We’ve all been there. You come home to find a box of tissues/your favorite shoes/the remote control/part of the wall(!) shredded into a million pieces and your puppy sitting with a smug expression on its face as if to say “look what I did for you! Aren’t I the BEST?!” The good news is, puppies tend to grow out of this behavior.

Molly is seven now so you can imagine my surprise last night when out of nowhere she decided to gobble up a pair of (very pretty-boo!) glass ear plugs I’d left on the table.
We found one on the couch later but she definitely swallowed the other. As it was 11pm, it was time to call the emergency Vet Clinic in UCD to see what was the best thing to do with her.
Don’t you just HATE those conversations – why do they never swallow anything easily explainable?!

“She swallowed what?”
“a PLUG its um, glass jewellery that goes in your ear”
“…oh.”

The worst was when Molly’s brother Lucky chewed up a tub of little plastic farm animals, we had fun explaining that one:

“he ate a tub of… what?”
“its a child’s toy.. nevermind we’d better bring him straight in, there’s half chewed bits of plastic chickens and cows all over the floor.”
“…………….oh.”

Anyway, the lady on the phone in the emergency clinic was very helpful. She asked about the size and shape of the the object swallowed and Molly’s size and weight. Based on those figures she thought it best to “let nature take its course”
We were also given a list of things to watch out for, in which case we were to bring her to the vet right away.
I’m not going to share the details of that list here, as it is particular to Molly’s incident and you should ALWAYS consult a vet immediately if this happens to your pet, not the internet. NEVER try to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide or anything else, I’m aware that dosage information is available online but your first port of call should always be to seek advice from a qualified vet. And never be afraid to call the after hours clinic, they’ll be happy and able to tell you if you have a real emergency on your hands or not.

Which brings me nicely on to my next pearl of wisdom… Pet Insurance. The monthly payment for my three dogs costs about the same as a takeaway dinner for two.
If you haven’t insured your pets yet please, do it. now. You never know when little emergencies will pop up – in my experience, usually late at night, weekends,bank holidays and other inconvenient times! Knowing your insurance will cover whatever your pet needs is so reassuring. Not to mention if something more serious happens, I can’t imagine the pain of having to decide if you can afford a five figure operation for your beloved pet or will be forced to say goodbye.

So for now, I have the delightful task of checking through Molly’s poo for the next few days to look forward to.
Look at her face though, you can see why she gets away with being so bold!