My dog ate a bobby pin. Is feeding rice safe or helpful for her?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Feeding more food may not necessarily help Yanyan, so I recommend withholding food and just offering water for the next several hours. If the bobby pin will become an issue, you will likely see clinical signs such as vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, etc. I would just feed her her usual diet for the next few days, and monitor her feces for passage of the bobby pin. If 2-3 days pass and she is still acting normally, she is likely going to be just fine. If at any time she starts showing any of the clinical signs I mentioned, she should be seen by a veterinarian right away. I hope this is helpful!

I am sorry to hear about your puppy. It is possible the puppy may pass this object. You can try giving a piece or two of whole wheat bread torn into pieces to help aid in its passing and will need to observe him for signs of obstruction for the next few days until the bobby pin is passed. Signs of obstruction include vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, and painful abdomen. If this happens you must seek veterinary care as soon as possible. If the bobby pin was just swallowed a veterinary center with an endoscope may be able to remove the bobby pin without doing surgery if that is an option for you.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This certainly could pose a risk for causing problems as it passes through the GI tract such as a puncture. If you are unable to get to a veterinarian, then I would recommend feeding bulky food items such as canned pumpkin and bread and see if this helps create a layer around the safety pin as it passes through the GI tract. Of course, my recommendation is to still get Chiku in to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. I would recommend endoscopic removal of the safety pin while it is in the stomach. It is not a cheap procedure but is cheaper than surgery and is non-invasive. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

If the needle was the only foreign body ingested and it was brought back up without any noticeable additional sign (further vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and inappetence or abdominal pain/discomfort) I would suggest just to monitor him at this stage. Start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence or abdominal discomfort. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This is a very good question. If Charley isn't choking or otherwise showing signs of distress, you can try just feeding several pieces of plain white bread. They may help bulk up the contents of his gastrointestinal tract and reduce the chance of any chicken bone shards from irritating the tissues there. If you notice vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, straining to defecate, lethargy, or decreased appetite, please have Charley seen by a vet immediately, as that could indicate the chicken bone is causing a problem, and he may need medical or surgical intervention.

In most cases, a very small foreign object like this will pass through the GI tract with no problems - if this just happened, you can feed him a slice of bread to help add some bulk to his stomach contents, which should help to surround and cushion the staple as it moves through. To be safe, you should monitor him for the next several days for any signs of a problem. If he has repeated episodes of vomiting, begins acting lethargic, or doesn't want to eat, I would recommend taking him to the vet right away since it's possible that he might need surgery to remove the staple. As long as he is acting normal, I wouldn't worry - it will likely pass though without any problems sometime in the next 2-3 days.

If she chewed it to bits, it should pass without any problems. If she swallowed it whole, there is a slim chance it could cause a gastric or intestinal obstruction. Monitor for lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain or straining to defecate. See your veterinarian if necessary. You can mix in some cooked brown rice or add a couple tablespoons of plain, canned pumpkin (NOT pie filling) to the meals to help cushion it and push it through.