I Need Help!

[Rustyroo]

I think our puppy ate an ornament. It was one of our plastic ornaments. I found pieces, but I can't find anything else. What should I do?

[KF_in_Georgia]

I think the usual advice in this case is to feed bread to help protect against the sharp edges.

 

Meanwhile, keep hunting for more pieces and see how much you can find. Try to get an estimate of how much was eaten.

 

But feed bread...

 

You've said "puppy." How big?

[Time4ANap]

If you think the pieces are small enough to pass through then give some bread to help cushion it. If you aren't sure, then I would either monitor for any sign of distress or head to the vet for an x-ray depending on which you are more comfortable with. Being a puppy, I might opt for the x-ray if the pieces are very big.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Time4ANap

[gracegirl]

How about the hook? I hope you found that. If not, I would do the x-rays before feeding anything at all. Poor puppy.

[4My2Greys]

Most times I've seen people recommend feeding several slices of bread to help form a coating around the foreign object. A vet I used in the past used a slurry made from Metamucil when I I wasn't sure if one of my dogs had ingested any pieces of a broken pyrex dish. Personally I think the Metamucil forms a more protective coating than bread would, but bread is usually what I see suggested.

Agree with others, depending on size and possibility of hook, x-rays should be considered.

[FiveRoooooers]

Bread can be good. This was Paddy's third muzzle snack - he "decorated" the yard with purple for about three days afterwards and is fine. Does your pup seem to be feeling / acting normally?

[Houndtime]

Shine ate one of those small light bulbs in a battery candle and I was told to soak a 100% cotton ball in half and half. The vet told me not to use bread and I don't remember why. Something with the yeast.

[mom2four]

Nothing to do with Christmas ornaments, but my first young Labrador swallowed a popsicle stick whole. It came out the other end the same way it went in- whole- not bent at all! Just to let you know what sized things can go through doggie intestines.

[Rustyroo]

How about the hook? I hope you found that. If not, I would do the x-rays before feeding anything at all. Poor puppy.

 

We found the hook and the top that the hook attaches to, so that is good. I only found tiny pieces of the ornament itself. I'm pretty sure he ate the rest.

 

I gave him some bread, and I'll give him some more before bed.

I think the usual advice in this case is to feed bread to help protect against the sharp edges.

 

Meanwhile, keep hunting for more pieces and see how much you can find. Try to get an estimate of how much was eaten.

 

But feed bread...

 

You've said "puppy." How big?

He's a 9 mo old lab/hound mix. He's not tiny little thing anymore.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

As you have given him bread, I think all you can do now is watch him closely. Is he pooping as normal, without pain? Is his appetite normal? Is he showing any signs of being in pain? Does he just seem "off"? It is amazing what dogs can eat and not get into trouble. On the other hand my Henry ate a sewing needle and the only clue I had that he had done so and that it was piercing his stomach lining was that he just seemed "off". Luckily my vet is a good detective.

[Rustyroo]

So far he seems fine. He's running around irritating Franny. I think I'll know more in the morning.

[GeorgeofNE]

My BROTHER ate a glass ornament (well, took a good bite anyway) when he was a toddler! My mother freaked out, naturally. She called the doctor and he calmly said, "First one this year!"

[Shaysmom]

I once had a foster eat a small glass Christmas ball. The vet took an X-ray and sent us home with a case of high fiber canned dog food. I had to give him a can every few hours; I think it was six or eight per day. He was very excited about getting to eat canned food, but by the end, even he was saying no more! He pooped like you can't even imagine, several times a day, but it did the trick. The next X-Ray was clean of glass bits.

[Rustyroo]

No negative after effects so far. I think he will be ok.

[GreytTerp]

I'm thinking plastic ornament pieces might be similar to chewed up plastic cat toy, a couple of pens, plastic lid/top of a milk carton and a chicken stock container, etc...? In our case, and this has happened about 8 times now and is predictable enough that we can prepare the night before (put blankets down, mix the oxy-clean, shut the bedroom door to keep him with us, etc.), the pieces might settle in his stomach but not block the exit and just cause some irritation. When this happens, our hound ends up vomiting up the pieces about 12 to 12 1/2 hours after his last meal (so about 5-6 am) and is just fine. For whatever reason, he doesn't seem to push much through and out the other end...not that we haven't been surprised on that occasionally as well. Unless your pup gets some odd gas build up, little is likely to show up on the x-ray. Canned pumpkin has also worked really well for us to 'flush him out' when we know he chewed up something into pieces small enough to pass. I'm sure he'll be just fine, and you'll start seeing ornament pieces in a few hours...!