Foreign body in a dog. Intestinal obstruction. What to do if a dog swallows a rubber ball

Various third-party objects (bones, plastic bags, toys, peas, beads, needles, pieces of glass, rubber balls, items of clothing, buttons and other foreign objects) can be in the ears, between the pads of the paws, in the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, gastrointestinal tract , thereby causing the dog unpleasant, painful sensations and severe discomfort. In severe cases, foreign objects in the body of your four-legged friend can cause intestinal, pulmonary bleeding, provoke the development of inflammatory processes in various organs and body systems.

Most often, foreign objects enter the body of dogs during active games or changes in behavioral reflexes, which may indicate the development of any abnormalities in your dog's body (rabies, Aujeszky's disease, nervous disorders). Often, the owners themselves are to blame for this behavior of the dog, who allow the pet to pick up inedible objects from the ground, or when leaving the house they forget to hide small and dangerous objects for the dog’s health that the puppy can try on the tooth. Symptoms and manifestations that indicate the presence of a foreign body in the animal's body depend on its location and the length of stay in the animal's body. It is worth noting that the danger lies in the fact that foreign objects can get stuck in any part of the gastrointestinal tract, while the symptoms may not immediately appear.

Foreign objects in the pharynx, esophagus of the dog

The presence of third-party elements in the pharynx, esophagus may be indicated by difficulty breathing, coughing fits, refusal of food, water, anxiety, the dog rubs its muzzle with its paw, constantly coughs, cannot bark, vomiting, nausea, increased salivation (hypersalivation) are noted. There may be fever, soreness and swelling in the pharynx. Partial blockage of the esophagus is fraught with the development of the inflammatory process and tissue necrosis. In addition, foreign bodies cause injury near the located soft tissues, the development of phlegmous inflammation. In severe, advanced cases, attacks of asphyxia (suffocation), bleeding are possible, so you need to remove third-party objects from the throat as soon as possible. It is best to take the pet to the veterinary clinic for x-rays. Signs depend on the size and location of foreign bodies in the pharynx or esophagus.

First aid

You can try to independently remove a third-party object from the throat. To do this, the dog must be well fixed in a prone position on a table or on a flat surface. Then open the mouth with the handle of a cutlery, press the root of the tongue and try to grab the object stuck in the throat with tweezers or two fingers. If you cannot remove the stuck object yourself, you should contact the clinic as soon as possible.

Foreign object in the stomach

Very often in play or just out of curiosity, dogs, especially puppies, may accidentally swallow an inedible object. Objects that animals can swallow have a different configuration, size, texture. These can be pieces of walls, plastic bags, fragments of toys, balls, threads, ropes, stones, large pieces of bones (tubular bones). The presence of foreign objects in any part of the gastrointestinal tract leads to irritation of the mucous membranes, disruption of peristalsis, deterioration in the absorption of nutrients, blockage, intestinal obstruction, and internal bleeding. The first signs that may indicate the presence of third-party items:

Appetite disturbance. The dog may refuse food and favorite treats.

Restless behavior. The animal whines, constantly looks to its side, lies on the cold floor with its stomach, takes unnatural poses.

On palpation of the peritoneum, the dog experiences discomfort.

There are repeated bouts of vomiting, shortness of breath, lethargy, apathy, decreased activity.

When the rectum is blocked, the dog whines, trying to empty itself, constantly looking back at its side, tail.

Diarrhea followed by constipation. Lack of emptying indicates that a third-party body has caused intestinal obstruction.

It is possible to establish the presence and localization of third-party objects only by conducting a comprehensive diagnosis, namely, radiography, ultrasound examination, computed tomography, and testing for pancreatic lipase. In any case, if you notice a deterioration in the condition of the pet, a change in behavior, you should not wait a minute and take the animal to the veterinarian as soon as possible, as every day can cost your dog's life. In most cases, the foreign body is removed surgically under local or general anesthesia.

If the foreign body is in the intestines and is small, you can give your pet a laxative. If after 3-4 hours no changes have occurred, wearing rubber gloves, you can try to pull out the foreign object yourself through the anus. In order not to irritate the intestinal walls and not injure the animal, the fingers of gloves are lubricated with vaseline ointment.

Read also

When, due to various injuries or dangerous diseases, it is necessary to immediately transport your pet to a veterinary clinic.

Most often, foreign objects enter the body of dogs during active games.

First, let's talk about safety: do not allow situations in which the dog has the desire and opportunity to eat packages.

• Close the garbage can (if necessary - on the latch!).
• Do not leave shopping bags unattended (meat, packaged sausages). (Do not leave unpacked either if you want food to go to you too.)
• Any packaging from under something tasty should be immediately thrown away in a place inaccessible to the dog. Bags without an attractive smell are rarely swallowed by dogs, but such perverts are also found. In this case, you can only sympathize: hide all the packages, do not leave the dog unattended, in your absence lock the pet in a safe place (dog cages are not evil and not violence, this is a safe house during the absence of the owner).
• Walk your pet on a leash and/or muzzle.

But I think if you are reading this article, the above tips are overdue.

What to do if the dog has already eaten the package

If the dog ate the bag - do not panic. It is very likely that it will come out naturally, especially if the dog has chewed it.

Observe the dog's condition for several days: if vomiting occurs - do not feed the dog, do not give him any medication and immediately take him to the doctor, warning that the dog has recently eaten a bag.

The doctor will take a series of x-rays with contrast (this will take several hours, you will have to leave the dog in the hospital or come several times) to check for intestinal obstruction. An x-ray without contrast may be useless: polyethylene does not block x-rays, but the first x-ray is usually taken before the contrast agent is injected. If the intestinal blockage is confirmed, surgery will be required. (And no, "too many x-rays" is not bad for your dog!)

Very rarely, a foreign body can lie in the stomach for a long time, without showing itself for the time being. At some point, it shifts and clogs the intestines. Even if you're sure your pet hasn't ingested anything lately, don't skip x-rays with contrast to check for intestinal obstruction if your dog is vomiting persistently.

Ultrasound by indirect signs can also help identify intestinal obstruction, but x-rays with contrast are still more reliable.

If the dog is not bothered, wait for the package to come out naturally. For reliability, you can give vaseline oil (not castor oil and no other oil%!) - it will facilitate the exit of feces. Vaseline oil (sold in a pharmacy) is given orally, at the rate of approximately 1 teaspoon per 10 kg of dog weight, 2-4 times a day, until stool appears. You should not give it for longer than a couple of days: the oil disrupts the normal absorption processes in the intestines. If, after a bowel movement, only half of the bag comes out of the dog, and the rest sits firmly in the intestines, do not pull on the hanging part. Just cut off what is outside with scissors and wait for the rest to come out by itself.

And always, always keep bags and other packaging away from dogs. The dog will not draw any conclusions from what happened and, at any opportunity, will again eat what attracts it.

Dogs love to gnaw on bones, but sharp edges and bits can harm the digestive system. If the pet shows lethargy, coughs, refuses to eat, trembles his stomach and body, and blood is visible when emptying the intestines, these may be signs of damage to the walls of the intestines and other organs of the digestive tract by bone fragments.

When a dog has eaten a bone and later shows signs of feeling unwell, it should be given first aid at home and then taken to the veterinarian.

Chicken bones of young broilers are not dangerous for dogs. They can be given boiled or raw. They gnaw easily and are malleable for healthy canine teeth. If your dog ate a chicken bone from a supermarket bird, don't worry.

Much worse for the pet's health are the chicken bones of village laying hens, which have been grown for more than a year. Poultry bones are hard and strong, and when broken, they have dangerous sharp edges that can cut the intestines or stomach of a dog, pierce the walls of organs, cause internal bleeding and death of the animal. At the first symptoms of damage to internal organs, the dog should be taken to the veterinary clinic for an x-ray.

Dog ate a fish bone

Fish bones are very thin and sharp. They are not visible on the X-ray, only an experienced specialist can detect them. On the one hand, fish bones are not very dangerous for the life of a pet. They do not block the airways, do not lead to suffocation. However, piercing, needle-like bones cause unbearable pain, the dog begins to whine, suffer from insomnia, refuse water and food.

If the dog has eaten a fish bone and it is stuck in the larynx, you can get it out with tweezers. To do this, one person fixes the mouth in the open position, the other, armed with tweezers sterilized with alcohol, must pick up, securely clamp the tip of the bone and pull it out of the larynx with one confident movement.

A dog that has swallowed a bone should not be offered solid food, because it can dig the bone even harder into the tissues or break it. This will make it difficult to pull out a piercing object. If it is impossible to help the dog at home, you should always contact your veterinarian. When examining the larynx, specialists use an oral expander.

Veterinarians strongly advise against giving tubular bones to adult dogs and puppies. They can simply be swallowed whole or chewed into small, sharp-edged pieces. In both cases, the health of the pet is harmed.

What dangers can await if a dog ate a tubular bone:

• Infection from chicken, rabbit, beef or pork bones, if the slaughtered animal suffered from infectious diseases. Even high cooking temperatures do not kill some types of bacteria in the bones.
• Damage to the fragile enamel of the milk teeth of puppies, and grinding of the molars of adult dogs. The sharp edges of the tubular bone often damage the gums.
• Bones and their fragments are not digested by the gastrointestinal tract of dogs, but are compressed into dense masses. This causes constipation and gas formation.
• Sharp fragments of the dog can choke. Bone particles can injure the esophagus, stomach, intestines, cut the walls of organs, and cause peritonitis.

Dog owners should monitor the behavior and condition of the dog after they notice that the pet has swallowed a bone. If the dog began to cough, up to vomiting, wheezing, choking, experiencing weakness, pain, difficulty swallowing, it is necessary to provide her with urgent assistance.

What to do if a dog swallowed a bone and got sick:

1. It is necessary to inspect the mouth with a flashlight. If the bone has stuck into the back wall of the larynx and is visible, try to pull it out with your hands or tweezers.
2. If the pet coughs, small dogs are taken by the hind legs and lifted. Large dogs are tilted upside down. Foreign objects come out with a strong air stream with a sharp exhalation.
3. When a dog cannot cough up, chokes on a bone, and chokes, the Heimlich maneuver is used. The dog is pressed with its back to itself, the hand, gathered into a fist, is placed in front of the sternum. In the region of the diaphragm, 4-5 sharp pressures are made with a fist. If after this the bone does not come out, urgent hospitalization of the animal is required.
4. With pain in the abdomen and blood in the feces, the dog is given 10 ml of vegetable oil from a syringe without a needle, which facilitates the exit of bone fragments from the intestines.
5. It is recommended not to give food and water to the dog for 3 days. Hunger strike helps to recover damaged walls of the digestive tract.
6. When the dog begins to feel better, and the blood stops coming out with feces, a strict diet should be followed for several days. The dog is fed bread soaked in milk and oatmeal. Solid food is temporarily not given.

Opinions about how are mixed. Pets react positively to some types of bones.

Young healthy dogs do not suffer much from swallowed bone and quickly recover from damage. But still, with serious symptoms of ailments, it is necessary to contact a veterinarian to alleviate the condition of the pet and avoid complications.

One of the causes of damage to the gastrointestinal tract in dogs is a foreign body, which for various reasons was swallowed by the animal. Often this happens during active games (small toys, chewing large objects into pieces), eating (large bone fragments, eating packaging), as well as when the dog eats inedible objects on the street. A variety of foreign bodies are found in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs - from pieces of polyethylene and fragments of toys to items of clothing of the owners.

Foreign body in dogs symptoms

Signs, at the appearance of which it is possible to suspect the ingestion of foreign objects by an animal:

• The urge to vomit or vomiting of varying severity.
• Diarrhea, often with an admixture of blood.
• Pain in the abdomen, which is manifested by hunching and soreness when touched.
• Decreased appetite up to complete absence.
• Visible tension when trying to defecate.
• Dehydration.
• Apathy, lethargy.

Other symptoms of foreign bodies in dogs depend on their location in the gastrointestinal tract.

Foreign body in dog's esophagus

Ingestion of objects into the esophagus often leads to its blockage. Complete obstruction is characterized by restless behavior, stretching of the neck, salivation, urge to vomit, and frequent attempts to swallow. Palpation determines a limited area of ​​swelling with severe pain.

With incomplete obstruction by a foreign body in the esophagus, the dog may retain appetite, but there is vomiting during meals. Sharp objects can cause a rupture of the esophageal wall, which leads to the formation of an abscess or phlegmon in the affected area. Dehydration develops, general depression.

Foreign body in the stomach of a dog

If a foreign object has passed the esophagus and entered the stomach, irritation of the mucous membrane becomes the leading symptom. Perforation of the walls is possible from the impact of not only sharp, but also blunt objects with a large mass or volume. When the stomach is perforated, its contents enter the abdominal cavity, leading to the development of peritonitis.

Develops a syndrome of obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract, necrosis of the affected areas. A foreign body in the stomach of a dog leads to a general deterioration in the condition, loss of appetite, weakening of peristalsis.

Additionally, a pronounced thirst, accompanied by vomiting, joins. Characteristic is the absence of bloating, which occurs when a foreign body enters the intestine. Possibly impaired defecation. Small objects can remain asymptomatically in the stomach for several years.

Foreign body in the intestines of a dog

The entry of objects into the upper intestines leads to indomitable vomiting (and dehydration as a result), severe pain in the abdomen.

Foreign bodies in the lower sections (large intestine, rectum) appear depending on the sharpness of the edges. Blunt objects can cause soreness, intestinal obstruction, bloating, ischemia of nearby areas due to compression. The presence of sharp foreign bodies in the intestines of a dog is manifested by constant attempts to hunch over, thin stools with an admixture of blood, less often - constipation. Symptoms of general intoxication and dehydration may join.

Diagnostics

There are no publicly available accurate methods for detecting foreign bodies. Ultrasound can only suggest their presence. X-ray reveals radio-opaque objects (metal, bones). The most accurate information about the presence and location of foreign bodies is provided by an X-ray contrast image with barium desoldering. Sometimes, if a foreign body is suspected and its diagnosis is difficult, they resort to a diagnostic laparotomy.

What to do if a dog has swallowed a foreign body?

With symptoms of blockage of the upper gastrointestinal tract, an examination of the oral cavity is necessary. Often long objects (threads, ropes, hair) are wound around the root of the tongue and can be removed.

Small foreign bodies in the esophagus are removed with the use of emetics. Vaseline oil is sometimes used to help push the object into the stomach. Large objects are removed with forceps or esophagoscope under local anesthesia.

They try to remove objects with smooth edges from the stomach using emetics, if this fails, then surgically. Identification of sharp objects requires urgent surgical intervention.

If the dog has eaten a foreign body, symptomatic drugs are additionally prescribed:

• Intravenous saline infusion to correct dehydration and acidosis.
• Gastroprotectors.
• Antibiotics.

With severe pain syndrome, the veterinarian prescribes painkillers. The first 2-3 days after surgery, a strict starvation diet is observed.

In our veterinary center, all animals with suspected foreign body and intestinal obstruction undergo strict preoperative diagnostics. In some cases, a council of doctors meets to decide on the operation. As a rule, after the operation, the animals are left in the hospital clinic, under the supervision of doctors, to control recovery and rehabilitation.

As you know, dogs love to gnaw on the bones offered by the owner. As a rule, there is no cause for concern, and dog owners are confident in the safety of their pet. However, sometimes pets swallow bones, which can lead to deterioration in the functioning of the body or even death of the pet. What to do if a dog swallowed a bone? What consequences can expect a pet and its owner?

Effects

If your pet has swallowed a bone, do not panic. Perhaps there is nothing to worry about, although there are certainly times when a dog's life is in danger. What can happen to a pet if it swallows a bone?

1. If the bone was small, it is possible that it will simply be digested in the stomach and will not cause any health problems for the pet. In order to make sure that the dog is safe, it is necessary to observe it for several days. If her condition does not change in any way, most likely there is no reason for concern.
2. If the bone is irregularly shaped, it may get stuck in the mouth. This can make it difficult for your pet to breathe. To prevent the dog from dying from lack of air, it is urgent to provide assistance to the animal.
3. Intestinal obstruction. The bone can get stuck in the esophagus or small intestine. The pet will begin severe spasms, severe circulatory disorders, tissue necrosis, and subsequently intestinal rupture occurs. Lack of proper treatment, and sometimes surgery, leads to the fact that the dog dies after peritonitis.

What to do?

If a dog has swallowed a bone, its owner is obliged to take the necessary measures.

1. Pet supervision. To make a diagnosis or make sure that your pet is healthy, you need to monitor his behavior. If you notice that your pet has become lethargic, passive, he has lost his appetite, interest in games and communication with relatives, then there is reason for concern. In this case, you need to contact the veterinarian.
2. During the first examination, the veterinarian is not always able to correctly and accurately determine the disease. For an accurate diagnosis, you will have to pass additional tests and carry out the necessary procedures.
3. The dog needs careful care and observation, both during the illness and after it. Even after the dog has fully recovered, continue to monitor its condition and behavior.

Don't delay your visit to the vet! In order for the treatment to be as effective as possible, you need to see a doctor on the same day that the dog swallowed the bone. The necessary help and procedures can save a pet's life!