2010's most unusual surgical cases

BREA, CALIF. — There were nearly 2,000 foreign body ingestion claims received over the past year, according to Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI).

As might be expected, the common items ingested by dogs and cats included socks, hand towels, sticks and rocks. Other ingested items were not quite as common, VPI reports. In fact, the company gathered a list of some of the items that were removed from the stomachs of dogs and cats in 2010. All pets made full recoveries and received insurance reimbursements for eligible expenses, VPI adds. The 60 most unusual items included:

• jellyfish

• glue

• estrogen patch/make-up brush

• tube of denture adhesive

• dead poisoned vole

• bikini

• ink pen

• plastic nose from teddy bear

• magnetic purse clasps

• baseball

• glass Christmas ornament

• hearing aid

• bed sheet

• box of pencils

• popsicle stick

• avocado pit

• dental floss

• coffee filter/coffee grounds

• fishhook

• pain relief tablet/B.B. pellet/highlighter

• tent door

• toy squeaker

• watch

• 16 steel wool pads

• pseudoephedrine/sponge/snail poison/tampon

• 20 cherry pits

• light bulb

• barbecue brush

• Frisbee

• jumper cables

• razor blades

• uncooked rice (1 pound)

• wallpaper paste

• squirrel

• balloon ribbons

• bird (whole)

• butter/sand

• deer antler (partial)

• extension cord

• leash/three sticks of butter

• pin cushion

• portion of wool rug

• tobacco

• TV remote control

• 10 quarters/one penny/one Canadian coin/three arcade tokens

• foot-long submarine sandwich

• fire log

• wooden toy train

• pine cone

• round chew bone (whole)

• caulk

• eye glasses

• money (paper)

• oil-soaked dirt

• sand

• rosary crucifix

• 25 to 30 soiled diapers

• bath bubble mix

• bathtub cleaner/outdoor plants

• duck bone.

VPI policyholders spent almost $3 million treating pets that ingested foreign objects in 2010, the company says.