Vet Warns Pet Owners to Chuck Kmart Dog Toy After Use Leads to Surgeries

File photo of a dog. Pixabay/CC0

A veterinarian is warning pet owners about a $5 plastic chew toy sold at some Kmart stores and online that could lead to their dog needing surgery.

Wilston Vet, a veterinarian in Brisbane, Australia, shared a post on Facebook about two cases of dogs who had to undergo major operations to remove broken pieces of the toy from their stomachs.

The incidents happened in Australia but the dog toy is available online.

According to the vet, “last week two completely separate dogs (unrelated and unbeknown to each other) came in on consecutive days to a local emergency centre both with an obstructed gastrointestinal tract. (Vomiting, not eating and very sick).”

“Both required major abdominal surgery to remove the obstruction. In both cases, it was a $5 Kmart dog chew toy.”

“Warn everyone out there. They are brittle, and somehow break, and dogs think it’s a good idea to swallow them.”

Brisbane’s Wilston Vet said it had notified Kmart about the incidents and urged them to stop selling the $5 Two Handled Tug Pet Toy.

“Our colleagues who saw these patients have contacted K-MART directly to remove them from their shelves...so let’s hope they do,” Wilston Vet wrote in the post.

A Kmart spokesperson told the New Zealand Herald that the safety of their customers and pets was its number one priority.

“We want all members of the family; including our furry friends, to have a safe and positive experience when using our products at home,” the spokesperson said.

“This is why we encourage customers to carefully read through all product care labels, to ensure they are selecting toys that reflect their pet’s size and play style.”

The post sparked a flurry of responses from worried dog owners, some who said they had bought the toy for their pets.

“My pups fav toy but now in the bin,” wrote Tiana Fry. “I'd rather her be sad for a day then be in hospital.”

“My relative’s dog chewed a Kmart chew toy and had to have an emergency operation. The family contacted the company that the toy came from and they reimbursed the vet fees,” wrote Christine Mitchell.

Commenter Tania Tonuika suggested that there may be some overreactions to the incident.

“Dogs chew up stuff and swallow bits all the time,” Tonuika wrote. “If not this toy then it would have been something else. Are you gonna hide everything?”

“My dog did have this toy,” wrote Donna Bright, adding, “ate it and was fine.”

Another commenter said owners should put chew toys away after the animals have finished playing with them to reduce the risk of mishaps.

“Biggest problem with most toys is that they are left out ALL the time,” wrote Miriam Holley. “Play with them, then put them away. Rope toys are also extremely dangerous when left out.”

Family Dog Survives Eating Five Bags of Heroin

The incident recalls the case of a family dog in Australia that survived the harrowing ordeal of swallowing six baggies of heroin.

According to an April 6 report by the Daily Mail, a cocker spaniel on a walk with its owner at a park in Brompton, Australia, picked up the bag of drugs off the ground and swallowed it.

After becoming sick, the dog was treated with medication and—eventually—surgery.

The animal survived.

No Ordinary Walk In the Park

Shelby, a 16-month-old cocker spaniel, was out for a walk in the park with owner Denis Parslow, according to the Daily Mail report.

Parslow told the news outlet he noticed Shelby had picked up a large plastic bag off the ground.

“He had something in his mouth which was quite large so I challenged him and he swallowed it,” Parslow told the publication.

The owner recounted how the dog became less active than usual, and later began to vomit.

He took Shelby to a veterinarian, who first gave the dog antibiotics for a suspected gastrointestinal infection.

The symptoms got worse, however, and Shelby was taken back to the vet for another consultation.

An X-ray revealed the disturbing cause of the dog’s persistent malady.

“He’d actually swallowed this plastic bag full of balloons of heroin, we were in a real state of shock at the time,” Parslow told Australia’s 7News.

Parslow said the veterinarian gave the dog Narcan—a medication normally administered to people suffering from a heroin overdose.

The bag of drugs was inside the dog for five days, the owner told Daily Mail, before it was decided to remove it through surgery.

Shelby’s treatment ended up costing the family around $2,800, according to 7News.

The owner said that to his knowledge no other dog had ever encountered anything like Shelby had, and the beloved family dog was lucky to be alive.

Police have seized the heroin stash and are investigating its origin, according to LAD Bible.

“When the police saw him, they thought he looked very much unlike a drug mule or a suspect,” said Parslow, according to the report.

He added, ”[They] kind of fell in love with him as well, I think.”

Authorities in Australia said anyone who finds illicit substances should contact the police immediately.

“You should not touch or move the drugs,” the NSW Police Force said.