My cat ate a coin. What symptoms indicate an emergency vet visit?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Leo may have eaten some loose change. If it was a penny after the early 1980s that he may have eaten, we would have concern for a possible zinc toxicity. Possible signs are vomiting, lethargy, and inappetence, among others. As coins easily show up on xrays, I would recommend taking Leo (and possibly his siblings) in for a screening xray to ensure that no one ate any coins, and if any did, which one and how many, so a treatment plan could be started. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The easiest thing to do is make an appointment today with your vet and take one X-ray. If he ate the coin it will be very obvious. If there is not coin the worry is over! Its a bit rare for a cat to ingest a coin but anything is possible. In the US it is pennies that contain zinc which is toxic causing red blood cell destruction. The US penny contains much more zinc but it is all weigh based. It doesn't happen in 4 hours, it take more time than that. It is the slow release of the zinc over time from the gastric acid. Even if there isn't enough zinc in the 10 cent Euro it is almost 2 cm in diameter. That is big for a cat to pass. The safest thing is to confirm the actual presence of the coin. If it is present and Max was my cat I would get it out so I didn't have to worry. Have a great day!

Silly Mochj! The main concerns in these situations is that sometimes the metals in the coins can absorb into the body and lead to toxicity, and coins can sometimes lead to a blockage of the digestive tract. I recommend that you make an appointment to take Mochj in to see your vet. They may want to take X-rays to see where the coin is, and they will likely recommend that you search for the coin in Mochj's poo for the next few days. They will probably want to do X-rays again in a few days if you do not find it, to see if it is stuck somewhere. If it does get stuck, they may recommend surgery to remove it to help prevent toxicity and blockage of the gastrointestinal tract. See the link below for more information, and I hope everything works out okay for Mochj! https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/coins/

Poor girl. Unfortunately the only thing you can do now is to monitor her for any signs of a foreign body obstruction, which includes excessive vomiting, lethargy, lack of appetite, or small stool size. If you see these symptoms then a vet visit is recommended to have testing done and determine if she will need surgery to remove the cloth that she ingested. I hope that she will be ok. Best of luck to you moving forward with Nala, and keep a close eye on her in the next few days for any changes. Take care.

I am assuming your dog ate coins. Since he is not going to the loo, there likely is a partial obstruction or possibly even a blockage. this can be life threatening and therefore you need to take your dog to your veterinarian today for an exam and x-ray which will show up any problems. In the event of an obstruction the coins will need to be removed surgically.

Time will tell with this one. Since she's eating, drinking, and not lethargic, you certainly don't need to seek emergency care tonight. If tomorrow she still seems out of sorts, or continues to vomit, I would recommend scheduling a vet appointment for exam and x-rays of her abdomen. Good luck and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Unfortunately, we cannot say if the bell will pass or not. I wouldn’t make him vomit as it can actually hurt his esophagus coming back up. I would recommend monitoring the cat and if you notice any vomiting or diarrhea or if he becomes lethargic at all I would recommend bringing him into your regular veterinarian for x-rays. You can always bring them into the veterinarian to have them do an x-ray to see if the bell is actually in his stomach since they should show up on the x-ray. Then you can see if he actually swallowed it or not. Unfortunately, this may result in surgery. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.