A Bellyful of Trouble

PetSmart - PetSmart

John's eyes glistened as he knelt to touch the tiny black, curly, poodle-terrier. The new puppy was a welcome surprise for my son's 9th birthday.

He named her Pooh, short for Pooh Bear. And sometimes he'd just call her Bear.

Pooh was a mild-mannered little dog, loving and tolerant of everyone, especially children. She seemed to sense their innocence and never growled or nipped, even when their little hands pulled on her tail or ears.

She was surprisingly intelligent for what society termed a mutt, and she learned to obey at the snap of a finger or a simple wave of the hand. As Pooh grew, John taught her to sit, dance and fetch, even perform tricks. The two became constant companions.

When Pooh was 4 years old, she began to develop tremors and severe vomiting spells. The diagnosis was pancreatitis, and Pooh Bear was placed on a special diet. Many times over the next six years, she was hospitalized for tests, x-rays and long-term observations. Medication was added to her diet when the pancreatitis worsened.

By the time Pooh was 10, she became listless and weak as her weight dropped from 22 to 11 pounds. She could no longer eat without vomiting. But to our amazement, Pooh remained a loving and obedient dog.

When our veterinarian suggested exploratory surgery, we decided it was the only chance we had to save her life. We all agreed if Pooh's condition were cancerous or untreatable, she would be put to sleep on the operating table. The expense for us was astronomical, but we couldn't bring ourselves to end her life without knowing the reason why.

The 1 1/2-Inch Menace
The day of the surgery was heartbreaking. John said good-bye to Pooh and removed her collar. With a lump in his throat, he commanded her to go into the kennel to be prepared for surgery. Tears stung my eyes as I listened to my son's sobbing. But we both knew the suffering for Pooh had to end.

The result of the surgery was quite astounding. There was no cancer; no pancreatitis! There was only one lone, 1 1/2-inch, faded navy blue Super Ball lodged snuggly in the little dog's stomach. So intact, the ball bounced on the floor of the operating room.

Everyone was stunned! How had the Super Ball managed to secretly avoid all x-rays and tests, traveling around inside Pooh for six long years? Our Pooh Bear had suffered so long, but now God had given us a miracle.

She returned home to grow strong and healthy again. Her dark eyes brightened, and her coat grew silken and shiny. The Super Ball had to be discarded soon after surgery. The strong stomach acid in Pooh's body had been absorbed into the ball, and once in the open air, it disintegrated.

We ransacked our house for any foreign item that might make its way into Pooh's mouth or the mouths of our other dogs. Since the incident with Pooh, we have added a Lhasa and a Bbichon to our family, and the lesson we learned is always foremost in our minds.

There is a plaque that hangs in my kitchen as a constant reminder, "Dogs are only children with fur." They depend upon us for their safety and nurturing.

As for Pooh, she remained alert and strong until she was 15 years old. And though we've said our last good-byes, in our hearts Pooh will forever be our own special "miracle mutt."

Prevent Your Pets from Swallowing Trouble
Don't leave small things that can be swallowed (toys, underwear, nylon, small bones, etc.) around where pets can reach them. Balls should never be left around the house and should be the size of tennis balls or larger.

No golf balls, Super Balls or squash balls. But even larger balls can be chewed apart, and harmful pieces can be swallowed. Make sure trash cans are inaccessible to pets.

Keep pets in a pen, crate or puppy-proofed area when not supervised.

If you pet shows signs of distress like persistent vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unwillingness to eat for two or more days, see a veterinarian.

Dogs Will Swallow Anything!
Thomas G. Nyland, D.V.M., professor in the department of surgical and radiological sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California-Davis, told us that the most common items include balls, bones, plastic chew toys, rocks, string, socks, even pieces of carpet.

The problem is that some of these things, like rubber balls, plastic toys, string and clothing, may not show up on x-rays (doctors call them "radio-lucent"). In some cases, according to Dr. Nyland, the only way to find the object causing obstruction is surgery.

The most unusual case Dr. Nyland has seen was when a dog swallowed a butcher knife, handle first, when trying to steal a roast off the kitchen counter. "He was tricky to treat and save," recalls Dr. Nyland. "But we did it!"

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