Most Unusual Pet Award

[samoyedman]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/harley-the-pug-who-ate-100-rocks-is-most-unusual-in-pet-contest/story-e6freuy9-1226143660100

HARLEY, the rock-eating pug who consumed - and subsequently passed - more than 100 rocks took home top honours in a contest for the year's most unusual pet medical claims sponsored by a veterinary insurance company.

To win the Hambone Award, named after a dog that ate an entire Thanksgiving ham while stuck in a refrigerator, Harley managed to defeat such worthy competitors as Gus, a Labrador retriever who gobbled down five pounds of cookies in one sitting; Eddy, a domestic shorthair cat who leapt into the air and landed on top of a hot wood stove; Havee, the Havenese who had a violent altercation with a vacuum and Chico the Chihuahua, who almost became supper for a hungry owl.

Veterinary Pet Insurance Co., which sponsored the contest, narrowed the field down to 12 finalists and visitors to the company's website could vote for the winner. Harley managed to nail down some 1,800 of the 4,000 votes cast.

The pug, from Manville, R.I., apparently began his strange addiction later in life.

When his owner, Lori Laverdiere, returned from a trip and took him for a walk, she noticed that he was passing rocks at an alarming rate and could even feel them in his stomach.

Laverdiere rushed him to an emergency animal hospital where the problem was diagnosed and Harley given medication to expedite the rocks' removal.

"I've had Harley for six years, since he was a puppy, and he's never done anything like this," Laverdiere said.

Harley has since made a complete recovery, as have all the other contestants.

But even Harley might have trouble keeping up with the two past winners: Ellie, a Labrador retriever who ate an entire beehive (with inhabitants) and Lulu, a bulldog who gobbled down 15 baby pacifiers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball.

[Kirty]

But even Harley might have trouble keeping up with the two past winners: Ellie, a Labrador retriever who ate an entire beehive (with inhabitants) and Lulu, a bulldog who gobbled down 15 baby pacifiers, a bottle cap and a piece of a basketball.

LOL!! Dogs are stoopid!!

[Marion 01]

Why on earth do dogs eat all this stuff it's not as if it is tasty. One of my dogs loves eating cotton buds, she will eat as many as she can find, but only chews the cotton tip ends off and spits out what is left of the plastic stem.

[RuralPug]

Yes, it is weird the fetishes they can get.

As a child, I had a cocker spaniel who had a passion for rubber bands - no idea where she found them, but was constantly passing them (mostly intact!) The same spaniel was retired from the showring and rehomed after she ate about 15 pounds of styrofoam (my brother's new record player has arrived packed in it) and didn't pass the styrofoam - it stayed harmlessly in her gut but her figure was ruined !

Still, I think that overall, cats tend to have even weirder food fetishes than dogs - they get addicted to the oddest things, e.g. polaroid photos being developed (showing my age here!) for example. Cat saliva does not improve the resulting photo, by the way. My current cat loves to chew up emery boards...

[Swizzlestick]

Weirdest thing we've removed from the stomach of a dog at work was the blade of a Stanley knife.

Dog recovered well, and might I just add the xray was very impressive.

Needles and threads also seem common in both dogs and cats

Edited September 22, 2011 by Sir WJ