HOUSTON -- Pet owners may be surprised, or even disgusted, at what their dogs will eat when no one is looking. Some even require a veterinarian to get the items out, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

Vets say dogs will eat just about anything.

"A lot of times, dogs will eat whatever we would find the most disgusting. Those are the things dogs would look at as treats," Dr. Brian Poteet, a veterinarian with Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists.

One dog had a spoon inside its stomach.

Another had the blade of an electric knife.

And vets said items like this are more common than people might think.

"Why a dog would eat that, I'm not sure. But we try to figure that question out a lot," Poteet said.

A plastic squirrel figurine was found inside the stomach of one Houston-area dog.

But how do pet owners know when their dog has eaten a foreign object?

"They don't come in because things are missing. I can tell you a few stories about that. They see the dog -- the first thing they'll do is (the dog will) go off food. They don't want to eat. Then, after that, the dog will start feeling bad. They may start trying to vomit some, then they become lethargic and depressed," Poteet said.

So, what happens after an X-ray finds the item?

"Sometimes they'll pass them and sometimes they won't pass them. And if they don't pass them and they're still in the stomach, you can retrieve it with an endoscope. If they get into the small bowel they need surgical intervention," Poteet said.

Doctors warn items such as string or rope from some toys pose an even bigger problem. They can cause the bowel to fold up on itself and sometimes even rupture.

So, pet owners should be careful as to what their dogs have access. Even items that seem too large to be swallowed could still be dangerous.