Greedy Hooch undergoes emergency op after swallowing corn husk

04 July 2016

A greedy American Bulldog underwent emergency surgery at PDSA after wolfing down a corn-on-the-cob husk from his owner’s bin.

Sarah Baldwin, from Elland, West Yorkshire, had placed the husk in the bin after having a quick bite to eat before work. But no sooner had she left the house when her dog Hooch (11) stuck his head in the trash and got his paws on the tasty treat.

“The next day he wasn’t himself at all,” said mother-of-three Sarah (40).

“He was sick, he wasn’t eating and didn’t want to walk. One of my sons had seen him finishing off the corn-on-the-cob so we did a quick Google search and were horrified at how dangerous they can be for dogs.”

Hooch was rushed straight to our Bradford Pet Hospital where vets performed X-rays which revealed something lurking in his intestines.

The family were warned that their beloved pet would need an emergency operation to remove the cob as it could cause a fatal blockage.

PDSA Head Nurse Miriam Wilson, said: “We could feel an obstruction in Hooch’s intestines and the X-ray was consistent with a foreign body.

“As Hooch was getting increasingly unwell we knew we had to perform emergency surgery to remove the corn-on-the-cob husk. We had to open up Hooch’s intestine to remove a large piece of corn husk and some smaller pieces that had broken off”.

“Unfortunately Bradford seems to be a bit of a hotspot for pets swallowing strange items and corn-on-the-cob cases are ones we see quite a lot. It’s important pet owners recognise how dangerous they can be, especially at this time of year as it’s barbecue season. In most case it is fatal if it’s not treated, as the husk can completely block the digestive system.”

Hooch was kept at the hospital for two days before being discharged on pain relief and antibiotics. He has since gone on to make a full recovery.

Sarah said: “I was so worried when Hooch was in hospital but I can’t thank PDSA enough for saving him.

“The whole thing has really scared me, so much so that it’s put me off corn-on-the cob for life!”

Our vets recently compiled a list of the top 10 strangest items swallowed by pets with corn on the cob coming third. Find out the other weird and wonderful items we removed from pets last year.