My dog gagged and threw up. What should I do if he ate a nail?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The risks of swallowing a nail include perforation of the intestinal tract, which is a life-threatening surgical emergency. They can also get iron toxicity, which can cause severe GI upset and liver damage. The best way to tell if Evy ate a nail would be to take her to a veterinarian for an x-ray of her abdomen. If you cannot bring her, please monitor her for signs of vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, and have her seen by a veterinarian right away. Otherwise, if she continues to act normal at home, she likely did not eat the nail and should be OK. I hope this is helpful!

An immediate check up is required as your veterinarian can easily make him sick and resolve the problem straight away. This ingestion is likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects including vomiting and diarrhea.

Yes, absolutely get her in to your vet right away. Just because you're not seeing blood doesn't mean there isn't more debris in her belly. Since she has vomited debris, there's a good chance there is more in there that may still cause problems as it moves through. Your vet will do an exam, probably x-rays, and based n these results, will be better able to tell you how she's doing and how best to treat her.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Rocket. We would be watching for things such as lethargy, vomiting, decreased appetite, pain in the abdomen, trouble defecating, weakness. If you think your dog ate a nail, I would recommend an examination at a veterinarian as soon as possible. An x-ray can tell them if the nail was eaten and may help determine if it is passing or if it may cause a problem.

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Charmy is super handsome! My hope is that the nail clipping will pass in his stool. It is very hard to make a cat throw up. I'd watch him closely for vomiting and not eating. If he shows any of those signs he should be seen by your Veterinarian to see if the nail is now stuck in his intestines. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Jasy had a vomiting issue. For any GI upset, a bland diet (such as white rice and plain boiled white meat chicken) that is easily digestible is a good option. If chicken isn't an option for her, very lean ground beef browned in a skillet with no oil is another good option. If she continues vomiting, doesn't want to eat or otherwise starts acting ill, then I would recommend having her evaluated by her regular veterinarian. Good luck!

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!