Check out the “winners” of the ninth annual “They Ate WHAT?” radiography contest. The photos will have you howling!

Any pet lover can tell you that there isn’t much a dog won’t eat (or at least try to eat!). In our household, we might even use “drop it!” more than any other command. (“Get down!” and “leave the cat alone!” are a close 2nd and 3rd, respectively.)

Unfortunately, these dog owners weren’t around to shout “drop it!” when their dogs ate, well, you’ll see… And not to worry, all these lucky critters came out the other side of their culinary adventures just fine, if not a little worse for wear.

The Great and Terrible “Sock Monster” Dane

Everybody thinks it’s the dryer that eats their socks, but this big guy proves that sometimes, there might just be another, crazier explanation.

A concerned pet owner brought their 3-year-old male Great Dane to DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon, after he’d been vomiting and retching all day. Poor guy — we’d be worried too!

43½ of them

They were all removed from the pooch’s stomach (no wonder he wasn’t feeling well!) and thankfully, he went home just one day after surgery and is back to his old self again, but we hope he’s given up the sock habit once and for all.

Shish Ka-Pup

Mmmmm… barbecue. There’s nothing quite like firing up the grill on a summer’s day. Marley, a 6-year-old German shorthaired pointer from Gulf Breeze, Florida, would absolutely not disagree with you, though he might be staying away from the shish kabobs from now on.

Marley’s owner had just finished preparing two shish kabob skewers with meat and veggies (yum!) in preparation for the grill. She only had her back turned for a moment, but that was all it took. Both Marley and the skewers were gone.

While she found one skewer hiding under the bed with Marley, the other one was MIA, so off to the vet for an x-ray they went.

Sure enough, there was the skewer, smack dab in the middle of Marley’s belly, much to the surprise of the veterinarian. Can you say ouch?!

Again, this story has a happy ending. The vet removed the skewer and now Marley is free to have many more adventures. Ones that don’t involve the barbecue.

The Honorable Mentions

While Sock Monster and Shish Ka-Pup were the winners of this year’s contest, there were many critters who came oh-so-close to the podium:

Now to you guys: What’s the craziest thing your pet has eaten (or tried to eat)? Have you ever gotten the x-ray surprise of your life like these pet owners did?

[Source: Veterinary Practice News]