My dog hasn't pooped in 2 days after eating a bottle cap. Is it serious?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ziggy. Oh no, that's not good! I would wait some more. He's not showing any signs of a problem, and since he's otherwise acting normally, there's no need to rush him into a vet. Now if he does start showing signs of a problem, then I would take him into a vet right away. It may be this has already passed without problem. If there was internal damage, you would see signs of a problem such as a loss of appetite, lethargy, and blood in his poop. If it would make you feel better to have him checked out, that's certainly ok, but it's also fine to keep an eye on him for now. I hope this helps!

It could take between 1-4 days until you notice symptoms, if the cap gets stuck in the intestines it could cause a blockage, you will need to monitor him for vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite and lethargy. if any of those symptoms persist, you will need to take him to the vet ASAP.

Sometimes when they have diarrhea and haven't eaten as much it takes a few days to build up enough stool to have a proper bowel movement. If he is struggling or straining to poop then yes, I would be concerned. But if he is eating, drinking, not vomiting and acting normally, then I wouldn't be concerned. If he hasn't had a BM by tomorrow morning, I would have your vet take another look at him. I hope this helps!

Sometimes a dog will not "go" for 24 - 48 hours after anti-diarrheal medications have been started. Think of it like this: the system was essentially empty due to the [diarrhea](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/diarrhea-1/), and if the medication is effective, it will slow down the transit time of food through the GI tract and it will take a couple of days for him to actually need to poop again. As long as he is eating and drinking and feeling good, I would not immediately panic. I do often see dogs recovering from diarrhea go as much as 48 - 72 hours before having a bowel movement. If it's longer than this, or if he's not feeling well, get him rechecked immediately.

You can observe Bruno closely for signs of a gastrointestinal foreign body. These would include vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, straining to have a bowel movement. If any of these occur, seek veterinary care. Luckily it has been 4 days with no issue, and usually an object will have passed through the GI tract in this amount of time. Also, the bottle cap would easily be seen on an x-ray so it will be very easy to see the problem if he does start acting ill.

Typically after dogs have diarrhea they will not defecate for a few days. If he is straining to go or he still has diarrhea I would recommend a veterinarian. It is never a bad idea to take Moko in to have the veterinarian perform a rectal and make sure there is no cause for concern but it is fine to wait another day. Your veterinarian can check his stool sample for intestinal parasites, dispense a prescription bland diet and even medication to help with his diarrhea. I hope Moko feels better and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If Romeo has had recent excessive stool production, it may be normal to have less for a day or two. It's fine for a dog to go a day without pooping, especially with that history. If he begins to strain unproductively, become painful, uninterested in food, or vomiting, contact your veterinarian.