Rottweiler Finds Musical Instrument, Gets Stuck in the Most Unexpected Way

In a vet clinic in New South Wales, Australia, one dog surprised staff when she arrived in “a bit of a pickle.”

Koda, a 10-month-old rottweiler, had surprised her mom when she returned home from her first Tinder date and found her pup at the door. The surprise? A white circular object was lodged firmly in her mouth.

The pup had managed to get hold of a Zendrum—a hand-held percussion instrument—and accidentally lodged it in her mouth.

Koda’s owner rushed her to the vet where veterinarian and clinic owner Dr. Bruce Krumm quickly stepped in.

“We sedated Koda first, then intubated her as a precaution in case general anesthesia was required. Fortunately, Dr. Krumm was able to remove the Zendrum without needing to fully anaesthetise her,” Tiana McLaren, practice manager at Kanwal Veterinary Hospital, told Newsweek.

“Cases like this are rare. While we often see foreign-body ingestion, it’s not every day something gets stuck quite like this,” McLaren said.

Unexpectedly consumed items are no surprise in the pet world. In 2023, pet medical insurance company Trupanion reported that it handled 24,000 foreign-body ingestion claims in pets. The average claim was $878, while the highest claim was $27,403.

The clinic shared a video of the moment on Instagram where it has been viewed more than 540,000 times. In the comments, people shared their reactions.

“Sooo he bit more than he could chew,” joked one viewer, while another said: “They just wanted to be a drummer.”

“Miss Koda is still cute,” wrote a third commenter. “Even with a Zen drum stuck to her snoot.”

Not all feedback was friendly, though. Some social-media users suggested the procedure must have cost the owner thousands and accused veterinarians of profiteering.

But McLaren said: “Just to put things into perspective—the total cost of the procedure was $259. It’s not about a money grab. It’s about caring for animals.”

Koda is now doing just fine, free from the musical drum, and her mom is still seeing the man from the first date who got to see it all.

This isn’t the first time an unusual vet story has captured viral attention. Earlier this year, an owner panicked when her dog started acting strangely, only to discover that the pup had accidentally eaten a THC-infused edible.

Another dog owner found herself left with a $600 vet bill, but the diagnosis was far from expected. After a trip to the veterinarian, they found out that the dog was simply struggling with gas.

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