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My dog ate a nylon bone. When to worry? Should I give cat laxative?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 4 years and 11 months old

Last night my 4yo lab ingested most of a nylon plastic bone for puppies. We heard several chomps so we are hoping it is just in a couple big chunks and not one massive piece. We called our vet who wasn't too concerned but he is a chronic downplayer. She hasn't yet vomited or defecated the foreign object(s) and is acting normally, an otherwise very healthy dog. I have cat laxative for hairballs and am wondering if it would be good to give some of that to the dog and when I should really worry.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on December 21st, 2017

No, I would not give your dog the laxatone as it will not be of any benefit to June. If your lab did in fact chomp the bone up into several pieces I would agree with your vet that it should pass on its on in due time. However, if you have doubts or your dog starts showing clinical signs of illness (in this case I would be most worried about vomiiting and not eating), I would try and obtain x-rays to best assess the situation. In these circumstances, sometimes a contrast study is most appropriate. This is when June would be fed a volume of contrast medium so that we can watch it travel through the GI tract. It will reveal whether or not there is a foreign object obstructing any portion of the intestinal tract. Anyway, for now, continue to monitor the situation closely. If there is any even slight change to June's demeanor, definitely seek veterinary attention. Hope this makes sense.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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