“I Think My Dog Ate Something He Wasn’t Supposed to”
February 13th, 2020 by Cherished Companions
What to do if your dog ate socks, clothes, toys or other inedible objects
If you suspect your dog may have eaten something he (or she) wasn’t supposed to, take heart.
Your dog is in good company!
Our veterinarians have treated dogs that have eaten:
- Socks
- Underwear
- Rope chew toys
- Children’s toys
- A mechanical cat toy (you could see all the metallic moving parts in the X-ray)
- Plastic
- Feminine hygiene products
- A hearing aid
- Jewelry
- A corncob
- Chicken bones
- Mulch and rocks (especially those around the BBQ grill)
- A ball of twine
- Decorative grass
- Clothing, including shirts and pants
- Children’s clothing
- A bottle of gorilla glue
- A glass light bulb (it passed all the way through the dog’s system without breaking!)
Basically, anything you think that a dog could eat, he can eat.
How to know if your dog ate something
Your dog may be:
- Vomiting
- Not eating
- Acting lethargic
- Stretching his butt in the air and staying in that pose (he may be trying to get pressure off his belly)
- Stretching a lot
- Grunting like a pig or moaning (it likely hurts when your dog moves)
- Retching (but he may be unable to throw up)
Also, looks for remnants of what your dog may have eaten.
For example, if you get home from work and find a partially chewed up toy (but you can’t find the rest of it), get your dog in for an X-ray.
Suspect your dog ate something? If you live near Castle Rock, CO, call our veterinarians at 303-688-3757.
“What should I do?”
The big thing is to be observant.
If you notice ANY of the behaviors above, get your dog checked by our veterinarians ASAP.
Some objects aren’t a big deal
Just because your dog ate something, this doesn’t mean your dog has to have surgery to get it out.
But it’s helpful to know what’s going on, so you can watch your dog and make sure he’s acting normal.
Some objects are small enough that they’re likely to pass. (It usually takes a couple of days.)
Other objects CAN be a big deal — or can become a big deal
If we fear the object could cause damage or it’s too big for your dog to throw up, we’ll try to catch the object while it’s still in the stomach.
It’s easier to go in and remove the object from the stomach than from the intestinal tract.
Things tend to become a bigger problem in the intestinal tract.
If the foreign object gets stuck, it can get expensive if you have to remove it.
It helps to get an X-ray to see what’s going on
If you think your dog ate something and he still seems to be feeling okay, it helps to get a proactive X-ray.
There are things we can give your dog to help him pass the object.
But it’s important to see what you’re dealing with.
“Should I make my dog vomit?”
Do not make your dog vomit without consulting with a veterinarian first.
Typically, the only time we’ll consider making your dog throw up is when your dog has eaten something toxic, like a high dose of chocolate.
But even then, it can be better to leach it out of your dog’s system (for example, if your dog licked bleach).
If you suspect your dog ate something and you live near Castle Rock, Colorado, our veterinarians are here to help you. Call 303-688-3757 or:
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Cherished Companions Animal Clinic is a veterinary clinic in Castle Rock, Colorado. Specializing in the care of cats and dogs, our goal is to help you and your pet feel more comfortable, keeping your stress to a minimum.
This article is intended to provide general guidance if you think your dog ate something he wasn’t supposed to. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your local veterinarian. (If you live in or around Castle Rock, we welcome your call: 303-688-3757.)
© 2020, Cherished Companions Animal Clinic, All Rights Reserved