What is it about dogs and eating things? The items that dogs wolf down include rocks, socks, and a phone charger, among other everyday items. Luckily, Benji the German shepherd’s owner was paying attention when he ate some tinsel while she was decorating the Christmas tree, otherwise, it could have proven fatal.

Dogs eat the darndest things

Benji’s owner, Olivia Mullen, watched in horror as her dog munched on some tinsel, swallowing his body length of the shiny stuff. The vet was able to remove it before the 31 inches of tinsel he had swallowed could do any harm.

“This is the first time he’s ever done anything like this. He doesn’t even go after shoes or toys, so it was a total surprise,” she told the BBC. “The tree wasn’t up yet and he had actually gone rooting through a box.

I was working and my mum called me to say he had eaten some tinsel. The fact that Benji had never had any interest in chewing things before just goes to show that you can never be complacent and always need to be vigilant.”

The incident could have been much more serious

If the tinsel had not been removed it could have done some major damage to Benji’s intestinal tract, according to David Owen, a vet at Vets Now, where Benji was treated. He further added:

“Shiny tinsel can be very attractive to both dogs and cats but, like anything stringy, it’s extremely dangerous if swallowed. If the tinsel anchors itself in the stomach it can’t then pass through the intestines and can slowly cut through the tissue like cheese wire.”

The tinsel was removed

Benji was taken to an emergency animal hospital located in Manchester, England. An x-ray of his stomach revealed the tinsel all twisted up. Fortunately, Benji received immediate treatment and was recovering well.

“The fact that Benji had never had any interest in chewing things before just goes to show that you can never be complacent and always need to be vigilant,” Mullen said.

Weird things dogs have eaten

Tinsel is not the only weird thing that dogs have eaten. In one instance a seven-year-old Jack Russell terrier from the UK ate 80 small stones. In such cases, vets have to be careful with their diagnosis as this can result from a poor emptying of the stomach of its food, which can give a similar x-ray.

There is also the case of the three-year-old Great Dane who ate 43 1/2 socks. The hospital where he was treated, DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital, determined that the contents of the dog’s stomach were so strange that it entered the x-ray of the unfortunate dog’s stomach in a contest sponsored by Veterinary Practice News aptly called “They Ate WHAT?”

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Finally, who would think that a dog would eat a phone charger, but that is exactly what happened when a dog named Lola ate her owner’s phone charger. For more about the annual Veterinary Practice News “They Ate WHAT?” contest, visit their Website.

If you suspect that your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t have you should contact your veterinarian or animal hospital as soon as possible. While you will definitely relieve any discomfort they might be feeling, you might even save their life in the process.