Boronia Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Crystal Jones | 8th May 2015 2:46 PM A DOG owner is warning others to be vigilant after some kinetic sand almost cost the life of her beloved dog, Molly. Molly had to undergo surgery after eating some kinetic sand. Kinetic sand, which contains a bonding agent to make the sand stick to itself, has become a popular toy and is widely available in stores and online. Belinda O'Shea said she kept her five-year-old son Archie's kinetic sand in a sealed container and hadn't expected that while they were out, nine-year-old Molly would get into the tub and eat its contents. Molly recovering in vet hospital. But one day the family arrived home to find Molly, a staffordshire terrier, had done just that. At first seeming fine, it was only when the much-loved pet had gone off her food and started vomiting that the family realised something wasn't right. "An x-ray found her intestines were blocked up with something, so then they left her there overnight on the drip" she said. "Whatever was in her wasn't coming out." Mrs O'Shea said her vet figured out the properties of the kinetic sand were causing it to reshape every time Molly's body tried to remove it, meaning the pooch would have to undergo emergency surgery. "They basically had to squeeze it out of her intestines," she said. While Mrs O'Shea, from Melbourne, had to part with $3000 to save her pet's life, her biggest concern was raising awareness about the dangers of kinetic sand. "Dogs do silly things but I want people to know to be really careful," she said. "I just want people to be really careful if their dogs get into it and to get them to a vet if they do, or keep it away from them." Mrs O'Shea said she had contacted the makers of the kinetic sand to warn them about what had happened. "I emailed the company and let them know and they said they'd possibly look at changing the warnings," she said. Mrs O'Shea's vet Bob Cavey, from Ultmate vet Clinic in Narre Warren, said though he'd seen items including knitting needles and plumbing pipes in dogs' bellies before he'd never encountered anything like the kinetic sand. "I've been doing this for 25 years and I've never seen this," he said. "The stomach just can't push it through. "I had to milk the stomach and push the kinetic sand through, it took about two hours." Mr Cavey said Molly had lost a lot of weight over a couple of days and her body had started to shut down. "This dog that ate it lost a lot of weight over a few days," he said. Mr Cavey said dog owners should be vigilant, and parents too. "If it's blocked up a dog then you'd have to watch your children very carefully that they're not ingesting any of it," he said. Mrs O'Shea and her son Archie have thrown out their kinetic sand and won't be buying more any time soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danois Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Owner is a long standing member of this forum - but dont think she's been on here of late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) Wee dog looks tiny for 9 years. regardless, poor wee thing & poor family. Sending lottsa love & best wishes for a quick recovery. Found another article that show her age better ( if that is fair to a recovering sick puppy-girl).... http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/parenting/68412979/kinetic-sand-warning-after-dogs-brush-with-death.html Edited May 9, 2015 by VizslaMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 But again, isn't this just one of those things that shouldn't be left lying around? To just "not expect" a 9 year old dog not to eat something is wishful thinking. My way of thinking is that if you don't want your dog/child eating/destroying something, don't leave it lying around -- even in containers because they are easily broken through. I was linked to the article via Facebook and I'm just so glad the little girl has pulled through her surgery. Don't even want to think about how tricky the 2 hours was for the vet. I hope she makes a full recovery and never gets into the sand again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 I wouldn't expect my dog to eat it. I would happily leave it on a table. I had a dog that ate everything... Him Eating this would never have crossed my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Molly was very lucky, I think that's just a bad angle the photo was taken on, and yes, her owner was a long time member on Dol, but I don't think she's here anymore. It's not something you'd expect a dog to get into either. Typical Staffy though :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 (edited) I'd expect Quinn to eat it, but nothing is safe with her, even closed containers *eye roll* If Molly had never opened a container before though I can see why her owner didn't expect it. I'm glad Molly is ok, she's so cuuuute :D Edited May 9, 2015 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Yeah, Gus would eat it, but I'd also (wrongly) have assumed stomach acid would dissolve whatever witchcraft makes.it stick. I can see how they got caught! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 But again, isn't this just one of those things that shouldn't be left lying around? To just "not expect" a 9 year old dog not to eat something is wishful thinking. My way of thinking is that if you don't want your dog/child eating/destroying something, don't leave it lying around -- even in containers because they are easily broken through. I was linked to the article via Facebook and I'm just so glad the little girl has pulled through her surgery. Don't even want to think about how tricky the 2 hours was for the vet. I hope she makes a full recovery and never gets into the sand again! Yep I never leave anything lying around. I always expect the worst from my two. So glad she's ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stressmagnet Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Of course Ernie would eat it. His world is divided into three distinct parts: 1. That which is to be eaten 2. That which is to be loved on 3. That which is to be rolled on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 I wouldn't expect my dog to eat it. I would happily leave it on a table. I had a dog that ate everything... Him Eating this would never have crossed my mind. Same. I left a rissole on the bench the other day and then went out for a few hours and it didn't get eaten, so I would definitely be surprised if she ate kinetic sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 (edited) Molly's stolen lots of food in her time and chewed lots of things up but she's never really ingested things that weren't food so this one totally took me by surprise, I'm just glad she's ok, and that we realised before it was too late :) Edited May 13, 2015 by shoemonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Molly's stolen lots of food in her time and chewed lots of things up but she's never really ingested things that weren't food so this one totally took me by surprise, I'm just glad she's ok, and that we realised before it was too late :) Scary for you that the sand was in a closed container.... Molly is adorable & I hope she is well on the way to recovery. Best Wishes to all of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Thanks :) She does look good for her age too, we still have people thinking she's a puppy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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