Dog ate chocolate?

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Dog ate twigs and stuffing.

Species: Dog
Breed: golden
Age: Less than 3 mon
Dr Marie,

On Tuesday, unfortunately I had to fire the pet sitter due to inhebriation.
Max seemed fine. At and drank normal amounts. Twice daily solid stools. He was checked by a vet just in case and no sign of outward injury.
Tuesday night Max vomitted at 3 am in his cage. The contents were a small branch, a 1" plaster object and some feathery stuffing.

Wednesday, ate very well, normal water, normal stools. Very alert and active. At 5am vomitted in his case. Only some saliva came.

Brought him right away this morning to the emerg.
Very alert and active. Temp is normal. Not sore during palpation. The emerg vet said there was a lot of stool and gas present. Gave him an enema laxative. Stool was normal but contained a 1/4" twig and apparently more of this stuffing. They gave him an antacid.

Thursday morning he took his water and food normally.

The EDVet said that since he was active and inquisitive, no temp, and no soreness it's likely he just has residual stomache irritation.

Does this sound reasonable?

Jay

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Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Good to hear from you again Jay. Sorry to here that you had problems with your petsitter.

I am amazed at the things that Goldens will eat!

I would definitely agree with what your vet said. Any time we know there is a foreign object that is ingested there is a concern for an intestinal or a stomach blockage. However, dogs with these problems will be very lethargic, have a lack of stool and will not be eating.

It will likely take 24-48 hours for everything to pass through. The fact that Max is eating well is a great sign. The enema will help move things along and the antacid well help protect the stomach against scratches/ulcers from the twigs.

Have you considered getting pet insurance on Max? It sounds like he has had his share of vet visits already!

I hope he continues to do well,

Dr. Marie.


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Customer reply:

He definately has insurance.

My concern is what if he has a partial GI blockage?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

What you have described doesn't sound at all like a partial blockage. He should really be feeling crummy - not eating, sore abdomen, lethargic, if he had any type of obstruction. Plus, there was a good amount of stool afterwards as well.

I think the chances of blockage, even partial are very very small.



Customer reply:

That's good to know. He was running around the waiting room playing with staff. Why did he attempt to vomit lady night then


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

I would guess it's like the irritation in his stomach. The medications should really help with that!



Customer reply:

Well this morning we made it to 5:30am. Right after I said we are clear he makes regurgitation sounds for 5 seconds, and nothing comes out. Is this just residual GI irritation?

This morning he ate his meal, drank his water. Hes playful and his tail is wagging and doing his best to make trouble. He had a normal stool (which contained some grass from Tuesday and some sort of rubber stopper that you find under things to protect furniture (about half the size of a button).



Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

I just saw the pictures you sent of Max...he is gorgeous! But it looks like he could be a trouble maker!

The fact that he is still pooping out foreign objects has me a little concerned. While I still think that the vomiting could be from irritation I think it may be a good idea to have another vet visit.

It would be great for Max to have some xrays and possibly even some barium xrays. This is where they will give him some fluid orally that shows up really well on xrays and then take a few more xrays throughout the day to watch the fluid go through. If there is a foreign object in his stomach or intestines then this will point it out.

I hope all works out ok!

Dr. Marie.



Customer reply:

That rubber thing was a random peice. I found another one in the room.

You're concerned because it's likely taken him from Tuesday afternoon until Friday morning to pass it? You're thinking thats slower than normal and could have been 'held back' by something else in there?





Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

My thought is more that he has passed twigs, feathers, a plaster thing and now a rubber thing and he still is occasionally vomiting, or trying to vomit. There is a possibility that there is still something in his stomach.

However, I still think that he's fine. But, it's always best to be safe rather than sorry.



Customer reply:

stomache or small or large intestines?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

At this point, if there was an object in there it would likely be in the stomach. If there was something in the intestines he would be feeling sicker.



Customer reply:

stomache or small or large intestines?


Customer reply:

so an emetic.

Ok... I am taking him to the vet this afternoon.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Sounds like a good idea. I'm really not terribly worried but again, better safe than sorry!




Customer reply:

My vet is obviously conservative. He examined Max. He saw no need for x-rays. Prescribed an anti-emetic and zantac for 5 days.

Of course I'm concerned the anti-emetic may mask something stuck in his stomach.

However, tonite's stool was normal and contained no foreign matter.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Jay...that's certainly a reasonable plan of action. Plus, your vet has a better view of the whole picture than I do as he can examine Max.

If it's just inflammation (from all the unusual stuff that has been through his stomach) then the anti-emetic should fix the problem. But, if he's still vomiting once the course is done then xrays are a good idea.

It's also good news that today's stool is normal.



Customer reply:

a foreign body can remain in the stomach for the week?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh definitely. I have seen animals that have had a foreign body in their stomach for over a year! In those cases we see intermittent vomiting. It's not common though.



Customer reply:

Off topic but I have given your address to some of the physicians at work.


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Great, thanks for the referral!

I'm heading in to an appointment right now (puppy vaccination).

Hope you and Max have a great night!



Customer reply:

Max remains asymptomatic.

Even though he's on antiemetic and zantac since last nite, he didn't vomit this morning.

AM stool contained metal end of rabbit's foot keychain. No bones have been discovered in stool.

Xray showed no foreign body (except for a small one near end of colon), perforation or obstruction. Sent to radiologist - confirmed.

After long car ride he vomited (not unusual). Contents were just food.

Radiologist suggested 24 hr fast and retake x rays to be certain due to food contents.

How necessary is this? Would the bones have been digested?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

I am amazed at the amount of things that Max ate! It looks like things are passing through him though so this is good.

Again, I think the vets are on the right track. I do think the repeat xray is a good idea.

I am a little confused by your question about the bones...did he eat some bones that you know of? Some types of bones are digested easier than others. Chicken bones are generally digested well but other bones (pork or steak) are not.

I hope everything is ok on his repeat xray!

Dr. Marie.



Customer reply:

The rabbits foot keychain is a real rabbits foot. Max ate one of these. I only found the metal base and fur. I'm hoping that since the bones were dry, old and fragile he was able to digest then.

Since it's been 2 days since any vomiting and he's asymptomatic and the initial x-ray was ok I agree with the vet to just monitor for now.

There is one more small piece of something that appeared on the x-ray in the colon. I'm just waiting for this to pass.


Thanks again for your advice.

Jay

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.pollsb.com/photos/o/33287-rabbit_s_foot.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.pollsb.com/polls/p14083-pick_good_luck_charm&usg=__sjVpYeZqJzVb3yGZm2gZrjoPBIs=&h=350&w=400&sz=24&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=7zhWSir2r7E9NM:&tbnh=165&tbnw=205&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drabbit%27s%2Bfoot%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1912%26bih%3D862%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=369&ei=YjifTL7GEsP_lgeA9tCECg&oei=LjifTKL5BMKqlAetlq3sAg&esq=4&page=1&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0&tx=32&ty=117



Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Ah, ok, I understand about the bones now. I'm really glad to hear that there has been no vomiting for 2 days. Let's hope things continue to go well!

Dr. Marie



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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

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