Labradors, dirty socks and mustard

santa clawsA conversation on Facebook where I highlighted Freeny’s model of the internal organs of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, reminded me of an incident with our pet labrador that happened a couple of years ago.

She ate a pair of my wife’s dirty socks, thrown off in curled up form after a long walk, before we could stop her, we just saw the last threads of the pair being swallowed. Called the vet for advice. Better out than in, could cause intestinal torsion requiring surgery and an expensive overnight stay. Advice? Give her a tiny bit of mustard and it should make her vomit and thus regurgitate the socks. We should have known better…

After she had got through three jars of Colman’s English and one of that nice brown French delicatessen stuff with the whole seeds that goes so well with a rare beef steak, we gave up and took her to the vet for an emetic injection…87 quid and a bowl of socky dog puke stinking of mustard later and we were taking her home. Now, whenever I get the skillet out to flash fry a steak and open the door of the refrigerator, she’s there…drooling…

Labradors. Bah.