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What To Do When Your Puppy Swallowed Something They Shouldn't Have

Puppy chewing a toy

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Puppies are known for eating all kinds of non-edible things, and sometimes these can cause serious complications. They may eat something accidentally when a piece of a toy breaks off or something falls onto the ground without the owner's knowledge. Foreign body obstruction in puppies can be a medical emergency that can end your puppy's life if immediate attention is not received. Here's what to do if your puppy or adult dog swallows something they shouldn't have.

Why Do Dogs Swallow Foreign Objects?

Dogs and puppies may eat all kinds of things they shouldn't, and they do it mainly due to curiosity and puppy teething. Puppies explore their world by mouthing, tasting, and chewing, so sometimes they swallow foreign objects that can make them sick. Some dangerous objects prove too tempting—used tampons and even grease-smeared foil proves irresistible to puppies who troll the trash for scraps.

Common Foreign Bodies

The most common objects dogs eat include socks, underwear, pantyhose, rocks, balls, chew toys, corn cobs, bones, hair ties/ribbons, and sticks. Most items tend to be owner-scented objects, but the list doesn’t stop there.

Whole toys or parts of toys, jewelry, coins, pins, erasers, and paper clips are often swallowed. String, thread (with or without the needle), fishing hooks and lines, Christmas tree tinsel, and yarn are extremely dangerous. String from turkey roasts is particularly appealing, so watch out for those holiday food hazards. And for puppies able to crunch up the object, pieces of wood or bone may prove hazardous. Even too much rawhide can cause a blockage.

Warning

Never pull on a string that you see in the mouth or hanging out the rectum. String and thread may be wrapped around anatomy or attached to a needle or fishhook that's embedded in tissue further down the digestive tract. Pulling the string is likely to further injure the GI tract and may even prove fatal.

What To Do If Your Dog Swallowed an Object

If the item was swallowed within one to two hours, it’s likely still in the stomach, so call your vet immediately for advice. They may tell you to come in right away to induce vomiting or, if toxicity is a concern, to call an animal poison hotline (like the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Hotline). In some situations, your vet may advise inducing vomiting at home, but this is not recommended without the guidance of a veterinarian due to some safety concerns with at-home methods.

After two hours, the object may pass into the intestines and vomiting won’t help. You'll still want to call your vet for advice. Some objects are small enough to pass through the digestive system and be eliminated with the feces and cause no problems while others can cause damage while they're passing through (such as coins or batteries).

Ask your vet if it's okay to feed a bulky meal of dry food or a slice of plain bread. This may cushion stones or other heavy objects and help them move on out. Food also activates digestive juices, which can help soften wads of rawhide so they pass more readily.

In some cases, small objects pass harmlessly through the body and end up on the lawn. Monitor your puppy’s productivity. Use a disposable popsicle stick or plastic knife to chop up and search through the puppy droppings for the object.

If your dog swallows the objects below, bring your dog to the nearest open veterinary facility:

  • Sharp objects
  • Metal objects, such as coins or batteries
  • String

Warning


If you’ve seen a pet swallow something they shouldn’t and they become lethargic, have decreased appetite, vomiting, retching, diarrhea, repeatedly cough, or look distressed, seek help immediately. Any object, even tiny ones, potentially may lodge in and block the intestinal tract.

Symptoms of Swallowed Objects

A foreign body diagnosis can be based on seeing the puppy swallow something or based on symptoms. It’s confirmed by X-rays or other diagnostics like an endoscope to determine the exact location and size of the blockage, and sometimes to identify the object itself. Specific signs depend on where the blockage is located and the type of object.

Symptoms

Your dog needs to go to the vet promptly if you notice the following signs:


An object caught in the stomach or intestines tends to cause vomiting, lethargy, and dehydration, all of which need medical attention from a veterinarian. Signs may come and go for days or weeks if the blockage is not complete and food can pass around it. However, contact a vet if any signs of illness are seen.

A complete blockage is a medical emergency that results in a bloated, painful stomach often with vomiting. The dog refuses food and immediately throws up anything he or she drinks. These are often life-threatening.

String-type articles may be caught between the teeth or on the tongue, with the rest swallowed. Or, a part of a string may be caught on the intestines with the end hanging out of the anus. Remember, never pull on this string. The intestines propel food using muscle contractions called peristalsis that move through the entire length of the intestine (kind of like an earthworm) to help push the contents through. But when a foreign object like a string is caught at one end, the intestine literally "gathers" itself like fabric on a thread, resulting in a kind of accordion formation. The result is sudden severe vomiting and diarrhea, and rapid dehydration.

Signs of zinc toxicity (from coins) include pale gums, bloody urine, jaundice—a yellow tinge to the whites of the eyes or inside the ears—along with vomiting, diarrhea, and refusal to eat. Lead poisoning from batteries can also cause teeth grinding, seizures and hyperactivity, loss of appetite, and vomiting. Copper poisoning has similar signs, plus a swollen tummy.

Signs Your Dog Swallowed Something Bad

The Spruce / Joshua Seong

Treatment for Swallowed Objects

Your veterinarian should evaluate any blockage situation to determine the best course of treatment. Surgery is often necessary to remove the obstruction. If the blockage is not promptly addressed, the resulting damage may become irreparable. Sharp objects may slice or puncture the bowel, and obstruction from any objects may interfere with blood flow to the organs and cause bowel tissue to die. Peritonitis is the result in either case and usually proves fatal.

Once located, the object will be removed. The veterinarian can sometimes do this with an endoscope down the puppy’s throat or the other direction up through his rectum, or with surgery. Any internal damage is repaired. If surgery can correct the problem before peritonitis sets in, most puppies fully recover. Should tissue die, the damaged sections of the intestine may be removed, and the living portions of the bowel reattached; these puppies typically have a decent prognosis but a lot depends on the specific location of the surgery and the degree of damage that was present at the time.

How to Prevent Your Puppy From Swallowing a Foreign Object

Some puppies outgrow indiscriminate munching, but others will continue to swallow inedible items in adulthood. The best course is preventing your dog from swallowing dangerous items.

Choose dog-safe toys that can't be chewed into tiny pieces, and supervise object play. Keep things picked up at all times and only allow chewing under your supervision. Anything a child would put in their mouth is fair game for puppies. Puppy-proof your home by thinking like your dog, so that you won't be caught off guard when your dog eats the rubber bumpers off the door stops. Keep trash up and away from your dogs no matter the age.

If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.
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  1. Gastrointestinal Obstruction in Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual