Chewing can be good for dogs – exercises and strengthens their jaw, cleans teeth and alleviates boredom. However, chewing on non-edible or unsafe dog safe items can result in large vet bills and even death. Foreign body ingestion is Trupanion’s second most common claim for dogs!
In 2014, they paid over $1.8 million in 2014 toward foreign body ingestion claims and since January 2015 they have already paid $388,000 toward those types in claims!
“The average cost to treat FBI increases significantly as the object moves through the body and skyrockets if a pet goes into septic shock (see infographic),” says Dr. Kerri Marshall, a veterinarian spokesperson for Trupanion. An object caught in the mouth can range from $100-$900, but if your dog chews up something like a string that becomes tangles in multiple organs, it can be over $10,000 to fix.
And there are breeds that seem to be more likely to have these types of vet emergencies. According to Trupanion’s data, puppies are 2.5 times as likely to visit the veterinarian for a foreign body ailment as a dog over 4 years old. Here are their top 15 breeds when it comes to chewing (and ingesting!) things they shouldn’t. And Dr. Marshall warns to not wait if you see your dog had ingested something – the longer you wait the more dangerous – and costly – the foreign body ingestion can become.
#1 – Bernese Mountain Dog
#2 – Doberman Pinscher
#3 – Basset Hound
Click page 2 below for the next breeds!