When Nelson gets hungry ...he eats mobile phones, cans and even a live frog (From Echo)

When Nelson gets hungry ...he eats mobile phones, cans and even a live frog

1:00pm Friday 17th August 2012 in Local News By Jasmin McDermott

Peculiar taste – Emily Ashley, 14, with Nelson which has an appetite for household objects

HOW’S that for a dog’s dinner? This loveable pet likes nothing more than munching on mobile phones, batteries and beer cans, instead of the usual canine treats.

In fact, Nelson’s hazardous appetite for household objects has resulted in 45 costly trips to the vet in the two-and-a-half years he has been with Dawn Ashley and her family – husband Julian and children Emily and George.

The cocker spaniel and golden retriever cross first discovered his unusual appetite when he swallowed a paper clip when he was just 12-weeks-old in March 2010.

He had to undergo surgery to remove the clip from his stomach.

Since then, Nelson has chewed his way through a battery, digesting the poisonous acid, a beer can, a mobile phone, the glass from a pair of specs and a live frog.

Dawn, 50, from Hadleigh , said: “He is just very inquisitive and wants to try everything. He has an inflammatory bowel disease, which the vets believe he had when he was born with, but obviously his eating habits have not done him any favours.

“I dread to think how much money we have spent on trips to the vet – thousands I imagine – but he is worth every penny.”

News of the canine’s antics has even travelled to America, after staff at YourVets24 clinic, in Brook Road, Rayleigh , sought specialist help when Nelson swallowed battery acid.

Dawn said: “He had gone off his food a couple of days after chewing the battery, so I took him in. However, because there is no poison unit for pets in the UK, the vets had to call a unit in America for advice.

“He is a lot of hard work and we are very conscious of keeping things out of his way, but he is just such a lovable character.”

Michelle Warwick, practice manager at YourVets24, said: “Nelson is one of our more regular visitors, and each visit certainly brings its own unique challenges for our team.

“It is inevitable curious pets will want to taste something different, but we have never known a dog like Nelson for eating so many bizarre objects.

“Unfortunately, his peculiar diet has left him with some long-term stomach damage, but, thanks to his owner, he has escaped a far worse fate.”

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