Puppy saved by PDSA after eating owner’s hearing aid!
A cheeky puppy, who is fascinated by her owner’s hearing aids, was rushed to PDSA’s Dundee Pet Hospital after swallowing one whole.
Domino the Labrador has mischievously tried to get her paws on owner Norma McKenzie’s hearing aids several times before. But this time it ended in near-disaster when she managed to pull them out of their hiding place and chew them up before gobbling one down.
Stunned Norma, who requires hearing aids for occasional use, said she returned home to find six-month-old Domino chewing on one of her aids, with no trace of the other one.
She quickly realised what had happened and rushed Domino to the hospital in Hawkhill, where vets gave the pup medication to induce vomiting.
Norma said: “The injection did the trick and within five minutes Domino had brought up all the different bits of the hearing aid, along with the battery! We also discovered that she’d swallowed bits from a comb, the jewel from a hairclip and even been munching on prawn crackers!”
Domino with his owner
PDSA Senior Vet Andy Cage revealed that it‘s common for dogs to swallow strange things, especially when they’re puppies. But he says it’s important to keep potentially harmful objects out of a pet’s reach.
He said: “There is a medical term for pets eating strange objects – pica. Dogs, especially puppies and younger dogs like Domino, use their mouth to investigate objects, as well as to eat. Sometimes when doing this a dog will swallow an object by mistake.
“Thankfully Norma brought Domino straight to the hospital which meant we were able to take action before it caused any serious damage.”
Vets warned that the hearing aid could have caused a tear or fatal blockage in Domino’s digestive system. The battery could also have burned her stomach lining and led to serious, even fatal, complications.
Norma, from Charleston, Dundee, said that the hearing aids weren’t the only objects Domino has taken a fancy to over the past few months:
“One day I found her with a pair of my glasses and one of the lenses was destroyed. She’s also chewed the side of my coffee table. I heard that putting mustard on it would stop her but she actually enjoyed it and licked it all off!
“I know she’s a puppy and they do like to explore things but I’m now being a lot more careful where I put things, especially when I get my replacement hearing aids.”
PDSA vets say training pets from a young age can help to curb their temptation to chew objects, and they can learn basic commands like ‘drop’ and ‘leave’. For general advice about dog and puppy behaviour visit www.pdsa.org.uk/taking-care-of-your-pet/puppies-and-dogs/behaviour
PDSA are Cosyfeet’s charity of the year. We are raising money to help the important job they do treating the sick and injured pets of people in need.