My dog ate cotton bedding. X-rays showed nothing. How to get it out?

Bed sheet is not a material that is easy to spot on the xray, it doesn't mean it is not there. it could still be in the stomach or intestines, Midnight will need to have an ultrasound done, it is a more specific imaging diagnostic test for this sort of foreign material.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Hachi is an adorable pup! If a puppy ingests a large quantity of the cotton stuffing, it may create a blockage in his stomach or intestines which is considered an emergency. If you are unsure of how much he ingested, I would take him to the vet now to check for a blockage. If the cotton was ingested less than 1 hour ago, they may even be able to induce him to vomit in order to throw up the cotton. I hope this helps, and that Hachi is doing okay!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Eating filling from a bed will do one of two things, one- it can be pooped out with no complications, two- it can cause a blockage in the gut that requires surgery to remove. I recommend monitoring Buddy closely, if he is eating and pooping just watch his poop for the bedding, but if he is eating and pooping normally for 3 days it has passed through the system. If Buddy has ANY signs of not wanting to eat, vomiting, weakness, sore in his belly, or even just a decreased appetite, then I would get x-rays or an ultrasound ASAP. Hopefully he poops it out soon! Best of luck with Buddy!

Especially in the case of objects that are not metal or bone, which show up quite obviously on x-ray, it can be difficult to distinguish foreign objects in the stomach on x-rays, and sometimes when the results of the x-rays are equivocal we have to make the decision to go to surgery to find out for sure whether there is a blockage. Sometimes it is helpful to put a contrast agent into the GI tract, such as barium or even air, as they can aid in making the diagnosis. However, sometimes even board-certified surgeons and board-certified radiologists are not certain whether there is something foreign in the stomach, and even they make mistakes. Or sometimes we will go in to the abdomen, open the stomach, and indeed find something foreign, only to find out that it is something (like paper) that would have likely passed normally. It can be a very tough call and unfortunately sometimes we don't get a definitive answer until we go in and look.

Unfortunately, vomiting up a foreign body can only be done if the item was consumed in the past two hours, and given that you aren't sure when your pup ate your pillowcase, it may be too late to induce vomiting. There's nothing you can do to make her pass it quicker, and I would caution against using any human medications without veterinary approval or using a method you find on the internet as you may do harm to your pup. You can try giving her a slice of whole wheat bread now, and with every meal to form a ball of ingesta around the pillowcase to help cushion it as is passes through her GI tract. You can feed this piece of bread to her with every meal. I would monitor her for the next 72 hours of signs of obstruction, which include vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, and constipation. Should you see any of those signs, please take her into the vet immediately. When you leave the house, I would recommend putting her in a crate, as that will keep her from getting into things while you are gone.

I agree with your veterinarian. If there are balls of fiberglass inside she will never be normal until it's removed. The advantage of doing surgery is that they can feel the entire intestinal tract and remove the foreign material, as well as any in the stomach. With an endoscopy they can only see a limited amount. Since Gracie is young and in good health other than this she will recover from surgery quickly. If you wait there is always a chance that it could move causing a full obstruction and then that would be emergency surgery with a sick dog, it would be more expense and higher risk too. Although this does seem extreme, you've already tried a bulk diet and endoscopy which haven't resolved the problem so this would be the next step to get Gracie better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Gracie.

Cotton stuffing from a pillow could cause an intestinal blockage if enough is ingested. However, if only a small amount was eaten Nova should be able to pass it with no problem. Watch for inappetance, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you notice any of these symptoms I would have a greater concern about a blockage and recommend taking her in to the vet to have X-rays performed. Hopefully his will not be an issue but keep an extra close eye on her today just to be safe. Best of luck!