Full Moons and Dogs: Weird Things That Vets See During a Full Moon

Strange Things Dogs Do During Full Moons

For years – (and even now) – veterinarians and emergency room doctors will tell you stories of weird calls and cases they see in dogs during full moons.

I know staffs that dread working nights with full moons. To read the full story about how the moon affects pets – go to How will the Big Moon Days Affect your Dog or Cat?

What are some examples? These might seem strange but in some weird way – some of them cal also be funny. Sometimes, when working under stressful conditions – staff need to maintain a sense of humor.

In general, more than any one thing – many emergency clinics are just plain busier – sometimes twice or three times as busy on full moon nights as other nights. This can make things very hectic.

Hear are some examples:

• An owner calls at 3 am and says…(this is the total phone call) “Hello, My dog is fat. (pause)”. “Yes”, the technician answers at the emergency clinic. “My dog is really fat”. The technician responds, “I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe you should consider some weight loss strategies. We are an emergency room. Are you having an emergency with your pet?”. The caller responds….”No. My dog is fat”. Well, maybe you can read an article on Petplace.com on dog obesity. Then…talk to your veterinarian to determine what the best plan is for your dog”. Caller….”okay. Bye.”. This is strange – but especially strange at 3 am.
• A 10-year-old Labrador retriever that used to be ornery and “eat things” as a puppy decided in his senior years to eat a tennis ball.
• One night – a vet emergency friend saw three dogs diagnosed with bloat (Gastric Dilatation & Volvulus) within about 30 minutes.
• Many believe that dogs are more likely to seizure during a full moon. I’ve seen times when there can be 5 or 6 dogs present with seizures during a full moon.
• A dog came to the ER clinic – the dog’s owner was in a complete and utter panic. The dog was a 9-month-old intact boxer. The owner said she had heard boxers can develop tumors and can be prone to cancer. She just identified 2 small tumors. Diagnosis? The dog had an erection.
• One night – within about 30 minutes – two dogs game in with “golf” related incidents. One owner was practicing his swing and swears the dog was on the other side of the yard but ended up behind him, getting hit with club and suffering from a broken radius (front lower leg).
• On the other side of town, an owner was putting golf balls as he has for years – and his dog would play with them. ON this night – the beagle picked up one – looked at the owner and swallowed it, then picked up another and swallowed IT! It came to the clinic – and had to have surgery to remove the golf balls.
• Want to read about some stories from dog owners about how their dogs behaved on a full moon? Read more.