# Warning about corn cobs



## HappyPuppy (Sep 26, 2011)

This should have been sooo obvious as a dumb thing to do - but Ruby is my first dog and was still pretty new at the time of this happening... So, way back in 2007 (yes, MAY 2007!) I stupidly let Ruby eat my corn cob after diner. 

Then I posted on a forum asking how stupid that really was and the unanimous reaction was to take her to the vet immediately - that they do NOT digest! I even got a number of concerned PMs saying same. But, we decided to watch and wait. She did poop a FEW pieces out but otherwise was acting normal. And has acted normal since - never a 'sick day'.

However, about 2 months, she suddenly started eating grass and then barfed up a brown colored roundish thing that boggled me. It was wierd enough that I left it out to dry for a few days and when we broke it apart, damned if it wasn't a freaking piece of corn cob from 2007!!!!!! We will continue to watch.... It was suggested to try to clear her stomach with a dose of hydrogen peroxide but others said not to bother now....

I would say now, that CORN COBS ARE NOT something that should ever be fed to a dog since these things do not digest in the least! 

Over all of these years, she has occasionaly barfed up the ends of chicken leg OR thigh bones - a quick barf in the morning and that's it. I do not have a reference, tho, on the timing of when which started... She still barfed up the end of a leg the other day 2 months after evacuation this thing from her tummy < I saw it happen so it was a barf not a poop.

I finally called our vet last week and either she didn't believe me or she was convinced that it was 'another' corn cob << but after that first incident, Ruby has not been allowed to even smell or look at another cob - so it cannot possibly be a different one! They said I could come in for xrays if we wanted but they weren't worried!?!?! I guess we'll continue to wait and watch.










THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE AFTER DRYING A BIT - when it first came up it was smooth and round with 2 flat sides but was covered in hairs - I almost thought she had eaten a creature initially...










FREAKING CORN COB PIECE![/quote]


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Sure looks like a corn cob to me! Actually, I believe you - if it goes down, and it can't digest, and it doesn't come out the other end - well, it's gotta sit there. 

My trainer in his dog nutrition class says there are two things people see as acceptable chew toys that we should never feed our dogs - corn cobs and rawhide. 

I'm sure she will be fine. If it hasn't done any damage by now, I don't think it's going to suddenly cause a blockage.

I guess she finally just worked it back up where it could come out the top end rather than the bottom - if she had pooped it you probably wouldn't have noticed.

And thanks for the photo - pretty fascinating, actually, that it could sit there for over four years and basically just turn black.


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

I.....I.....don't know what to say. O_O

Fascinating! Strange! Crazy! I have never seen anything like it....


Also this is completely awesome that you took pictures. Makes the story 100x better. :tongue:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Yikes! 

Yep, corn cobs are responsible for a lot of blockages in dogs...one of the most common things actually. 

She's a lucky girl she didn't get super sick from it being in there for so long. Glad it's gone!


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Wow! I'm glad she barfed it up and isn't sick.

I didn't believe you at first when you said it came back up. You didn't even have me at the first picture. But the second one...definitely looks like an old corn cob


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Wow! She's one lucky girl. We removed one not too long ago from a Labrador who was extremely sick because of it.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

I just noticed this thread.Wow that is really strange! My lab sandi has eaten, just the end of the corn ,not a whole cob, and has thankfully had no issues, well it was just that end piece. Sorry to hear of this and hopefully alls well.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i knew corn wasn't something i wanted to feed dogs, so i guess it never occurred to me to give them cobs...but i can see why people would....

now i know that i will never give my dog a corn cob as a chew....thanks.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I think corn cobs as chew toys must be regional - no one I ever knew growing up gave their dogs corn cobs. But here in Indiana, people do.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

I had a similar thing happen with Bailey. She grabbed the end of a corn cob while I was throwing it away one day and pulled the tip off. I didn't think much about it because it was a small piece. It was several months later that she started occasionally throwing up and not being enthusiastic about eating some days. Then after a couple of weeks of off and on puking she threw it up. We couldn't figure out what it was at first either but then realized it was the end of that corn cob. I couldn't believe it had been floating around in her stomach all that time. Glad both our babies were okay and got it out of their systems before they got a blockage!


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> I think corn cobs as chew toys must be regional - no one I ever knew growing up gave their dogs corn cobs. But here in Indiana, people do.


Yaaa.....my inlaws do it for their dog! I bash my head into a wall every time that i see it!!!! :frusty:


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Scarlett_O' said:


> Yaaa.....my inlaws do it for their dog! I bash my head into a wall every time that i see it!!!! :frusty:


Man, if they do it regularly and reading what I read in this thread, I hate to think what their innards look like.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

xellil said:


> Man, if they do it regularly and reading what I read in this thread, I hate to think what their innards look like.


Well the good thing is that she is little(min-pin mix) and gnaws on them A LOT before swallowing any...and mostly buries them...but yes, I also hate to think of it. But then again this is the dog who's hip is bone on bone from them allowing their kids(19 and 15) to be WAY to too rough with her!!:sad:


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## Pimzilla (May 1, 2011)

I read this thread last night and was thinking to myself that I'm happy my dog doesn't go eat corn at the corn field opposite to my house as I see many other dogs do. 
Three days ago they harvested all corn and in the evening I let her play out there. I noticed she was running around eating things but then there were lots of corn kernels everywhere. And guess what? This morning 3 days later she threw up a piece of corn cob with some corn still stuck on it. Guess I have learnt a lesson at least.


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