Are you constantly pulling a hair tie out of your cat’s mouth or catching your dog trying to sneak away with a sock to snack on? Some pets will try to eat all kinds of things they shouldn’t and it’s not just bad for them, it can be pretty pricey for their owners, too. During the holidays, there are even more tempting things to get into, and thanks to a new study, we know what pets try to ingest most often.
Pumpkin Pet Insurance analyzed thousands of veterinary claims from 2020 to 2025 to find the most common - and most dangerous - things pets swallow.
- For dogs, chocolate is number one. More than a quarter of vet visits (26.3%) for dogs swallowing something dangerous were from candy or chocolate.
- Even small amounts of chocolate can be toxic for them and they may end up needing IV fluids, monitoring and more care, with an average chocolate-related vet bill of $11-hundred.
- Cats try to eat things they shouldn’t either and the biggest threat for them is string.
- This can result in a dangerous condition called “linear foreign body obstruction” where part of the string gets stuck somewhere in the GI tract.
- The average cost to treat a string ingestion emergency is over $25-hundred.
- Toys make up 20% of all foreign object accidents for both cats and dogs, making them the second most common ingested item for both. The average vet bill for swallowed toy parts for dogs is $25-hundred and for cats, it’s $19-hundred.
- Socks make up 8% of dog ingestion claims and will cost pet owners an average of $35-hundred, but rocks are even more expensive at $44-hundred.
The Top Five Things Dogs Swallow
- Candy and chocolate (26.3%)
- Toys or toy parts (20.4%)
- Clothes (12%)
- Sticks (9.1%)
- Money (7.3%)
The Top Five Things Cats Swallow
- String (34.6%)
- Toys or toy parts (21.8%)
- Hair ties and accessories (6.8%)
- Office supplies (5.7%)
- Money (5.7%)
Source: Pumpkin Pet Insurance