MacKinnon and the Corncobs
 

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MacKinnon and the Corncobs

When Mac, our 17-pound Cairn Terrier was 7 years old, we had an absolutely horrible experience, which I need to share with all of you.
I hope what happened to us, will never happen to you and your furry friend.

Back in August of 2007, we had dinner at the lake, which included corn on the cob. Afterward my son automatically put the corncobs in the mulch pile along with the husks. As soon as I realized where the cobs had went, I got into action, but Mac beat me to them. As I approached, he got frantic and began gobbling up as fast as he could.

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of him having dry heaves and he was fast becoming lethargic. Instinctively we knew it was quite serious. I called a Lakes Region veterinary hospital, I’m not sure which one, and the doctor told me that it sounded like an obstruction and that Mac needed to be seen as soon as possible. Paul and I acted quickly. We hoped in the boat and raced to my truck. Mac laid on the floor at my feet, obviously in much distress. He didn’t even move when we went through the tolls, an event he never misses. That was one of the longest trips we’ve ever taken from the lake.

The veterinarian that I initially spoke to, referred us to Animal Medical Center of New England, which is in Nashua. We called ahead, so they were expecting us. As soon as we arrived a doctor immediately looked at Mac. By this time our little buddy was in dire shape. We were told that he was going to have to have surgery if he was to survive. Even with a surgical intervention, it was very possible that he might not make it. With an obstruction such as this, it often involves the intestines, which significantly raises the risk and recovery.

Surgery was going to cost approximately $2,500. Paul didn’t even hesitate to proceed. He whipped out his credit card and signed all the necessary papers and the doctor went to work.

We got extremely lucky. The corncob pieces did not make it into the intestines. They were too big! The doctor showed us exactly what they took out of his little stomach. It was enough to almost fill up a quart size bag. He was absolutely shocked at the size of the pieces and couldn’t imagine how he could have swallowed them in the first place.

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Thankfully Mac had a good recovery. It was extremely difficult getting him to take it easy while he was healing, but he bounced back beautifully.

Last summer, after so long without having corn on the cob, I gave in to our son’s plea for some, with the condition that there would be super tight control over all the pieces. We ate dinner and you know who was absolutely crazed to have some himself. We will never serve corn on the cob again in my home while Mac is still around. That’s a promise that I intend to keep.

Even with 2 ½ years since the event, I am sitting here with tears running down my face. Please don’t learn this lesson the hard way with the loss of your beloved pet. I wish that I could have shared Mac’s story sooner, but I just couldn’t handle telling the tale. I’m sorry for those of you who share a similar story, especially if there wasn’t a happy ending like ours.

Always have the number of your veterinarian handy, along with the name and number to a 24-hour veterinary hospital. In a time of crisis, you’ll be glad you have them.

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Our $3.00 bag of corn ended up costing us about $2,500 - Saving Mac’s life was priceless. Happily, he will be turning 10 in September.

Thank you Paul for your part in saving our little puppers. You’re the best! :love:

Animal Medical Center of New England - Nashua
They were absolutely wonderful with the care they gave Mac!

Capital Area Veterinary Emergency Service (CAVES) – Concord

Doggie Dangers

RG,

Thank you for sharing. I hope that the lesson learned and told by you will help others.

As someone who has met Mack I already knew how much he meant to you and you to him. He is one special guy and so is Paul. :D

For those that have never met Mack he is one very special, fun and wonderful buddy to RG.

A few years back RG & McDude joined me on a day cruise on the lake. When we returned to the island Mack was so happy to see RG that he jumped, without regard to the fact that we were not even at the dock yet, :eek: and made it aboard to greet RG. Good Jumper!! He really loves her and it shows.

JS

Those we love
 

Wonderful , sad, inciteful, and uplifting story Celia. I was wondering when you were going to post a full picture of Mac. He's a real cutie. I'll tell you about our Sam, and his rock diet later. Thankfully his Vet bill was about 1/2 of yours. If we didn't love them so much, I'de smack him! :laugh::laugh:

Great ending to a scary story RG. I'm trying to figure out how Mac grabs the kayak paddle with those little paws. :D

So glad to read that he survived and I love the image in the kayak.

Avatar!
 

Great story, even if scary, RG. Glad for the happy ending! And if that picture is not the potential avatar to end 'em all, don't know what is!!

Wow! That's quite a scary story. I'm so glad our beloved little Mac came through it all OK! He is such a sweet and lovable little dog!!! :D

RG,

Thanks for telling your tale. I am glad that all turned out well in the end. Animals become a very special part of our life. Unfortunately they are worse then kids sometimes I think. Thankfully I don't believe I have ever had one with an appetite for corn on the cob... But I have had to wait many ordeals out....

I have found that at times Golden Retrievers are capable of digesting those threads of fabric that the tug-o-war toys are made out off.... upon advice from the vet, we where told to monitor the dog after he completely destroyed one of these and swallowed a couple of the strips... With the warning that if he got lethargic or acted strange we where to rush him in... Fortunately he processed the strips of fabric, unfortunately they produced a tail of poop, that he almost pulled into the house after he went out on his runner a couple of mornings later......

Wow, I guess we were very lucky. Years ago my parents left a dozen ears of corn on our porch as we weren't home and when we got there our dog had eaten all of it. She was very sick but apparently because she didn't eat the cobs as MacK did, she wasn't deathly ill.

Glad to hear that everything worked out for the pup. :)
It is amazing the things that dogs sometimes eat. One time we had to pull out a nylon stocking that one of our dogs had eaten. You don't want to know which end we had to pull it from. :rolleye1:

The joys of sharing your home with a pet!

I too am very happy that Mac got through that ordeal. And I can only imagine how horrific it must have been for you and your family.

It is so very true that you really need to be careful about the disposal of food. We have a neighbors dog that had (and still does) come 'a' hunting for rubbish. He has gotten sick from the rubbish hunting, but certainly not to Mac's extent. We smarted up and now lock the rubbish in the shed overnight. Now that we (extended family) can have maybe 3-4 dogs up there at a time, we are more aware of it.

But for folks that don't have a pet, just be mindful that maybe a neighbors pet will come wandering over.

RG, love the kayak picture, but like SIKSURK said, how do those little paws hold the paddle? He must be very clever :D

Pet DO get into trouble
 

RG: Great story, gorgeous dog.

LIFORLREXIN: My friend had to euthanize her 18-month old Golden - he was really into eating baby bibs, dish towels, etc., They would often find material wrapped up in his poop in the yard. This last time, it was too much material and too much intestinal damage for him to survive. Absolutely heartbreaking.

In 1984, my tuxedo cat Annie (unbeknownst to me) while playing with a wine cork - chewed off a bit of the cork. It lodged in her duodenum- didn't make it to the intestine, but caused major blockage. She was in rough shape. After surgery and lots of $$$ she lived to be 16. That was the most expensive bottle of wine that I don't remember drinking ... ever!! Don't let your cats play with wine corks!

Guess we all have stories about our furry kids.

It is just so true!
 

It is just so true. Animals will eat ANYTHING.

My baby is just close to 2 years old. Upon him joining us, I bought him ALL kinds of toys! All of them he completely destroyed, most times within hours! Some days we would be looking for the "rest" of the toy, knowing that the "rest" was probably ingested.

I feel bad sometimes when I take him to the Pet Store cause I would LOVE to get him some of those "ole" toys, but I know what will happen. It it certainly is not worth his life!

So again, another warning to people, be very cautious about what you give your pets.

Can I ask...what are the thoughts on Marrow bones? Do you agree on giving them to dogs?

marrow bones
 

I too love to give Sam and Reilly delicious treats like marrow bones when they are extra special good. Aw hell, when are dogs extra special good? EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY.

Excuse my exuberence. Just be careful of the SHARP chards that contain the marrow. VERY VERY thick thigh bones with marrow are usually OK, but I watch them as they start to eat these, and take it away from them if they start breaking off sharp pieces. There is no particular brand that we can see that is always safe.

The sharp and thinning edges are always a problem, we used to get bones that where sterilized from one of the big pet stores they where good size(probably thigh or calf bones from a cow).... We would give the to the dog, let them have there chew for a while. Then when the looked like they where getting thin, we would take the bone, hit both ends with a band saw, resterilize it, and give it back to the golden.... They would last about a year to 18 months, before it got to risky to trim the ends....

Great Knowledge Here on the Forum
 

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and glad tidings on Mac’s health. Our pets truly become part of the family and add so much to our lives.

It’s great that you are posting your experiences and knowledge. There are many dangers that we all might not be aware of and they could one day save a Winni Pet.
I am very sorry for those of you that have sad tales to tell. Losing a pet can really cut deep. Many of us have been there. Thanks for sharing your story. I think it can be therapeutic.

Liforrelaxin is right, sometimes pets can be worse than kids. Obviously dogs & cats have very different taste buds and olfactory senses than we humans do. Rocks, bibs, towels and rope toys, bones, corks and couches don’t sound too appetizing to me! (My sister in-laws dog ate a whole couch.) Some of the things they seem to enjoy sniffing are right out there too.

What a harrowing tale! My corgi is a goat - that sounds like something he would do, if given the chance. Thanks for the info - but I'm sooooo sorry you and Mac had to go thru that... poor baby~!!!!:(

And what a cutie pie he is - wow! Thanks for sharing the pics! :)

Our fur babies are special!

RG, I am so happy that all you had was a vet bill and short amount of distress with this happening, you are very lucky.

My parents lost one of our GSP's three years ago to this very same issue, as it happened during the night, it was to late by morning as he had already expired, the mess in the kitchen told the tale, he was 14. Apparently he felt a change in menu was desired and decided the cobs looked better than the usual sock (which are another issue all together, but come up much easier).

It just amazes me the things that dogs will get into, the mother of the boy mentioned above was notorious for eating whatever, about 10lbs of rabbit food, a jar of vaseline, a box of crayons. One day we came home to her and the father of the boy above after a day of running through the house with chewed up acrylic paint bottles (stencil paint, that started out full), couches, walls, ceilings, beds and floors, they did not discriminate.:laugh: You would have thought that we were free range artists if you visited us for the months after that mess.

Oh, the stories our friends give us to tell!:laugh:

You reminded me of one of my biggest mistakes.


I was about 24 and house sitting for a couple. They had an outside dog and I was warned to not let the dog in the house. One very cold and rainy day I let the dog in the house before going to work. When I got home I could not believe how much of a mess a dog could make in 10 hours. Every sock, shoe, underwear, knickknack, plant, book and frying pan were randomly spread though out the three story house. The dog dragged a bag of flour and sugar around the house. I cleaned for about 8 hours. I know I must have put some of the underwear in the wrong place and shoes in the wrong closet. I am sure they were concerned. It was a true life lesson.

Are you sure that wasn't one of your wild party nights with your friends RG that you blamed on the dog? :laugh: I know I've been called a dog before! :D

Eating my words???
 

OMG, Rattlesnake Guy! I have always liked to say that the term "outside dog" isn't in my vocabulary! But now...reading your story ,and notwithstanding that I am laughing all the way, I'm wondering a little bit! Guess I will count my blessings. We did have a poodle some time ago that would tip over the trash when she could...tracked flour all over the house once..but I see that's nothing!!

Does this look familar?
 

From one of the funniest movies ever. (At least the dog parts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIYB7Bj2npk