‘I rushed him to the vet. I never imagined what would happen next’: Pet owner discovers 19 pacifiers lodged in bulldog’s stomach

With two beautiful babies and a healthy bulldog, Mortimer, in tow, life seemed to be running smoothly for pet owner Emily Shanahan.

Until it wasn’t.

Shanahan suddenly began to notice a shift in the health of her three-year-old bulldog. Mortimer started experiencing nausea before meals. Next came the repeated bouts of vomiting. At first, Shanahan deemed the symptoms to be acid reflux. When they persisted, however, she knew in her dog momma heart that something was terribly wrong. But what?

She rushed Mortimer to the veterinarian, where he was prescribed medicine to combat the nausea. Not long after, the condition only intensified. Mortimer was now refusing to eat altogether. It was time to head back for another dreaded checkup to diagnose his symptoms once and for all.

At the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts an x-ray was performed, revealing shocking information. The cause of Mortimer’s symptoms was not acid reflux. Boy, was she wrong. Instead, it stemmed from the nearly 20 plastic pacifiers lodged in his stomach.

As it turns out, Mortimer had been chomping down on the unexpected rubbery snack for months. Soon after the horrifying discovery, an emergency procedure was performed. Mortimer was sedated and the pacifiers were retrieved from Mortimer’s digestive track via endoscopy, a non-surgical procedure.

‘If not for the urgency with which his family pursued veterinary care, things would have gotten much worse for him,’ said Dr. Doug Brum, Mortimer’s primary veterinarian.

In the aftermath of it all, Shanahan was nothing less than shocked. ‘Even though I have two small children at home, I’d never imagined he was eating pacifiers!’ Although clearly mortified, she continued on to add that she is overjoyed it is not a chronic illness.

Today, Mortimer is happy, health, and pacifier-free. Phew!

While strange, Mortimer’s situation is not rare. Veterinarians at the Angell Animal Medical Center claim they have removed a vast array of objects from the bellies of countless pets, including guitar strings, wristwatches, safety pins, diamond rings, perfume bottles, and more.

If you notice your pet developing new and curious eating habits, don’t hesitate to get it checked out. After all, you can never be too sure just what lies beneath their furry coat!

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‘She laid there. I stroked her head, closed her eyes, kissed her. I removed her collar, and told her one last time, ‘I love you so much.’ I filled my pockets with tissues, and walked out.’

‘Somebody stop that dog!’ I was in the right place at the right time. Cars zoomed by. Once I was close enough, I dove for the dog on asphalt.’

‘Aww, You’re such a freak of nature!’ I stood there, with my own obvious difference, unsure of what to say. Because I’ve been there. ‘Two-face.’ ‘Ugly.’ ‘Freak.’

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