My dog ate a piece of a nylon chew toy. Should I take her to the vet?

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.

Hi. Depending on the size of pieces she's ingested, she may be able to just pass them in her stool. If not, she may become blocked which would cause vomiting, often times not even being able to keep water down. It does not sound like that is the case for Sloan. I would keep an eye on her, but if any vomiting or diarrhea occurs I'd take her in to the vet for an X-ray.

As long as they chewed it up sufficiently, it should pass. Larger pieces may cause stomach upset or pose a risk of obstruction. You can monitor for lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, straining to defecate or loss of appetite. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

If Stormy swallowed a piece of this non-digestible bone it has the potential to cause an obstruction, either in the stomach or in the GI tract. If this occurs you will notice Stormy not wanting to eat and vomiting and diarrhea. I think it should be safe to wait and see if she exhibits any of these symptoms before taking her to the vet. However, if it would give you some piece of mind you could have her checked out and have done X-rays performed.

I would not induce Sadie to vomit, as I would be concerned that any sharp edges from the nylabone could cause trauma to her esophagus as it comes out. The first thing to do is to feed her a slice of whole wheat bread. This should form a ball of ingesta around the pieces of the nylabone. Give her this slice of bread with every meal. The only thing you can do is monitor her for signs of obstruction, as the nylabone could become stuck in her GI tract. Signs include vomiting, anorexia, extreme lethargy, and diarrhea. If you see any of those signs, you need to take her into a vet immediately. I would also monitor her feces for signs of the nylabone, and if you don't see any signs of it in 72 hours, I would take Sadie into the vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is a good chance that she will pass it. However, it is important to watch closely for clinical signs consistent with an intestinal obstruction such as vomiting, abdominal pain and decreased appetite. If any of the above are observed, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!

No, it is not safe! The pieces can cause a blockage in the intestinal tact. You might try something harder, such as a Nylabone, if your dog is an overly-enthusiastic chewer. Another possibility is to have the dogs chew only when you are present--so you can monitor the toys frequently for any signs of pieces coming loose.