New York Dachshund’s Dry Wall Lunch Ends in Emergency Room

Devastated after losing Rocky, her beloved dachshund of 15 years, Stacey Logan-Docke of Carle Place, N.Y., adopted Blitzen and Dasher, a dynamic dachshund duo who immediately lifted her family’s spirits. Things were going great until her husband, George, came home from work one day to find a hole chewed through the kitchen wall, but couldn’t tell which was the guilty party. (Spoiler alert: It was Blitzen.)  Blitzen’s “foodie” adventure gone wrong and subsequent recovery earned him the title of February’s “Most Unusual Claim of the Month” by Nationwide, the nation’s first and largest provider of pet health insurance.

The day started off as any other in the Logan-Docke household. While Stacey and George were at work, Blitzen and Dasher were headquartered in the kitchen, to keep them out of trouble. Stacey returned home during her lunch break to take the dogs out and returned back to work immediately after. A few hours later, George arrived home to find that someone had chewed a hole through the kitchen wall.

“My husband didn’t know what happened,” said Stacey. “He wasn’t sure what caused them to chew through the wall. He couldn’t tell if both of them chewed the wall or only one of them. He had no idea if either of them were in any real medical danger.”

George immediately rushed both Blitzen and Dasher to their primary veterinarian at Garden City Veterinary Care in Mineola, N.Y., where they both had X-rays taken. The results showed that Blitzen had ingested a foreign body, likely drywall, and they treated him with fluids, hopeful that surgery was not needed. Both dogs were both cleared and able to be taken home, only to return to Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury, N.Y., two hours later.

“We took them home and everything was fine. Blitzen and Dasher were tired but otherwise acting normal,” said Stacey. “After a couple of hours, Blitzen was nauseous and started vomiting, and we immediately rushed him to the emergency hospital.”

Blitzen was evaluated right away for the ingestion of foreign material and vomiting. A plan was made to keep him overnight for hospitalization on IV fluids and supportive care. The staff at Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center of Westbury took additional X-rays and administered anti-vomiting medication to help keep him comfortable throughout the night. The next morning, the staff took another set of X-rays which showed that the foreign object had successfully passed and Blitzen was cleared to return home.

“Blitzen is incredibly lucky that he didn’t ingest more of the drywall,” said Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary officer for Nationwide. “This incident is a prime example of why pet insurance exists and how these unforeseen events can happen anywhere, including your own home. Literally!”

Two months following the distressing event, Blitzen returned back to his normal ways, although he has kept his distance from the scene of the crime. The pups have even found themselves in the constant care of a dog sitter, to help keep a closer watch on any suspicious activity the duo may get into.

“Blitzen received excellent veterinary care at both Garden City Veterinary and Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center. The staff was comforting, and they treated him immediately,” said Stacey. “We’ve been long-term users of pet insurance from our previous pets. I recommend pet insurance to everyone I know. It’s a worthwhile investment that pays for itself with one emergency visit.”