So, your curious canine just swallowed something he shouldn’t? Here’s what you need to know if your dog ate something bad.
Dogs are naturally curious little (and big) creatures. New tastes, sights, smells and other interesting things always attract plenty of attention from your precious pooch. Sadly, this can often lead to trouble and stress on your part and his.
Dogs are known to swallow all sorts of things from paper, clothing, shoes, sticks, toothpicks, bones, food wrappers, rocks and other things. A number of these objects will pass directly through their digestive tract without any difficulty.
While you’re here, read this: 11 Dangerous Foods for Dogs
As a pet-lover, you might often see some strange things in your pooch’s poop like plastic bags, bits of a shoe or bones. But sometimes, things your dog swallows do not pass through and are not able to be digested, your pet is then left with what is known as a foreign body obstruction (FYI – Oneplan Pet Insurance covers costs associated with this).
Here’s where and why foreign bodies get stuck
If your fur baby has a bowel obstruction, then they will experience a great deal of pain and also run the risk of some serious health issues. A bowel obstruction is a blockage that prevents foods and fluids from passing through to the intestines.
The blockage can either be partial (meaning it only partially blocks the passing of food and fluids) or complete. The blockage can also cause issues with digestion as well as affect the flow of blood to the intestines – which is very serious!
When blood is unable to reach the intestines, then the tissue will weaken and absorb the toxic gastrointestinal contents (such as stomach acids that help the stomach to digest and breakdown food).
In severe situations, this can lead to the death of tissue and Septic Peritonitis – this can be a fatal condition which describes the inflammation of the bowels. The only option to remove an object that will not naturally pass through the bowels, is through surgery.
Of course, having pet cover (pet insurance) to help cover the costs of this (especially a pet insurer that pays you before you see the vet), is your best bet for situations such as this.
How do I know if my dog ate something bad?
There is a very long list of possible symptoms that your dog can show if they have eaten a foreign body. When your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t, then they will generally seem like they are unwell and show signs of depression.
One of the first signs is vomiting, here are some other symptoms to look out for:
- Diarrhoea
- Pain when touching their stomach area
- Loss of appetite
- Pain and strain when trying to poop
- Seeming very tired
- Growl and bite when you try to pick them up
Discover: When to take your pet to the vet: 5 warning signs
How does a vet treat a foreign body?
When you take your dog to the vet, he or she will probably do a round of X-rays. Any metal, bones, or rocks will show up on the X-ray, but clothes or plastics might not. Your vet might then suggest your dog needs a series of specialised X-rays, where your dog will have to swallow some special liquid in order for any blockages to show up. If a blockage is then diagnosed, then surgery is normally the answer.
How do I keep my dog safe and stop him from swallowing things he shouldn’t?
Like we said, dogs are naturally curious creatures, this makes it incredibly difficult for you to stop your precious pooch from swallowing things he shouldn’t. He is bound to swallow strange things from time to time. The best thing to do is to keep trash cans in a closed room or cupboard away from your dog.
There are a number of cases where dogs are rushed to the vet because they got into the bin and swallowed a bunch of things they shouldn’t have just because it tasted like last night’s dinner. Knowing the symptoms of your dog swallowing a foreign body is also helpful in knowing when to take him to the vet.
We hope you never have to deal with such a stressful situation when your dog is ill from swallowing something he shouldn’t, but if you do, make sure you have pet insurance to cover the costs.
Read next: How Much Will Pet Insurance Really Save Me?
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