Dog owners warned after bulldog swallows teddy bear

DOG owners were urged to take greater care of their pets yesterday after animals were treated for swallowing socks, a teddy bear and two rubber ducks in the last two weeks.

Puppies and kittens are particularly prone to swallowing unusual objects, including babies’ dummies, balls and even razor blades, the British pet welfare charity, People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) said.

Last year the charity’s vets saw more than 2,500 cases in which animals had swallowed foreign bodies and a spate of recent incidents has led them to issue fresh warnings.

PDSA’s senior veterinary surgeon Elaine Pendlebury said pet owners should “be vigilant”.

“Some pets, especially puppies and kittens, are extremely curious creatures,” she said. “Dogs use their mouth as a way of exploring objects as well as eating them. Sometimes the functions get confused, and a dog ends up eating the object when it had only meant to investigate it.”

Several swallowing incidents during the past two weeks have concerned vets, including one in which eight-year-old bulldog Hooch swallowed a plastic teddy bear.

Although Hooch is now fine, his owner, Tracy Orr, 33, from Gateshead, said she had “no idea” how he got hold of the teddy bear, which she had never seen before. “He’s a really affectionate and inquisitive dog and probably just wanted to look after it but got a bit carried away,” she said.

In Manchester, PDSA vets were surprised to find an X-ray showing a rubber duck inside five-year-old boxer dog Tiggy’s stomach.

After surgery to remove it she made a full recovery.