"My Pet Ate..." Part Two - Foreign Objects
We frequently get phone calls from worried pet owners who have noticed that their pet ate something and they are not sure what to do. When your pet eats a foreign object, this can be quite concerning as some objects can get lodged in the intestines and cause obstructions.
Let's start with methods to prevent your pet from ingesting things, since an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Both dogs and cats have a habit of chewing things they shouldn't. If you notice that your pet is one that tends to chew things they shouldn't, remember to keep these objects up and away from them as best you can. Remind everyone in your home to put away toys, socks, clothing, etc and not to leave things lying on the floor. Many dogs will go after laundry (especially dirty laundry!) so remember to keep everything in a closet basket. Strings are an exceptionally fun toy for cats, but only allow your cat to play with these toys while being supervised. After your cat is done playing, remember to put the string away to prevent him or her from ingesting it later on.
What if you think your pet ate a foreign object? If you saw your pet eat something, please give us a call or bring your pet into the clinic. Depending on what they ate, sometimes inducing vomiting is an option to retrieve the object. This provides you with the peace of mind knowing it won't get lodged in the intestines and cause an obstruction. Diapers, hair scrunchies, socks, bandanas, certain toys, sanitary pads and tampons are examples of objects that can typically be retrieved by inducing vomiting. However, certain objects that are sharp or contain chemicals (eg batteries) may need to be removed via an endoscope since it is very risky to induce vomiting in those cases.
Some animals will vomit or defecate out the foreign material on their own, however it is difficult to predict if that will happen. We have had patients ingest dozens of socks and manage to vomit them up or defecate them out, until the one sock that gets stuck inside in the intestines.
What if your pet is acting sick and you think a foreign object is the cause?
Let's say your dog or cat isn't eating, maybe they are vomiting as well, and you just noticed that one of your socks is missing... Please give us a call and bring your pet in. If your pet has ingested a foreign object and it is causing them to be sick, we will typically do an x-ray to see what is going on inside their stomach and intestines. Sometimes further xrays in something called a Barium Series are needed to further elicit the likelihood of obstruction inside the intestines. Barium is a chalky liquid that shows up as a bright white stream on x-rays. We follow its course inside the gastrointestinal system to help determine if there is any foreign material inside. If we are strongly suspicious of a foreign object inside the gastrointestinal system and it won't be able to make it's way out on it's own, then surgery is required. During surgery, your pet's gastrointestinal system is explored from the stomach to the small intestine to the large intestine. The area(s) that the foreign object is suspected are opened in order to retrieve the object, and then sutured closed. Sometimes multiple incisions must be made into the gastrointestinal system if there are multiple objects or if there is a long object like a string causing problems in multiple places.
