My dog ate a finger puppet arm. Should I induce vomiting or watch?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Maggie. I'm sorry she ate the string anklet. I never recommend inducing vomiting at home. This is because hydrogen peroxide can and does cause gastritis and esophagitis, often worse than the initial problem. You can take her into an ER vet now, and they can safely induce vomiting with a shot. Otherwise, it may pass without problem, and you can watch her. If you see any vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or lethargy, that is an indication there may be an obstruction from the anklet, and she will have to see a vet immediately. Should she develop an obstruction, surgery will be needed to correct it. I hope this helps, best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. After this much time, I would not recommend inducing vomiting at this time. More than likely it is in the process of moving through the gut, or it has already passed unnoticed in the stool. If Marsha is still eating, & there is no vomiting or diarrhea, then I would continue to watch for any difficulties. Feeding her a bland diet of 25% boiled chicken or beef and 75% plain, cooked white rice should help to move the material through. If all is well after 3 days of the diet, then I would be surprised if any further issues develop. But any concerns, please see your veterinarian as soon as possible. Thank you.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If it has been under 2 hours since he ate the small stuffed animal, I would recommend inducing vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. You can give 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds, so if Barney weighs about 70 pounds, this would be 7 teaspoons. You can use a turkey baster to get it in his mouth. If he doesn’t vomit within 15 minutes, you can give him another 4 teaspoons and see if this works. Do not give any more than this total amount. If he still does not vomit, I recommend bringing him to a veterinarian who can use injectable medication to induce vomiting. The biggest concern with ingestion of a toy is an intestinal obstruction or blockage, which is a surgical emergency. If you cannot get him to a veterinarian now, I recommend watching for signs of obstruction including vomiting, lethargy, decreased appetite, drooling, etc. If you see these signs, he should be seen, and your vet may recommend x rays to look for evidence of an intestinal blockage. Also, monitor his feces for the next 1-3 days to look for the toy. I hope this is helpful!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Mocha. I never recommend including vomiting at home because the substance used at home causes esophagitis and gastritis, often worse than the initial problem. Plus, the shoe could become stuck in his esophagus, leading to a very serious situation. You can take him into a vet now to have vomiting safely induced with a shot, or you can chose to monitor him. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, blood in his poop, anorexia, or lethargy, he should see a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Ideally you should have a Vet induce vomiting as the rope could get stuck in the esophagus on the way back up. Having foreign material stuck in the esophagus is a much bigger deal than the rope being in the stomach. I would go to the Vet now though before it moves out of the stomach. Rope can be a huge problem as it can get stuck half way in the stomach and in the intestine and act like a saw. An emergency hospital can use a safer drug to induce vomiting than you can at home. As hydrogen peroxide causes inflammation and ulceration of the esophagus and stomach lining. I wish you and Gus the best!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry vomiting was not successful. Sometimes this can happen if it has been more than 2 hours since ingestion. Although this may be a fairly small object and may very well pass on it's own, I would look out for any signs of a brewing problem that may indicate an obstruction such as vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite, and lethargy. If any of these signs are noticed, please take May into his veterinarian as soon as possible. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! As you point out, this could be due to an upset stomach. Of course the concern would be a gastrointestinal obstruction from her eating pieces of her toy. At this point, if she has only vomited once, you may continue to monitor her closely to see if it is only going to be an isolated episode. Watch closely for signs associated with an obstruction such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. If observed, have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment at that point. Good luck and have a great day!