A naughty Labrador who is 'mad for eggs' could have died after scoffing foam Easter decorations at a local park. Three-year-old Paco was rushed to the vets after eating the large ball which was made out of pipe cleaners and contained hard boiled eggs.
The cheeky pooch raced to the concoction after it had been rolled down a hill at Morton Park in Kilmaurs, Ayrshire. He wolfed down all the eggs – along with the foam letters.
The pipe cleaners inside the decoration, used for arts and crafts, had sharp metal rods inside which could have punctured one of Paco’s vital organs or severed one of his arteries.
Owner Paul McDowall explained: “It was our usual evening walk – and I think Paco thought all this stuff had been laid on for his personal enjoyment. He seemed okay and didn’t have any immediate signs of any symptoms – but we didn’t want to leave anything to chance."
Paco had to be rushed to emergency vet care – a scenario Paul is well familiar with after a string of previous incidents.
“Paco is a typical Lab – always on the look-out for something or anything he shouldn’t be eating," Paul added
“He’s mad for eggs – he once ate a whole half dozen he stole off the kitchen counter and we’ve had to take him to the vets quite a few times before. Once it was after he ate a slice of Christmas cake with all the currants and raisins which can be really toxic for dogs.
“Another time was when he broke through into our neighbour’s garden and managed to get hold of some chicken bones left on a plate. So we know the routine – get him seen quick!”
Paco headed straight to Vets Now's 24-hour pet emergency clinic in nearby Kilmarnock, where he was given an injection to make him sick and clean out his stomach.
Before long, and with Paco now feeling slightly sorry for himself, he was well enough to head home and after a couple of days he was back to his boisterous normal self – playing hide and seek with his toys and lurking in the kitchen in case of any crumbs being dropped.
Paul said: “It’s safe to say a fair amount of bright coloured foam came up – but, fortunately, no pipe cleaners, which it turned out he’d been chewing but hadn’t actually swallowed.
"Paco’s part of our family and we couldn’t forgive ourselves if any harm ever came to him so it was really important to get him checked over. But I really do hope we’re not back at the vets again for a very long time!”
Vets Now have issues a litter warning to pet owners following the ordeal, saying it highlights the importance of making sure to tidy litter – and the potential unforeseen consequences of leaving rubbish out in public spaces.
Amanda McCool, principal nurse manager at our Kilmarnock clinic, said: “The team remember Paco very well – we’ve never heard of a dog eating foam letters before! Paul and Amy did absolutely the right thing bringing him in because if Paco had swallowed any of the pipe cleaners it could have had very serious consequences for him due to the metal inside.”
If your pet has eaten anything potentially harmful you should call your vet for advice as soon as possible.
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