticks punctured the intestinal tract "like an arrow", damaging organs and triggering infections.
Brisbane vet Terry King said he had treated two skewer cases.
One stick passed through a dog's liver and lung, lodging against its heart. "He was going into heart failure," he said, adding that only major surgery saved its life.
The vets said other objects being swallowed by dogs included "bite-sized" corn cobs served with take-away meals, netting around roasts and elastic hair scrunchies.
Dr Malik said plastic clips used to reseal bread bags were another threat to cats. "If you see your cat playing with one don't encourage it. Put it in the bin." He urged bread makers to switch to cardboard clips or twist ties
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/going-to-the-dogs/2005/08/21/1124562751584.html#
Human leftovers, detritus are going to the dogs
By Richard Macey
August 22, 2005
THE growing environmental awareness of Australians and their taste for multicultural cuisine have created some unexpected but deadly problems for the nation's pets.
While dogs continue to suffer serious gastrointestinal problems after eating torn tennis balls, bottle tops and even mango pips, vets are now also seeing dogs that have fallen seriously ill after swallowing satay sticks and even tampons.
Richard Malik, a specialist at Sydney University's Post-Graduate Foundation for Veterinary Science, said such problems were not observed a few years ago.
"There is a new generation of foreign bodies" that pets swallow, he said. "Everybody used to flush tampons down the toilet." To protect the environment they were now placed in bathroom sanitary bags, destined for the garbage bin.
However, said Dr Malik, tampons were very attractive to dogs. "They raid the bags. Dogs love blood."
The tampons lodged in the pet's stomach, while the strings continued through the intestines. "The string causes the intestine to bunch up like a concertina, and eventually cuts through the gut wall, resulting in peritonitis and eventually death."
He knew of at least five cases in recent years, but suspected many more went unnoticed because there was no formal reporting system for veterinary matters. "Indeed, dogs may die without reaching a vet," he said.
Dr Malik detailed the tampon threat in the foundation's newsletter Control & Therapy.
Vets examining pets that were vomiting or suffering abdominal pain "need to be on the lookout for 'new' foreign bodies, not well described in older veterinary textbooks," he wrote. "Although this topic may initially appear unseemly, owners need to be made aware of the new danger common to many households."
Dental floss, yo-yo strings and sewing thread posed similar threats to cats.
Dogs swallowing satay sticks left over from barbecues was another growing problem.
The sticks punctured the intestinal tract "like an arrow", damaging organs and triggering infections.
Brisbane vet Terry King said he had treated two skewer cases.
One stick passed through a dog's liver and lung, lodging against its heart. "He was going into heart failure," he said, adding that only major surgery saved its life.
The vets said other objects being swallowed by dogs included "bite-sized" corn cobs served with take-away meals, netting around roasts and elastic hair scrunchies.
Dr Malik said plastic clips used to reseal bread bags were another threat to cats. "If you see your cat playing with one don't encourage it. Put it in the bin." He urged bread makers to switch to cardboard clips or twist ties
