diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/thinking_param_translation.py b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/thinking_param_translation.py
index 642881b21cf..0ebdb5b3667 100644
--- a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/thinking_param_translation.py
+++ b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/thinking_param_translation.py
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 from types import MappingProxyType
 from typing import Final
 
+from pydantic import TypeAdapter, ValidationError
+
+_STR_KEYED_MAPPING: Final = TypeAdapter(Mapping[str, object])
+_OBJECT_TUPLE: Final = TypeAdapter(tuple[object, ...])
+_EMPTY: Final[Mapping[str, object]] = MappingProxyType({})
+
 _SEND_VIA_EXTRA_BODY: Final = "extra_body"
 _SEND_VIA_PROVIDER_MAPPED: Final = "provider_mapped"
 _SEND_VIA_VALUES: Final = frozenset((_SEND_VIA_EXTRA_BODY, _SEND_VIA_PROVIDER_MAPPED))
@@ -29,10 +35,19 @@ class ThinkingParamsState:
     extra_body: Mapping[str, object]
 
 
+def str_keyed_mapping_or_none(value: object) -> Mapping[str, object] | None:
+    if not isinstance(value, Mapping):
+        return None
+    try:
+        return _STR_KEYED_MAPPING.validate_python(value)
+    except ValidationError:
+        return None
+
+
 def _as_str_tuple(value: object) -> tuple[str, ...]:
     if not isinstance(value, (list, tuple)):
         return ()
-    return tuple(item for item in value if isinstance(item, str))
+    return tuple(item for item in _OBJECT_TUPLE.validate_python(value) if isinstance(item, str))
 
 
 def _thinking_enabled(thinking: object) -> bool:
@@ -40,14 +55,14 @@ def _thinking_enabled(thinking: object) -> bool:
         return thinking
     if isinstance(thinking, str):
         return thinking.lower() in _THINKING_ENABLED_STRINGS
-    if isinstance(thinking, Mapping):
-        typ: Final = thinking.get("type")
-        if isinstance(typ, str):
-            return typ.lower() in _THINKING_TYPE_ENABLED
-        enabled: Final = thinking.get("enabled")
-        if isinstance(enabled, bool):
-            return enabled
-    return False
+    mapping: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(thinking)
+    if mapping is None:
+        return False
+    typ: Final = mapping.get("type")
+    if isinstance(typ, str):
+        return typ.lower() in _THINKING_TYPE_ENABLED
+    enabled: Final = mapping.get("enabled")
+    return enabled if isinstance(enabled, bool) else False
 
 
 def _thinking_type_candidate(thinking: object) -> str | None:
@@ -56,11 +71,10 @@ def _thinking_type_candidate(thinking: object) -> str | None:
             return "enabled" if thinking else "disabled"
         case str():
             return thinking
-        case Mapping():
-            raw: Final = thinking.get("type")
-            return raw if isinstance(raw, str) else None
         case _:
-            return None
+            mapping: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(thinking)
+            raw: Final = mapping.get("type") if mapping is not None else None
+            return raw if isinstance(raw, str) else None
 
 
 def _thinking_type_value(thinking: object, allowed: Sequence[str]) -> str | None:
@@ -75,9 +89,10 @@ def _thinking_type_value(thinking: object, allowed: Sequence[str]) -> str | None
 
 
 def _thinking_payload(thinking: object, typ: str) -> Mapping[str, object]:
-    if not isinstance(thinking, Mapping):
+    mapping: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(thinking)
+    if mapping is None:
         return MappingProxyType({"type": typ})
-    return MappingProxyType({**thinking, "type": typ})
+    return MappingProxyType({**mapping, "type": typ})
 
 
 def _clamp_effort(value: object, allowed: Sequence[str]) -> str | None:
@@ -93,19 +108,13 @@ def _clamp_effort(value: object, allowed: Sequence[str]) -> str | None:
     return None
 
 
-def _mapping_or_none(value: object) -> Mapping[str, object] | None:
-    if isinstance(value, Mapping):
-        return value
-    return None
-
-
 def _merged_mapping_value(left: Mapping[str, object], right: Mapping[str, object], key: str) -> object:
     if key not in right:
         return left[key]
     if key not in left:
         return right[key]
-    left_map: Final = _mapping_or_none(left[key])
-    right_map: Final = _mapping_or_none(right[key])
+    left_map: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(left[key])
+    right_map: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(right[key])
     if left_map is not None and right_map is not None:
         return _deep_merge_pair(left_map, right_map)
     return right[key]
@@ -117,7 +126,7 @@ def _deep_merge_pair(left: Mapping[str, object], right: Mapping[str, object]) ->
 
 
 def _thawed(value: object) -> object:
-    mapping: Final = _mapping_or_none(value)
+    mapping: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(value)
     return value if mapping is None else thaw_mapping(mapping)
 
 
@@ -135,14 +144,15 @@ def _map_thinking_to_extra_body(
         case "thinking.type":
             typ: Final = _thinking_type_value(thinking, thinking_values)
             if typ is None:
-                return MappingProxyType({})
+                return _EMPTY
             return MappingProxyType({"thinking": _thinking_payload(thinking, typ)})
         case "thinking":
-            if isinstance(thinking, Mapping):
-                return MappingProxyType({"thinking": MappingProxyType({k: thinking[k] for k in thinking})})
+            thinking_mapping: Final = str_keyed_mapping_or_none(thinking)
+            if thinking_mapping is not None:
+                return MappingProxyType({"thinking": MappingProxyType(thinking_mapping)})
             typ_only: Final = _thinking_type_value(thinking, thinking_values or ("enabled", "disabled"))
             if typ_only is None:
-                return MappingProxyType({})
+                return _EMPTY
             return MappingProxyType({"thinking": MappingProxyType({"type": typ_only})})
         case "enable_thinking":
             return MappingProxyType({"enable_thinking": _thinking_enabled(thinking)})
@@ -151,7 +161,7 @@ def _map_thinking_to_extra_body(
                 {"chat_template_kwargs": MappingProxyType({"enable_thinking": _thinking_enabled(thinking)})}
             )
         case _:
-            return MappingProxyType({})
+            return _EMPTY
 
 
 def _map_effort_to_extra_body(
@@ -165,7 +175,7 @@ def _map_effort_to_extra_body(
         return MappingProxyType({"reasoning_effort": clamped})
     if not effort_values and send_via == _SEND_VIA_EXTRA_BODY and isinstance(effort, str):
         return MappingProxyType({"reasoning_effort": effort})
-    return MappingProxyType({})
+    return _EMPTY
 
 
 def translate_thinking_params(
@@ -202,7 +212,7 @@ def translate_thinking_params(
             thinking_values=thinking_values,
         )
         if thinking is not None and send_via == _SEND_VIA_EXTRA_BODY
-        else MappingProxyType({})
+        else _EMPTY
     )
     effort_patch: Final = (
         _map_effort_to_extra_body(
@@ -211,7 +221,7 @@ def translate_thinking_params(
             send_via=send_via,
         )
         if effort is not None
-        else MappingProxyType({})
+        else _EMPTY
     )
     patch: Final = MappingProxyType({**thinking_patch, **effort_patch})
     if not patch:
diff --git a/litellm/utils.py b/litellm/utils.py
index 0d71c65c3c9..6a5819ceeb5 100644
--- a/litellm/utils.py
+++ b/litellm/utils.py
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ from typing_extensions import assert_never
 from litellm import utils as litellm_utils
 from litellm.litellm_core_utils.thinking_param_translation import (
     ThinkingParamsState,
+    str_keyed_mapping_or_none,
     thaw_mapping,
     translate_thinking_params,
 )
@@ -4329,14 +4330,13 @@ def remove_sensitive_keys_from_dict(d: dict) -> dict:
 def _translate_thinking_in_params(
     *,
     model_info: Mapping[str, object] | None,
-    passed_params: dict,  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params hands over its legacy mutable params
-    non_default_params: dict,  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params hands over its legacy mutable params
-) -> tuple[dict, dict]:  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params keeps mutating both copies downstream
-    existing_extra_body: Final = passed_params.get("extra_body")
+    passed_params: dict[str, object],  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params hands over its legacy mutable params
+    non_default_params: dict[str, object],  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params hands over its legacy mutable params
+) -> tuple[dict[str, object], dict[str, object]]:  # mutable-ok: get_optional_params keeps mutating both downstream
     state: Final = ThinkingParamsState(
         thinking=non_default_params.get("thinking"),
         reasoning_effort=non_default_params.get("reasoning_effort"),
-        extra_body=existing_extra_body if isinstance(existing_extra_body, Mapping) else MappingProxyType({}),
+        extra_body=str_keyed_mapping_or_none(passed_params.get("extra_body")) or MappingProxyType({}),
     )
     translated: Final = translate_thinking_params(model_info=model_info, state=state)
     if translated is state:
diff --git a/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_thinking_param_translation.py b/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_thinking_param_translation.py
index a8cc0016bbd..956022ba7f9 100644
--- a/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_thinking_param_translation.py
+++ b/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_thinking_param_translation.py
@@ -210,6 +210,7 @@ def test_translate_moves_params_into_extra_body(
         pytest.param(_model_info(), {"type": "adaptive"}, None, id="thinking_type_not_allowed"),
         pytest.param(_model_info(), {"budget_tokens": 1024}, None, id="thinking_type_unreadable"),
         pytest.param(_model_info(), 1, None, id="thinking_type_unsupported_value"),
+        pytest.param(_model_info(), {1: "enabled"}, None, id="thinking_mapping_with_non_string_keys"),
         pytest.param(
             _model_info(thinking_param="thinking", thinking_values=[]), "adaptive", None, id="thinking_value_unmapped"
         ),