My dog ate a plastic bottle cap. What symptoms and when to worry?

It will either pass through or it could potential get stuck and cause an obstruction. If she chewed it in pieces than it will likely pass through without getting stuck. It may cause some inflammation in her intestines and you may notice some diarrhea. If she starts vomitng, becomes lethargic, or stops eating than she needs to be seen right away.

You can observe Bruno closely for signs of a gastrointestinal foreign body. These would include vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, straining to have a bowel movement. If any of these occur, seek veterinary care. Luckily it has been 4 days with no issue, and usually an object will have passed through the GI tract in this amount of time. Also, the bottle cap would easily be seen on an x-ray so it will be very easy to see the problem if he does start acting ill.

It depends on the size of the cap ingested. The biggest concern would be it getting stuck in the intestinal tract which would require surgery to get out. It may be better to take Jax in to induce vomiting. If he ingested it in the past 1 hour then there is a good chance he could vomit it back out. A veterinarian can give a injection that works well to induce vomiting.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ziggy. Oh no, that's not good! I would wait some more. He's not showing any signs of a problem, and since he's otherwise acting normally, there's no need to rush him into a vet. Now if he does start showing signs of a problem, then I would take him into a vet right away. It may be this has already passed without problem. If there was internal damage, you would see signs of a problem such as a loss of appetite, lethargy, and blood in his poop. If it would make you feel better to have him checked out, that's certainly ok, but it's also fine to keep an eye on him for now. I hope this helps!

If he is eating and drinking normally, and does not throw up after he eats, he may be ok. The only way to know for sure is to take him in for xrays. Your vet may want to do a barium study to actually see if the cap is still somewhere in his GI tract, as plastic often does not show up on a regular X-ray. There is a chance that he has passed it or will pass it in his stool. If he keeps throwing up, or starts acting lethargic and puny, or doesn't want to eat, you can't wait any longer and need to see your vet. Hope that helps!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms of gastrointestinal blockage include vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, poor appetite, lack of stools. If you see any of these symptoms in the next 24-48hrs, you should take Rayne to your local vets as an emergency. However, if she chewed the plastic into small pieces, most likely she will pass it with her stools and she will not show any worrying symptoms at all.

It could still become an issue in the future since Ollie is so small. Signs to watch out for are vomiting, poor appetite, and lethargy. If he experiences any of those issues, or just seems off, a vet visit for x-rays and possible blood work is in order. Good luck!