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My Foreign Object Eater At It Again


Guest jlbfitz

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Guest jlbfitz

Hi, all,

 

Somehow my grey managed to chew the Velcro off of her winter boots when we weren't looking (the boots were on her feet at the time, she is apparently quite skilled). She got two boots, each with about 5 inches of Velcro. She's eaten plenty of things in the past, despite our best efforts, and they either get vomited up or pooped out within a day or two. Our standard protocol is to watch for the object and look out for any signs of obstruction until we see it. And never trust her (honestly I had no idea she could take off her own boots and eat them in that time).

 

Well, the Velcro incident happened 5 days ago, and no sign of it yet. She is fine. Eating and drinking well, normal energy level, pooping good poop twice a day like usual.My hypothesis is that the Velcro is sitting in her stomach and she'll vomit it up eventually, but I'm worried. Should I take her to the vet since it's been a little while with no signs? I don't want to put her through something invasive, but I also don't want to put her at risk of serious harm.

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Guest jlbfitz

I'm just thinking that cloth won't show up on an x-ray, and exploratory surgery seems kind of extreme if there's a chance she might still vomit it back up or poop it out, and she's not showing any symptoms that anything is wrong. (ETA we are watching her like a hawk for **anything** out of the ordinary)

 

She once vomited up some plastic three weeks after we thought she'd pooped all of it out, so it doesn't seem crazy that this might take a little time.

Edited by jlbfitz
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I hesitate to say vet, even though you may eventually end up there, just from my own experience with an object-eater. Cloth will show up on an xray if it's thick enough, so maybe enough velcro could be seen. But unless you're going to go ahead with surgery I'm not sure what else they could do.

 

Toni has eaten many, many things though most are either paper or cloth. Parts of kitchen towels, books, magazines, wax from candles, copier paper, crayons, parts of ink pens, and once an entire wash cloth. Most have reappeared at some point. Some just haven't. :dunno She still eats like a trucker and poops like a... I don't know, but she poops a lot. Good poops, too. :lol There must be a ball of junk in there, but as I said, short of surgery to explore and remove it I don't think there's anything to do.

 

You need to follow what you think your dog's condition deserves.

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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Can your vet induce vomiting, where your dog would be supervised just to make sure everything comes out alright? We were ready to do this with a swiffer duster that we knew was in Marv's stomach (watched him down it while running across the room yelling 'Noooooooo'), and it was not blocking anything and not showing up on x-rays. Our vet palpated his tummy one last time, and up it came. Knowing exactly what he ate, we agreed with our vet to try to induce vomiting first before going in after it. We have had to induce vomiting on our own with peroxide a few times due to Marvin's ability to go after things he shouldn't just completely out of the blue. Canned pumpkin has also worked for us to help move things along and out the rear route.

 

Given her history, I'd trust your vet's recommendation and your experience. We completely understand a dog that will do this even when fully supervised and at random. Good luck!

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Guest jlbfitz

Thanks, everyone. Gil puked up the velcro this morning (it had collected into a nice little ball in her stomach), ten days after eating it. She is fine, and I am very much relieved.

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Thank goodness!

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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My mixed breed dog would occasionally eat pieces of his squeaky toys, and it's amazing how long it would take some of the pieces to appear!

 

I'm glad it came out OK.


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Susan,  Hamish,  Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck

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