My dog ate a plastic pen and Ziploc. Should I take him to the vet?

These little pieces of plastic should pass without problem, but they may cause some damage to the GI tract if they are sharp. If you see blood in the poop, diarrhea, or a loss of appetite, have Nila seen by a vet.

You have two options in this case. You can take Toby into a vet now to have vomiting induced to get the toy out. Or you can watch him. If you see signs of obstruction, including vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or lethargy, have him seen by a vet immediately. Best of luck.

As long as he is eating and drinking normally, I would not be concerned. If he begins to vomit or loses his appetite, then I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at him and perform some diagnostic testing such as x-rays to help rule out a foreign body obstruction from the plastic. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

If it has been less than an hour since your pet ate it, you can induce vomiting by giving an oral dose of hydrogen peroxide, about 1 cc per pound. One tablespoon is about 5 cc. A turkey baster will work if you don't have a syringe. Longer than an hour and it will have already moved into the intestines. If it's too late to get him to vomit, you can reasonably expect diarrhea at least. I would withhold food for 12-24 hours to give his gut a chance to rest after this very rich meal. When you start feeding him, only give him a few pieces of kibble at a time, every 30 minutes or so, until he has had his usual meal. If at any time he develops lethargy, fever, repeated vomiting, abdominal pain, or any other adverse symptoms, he should be seen by your vet right away. The plastic could cause a blockage that can seriously damage his intestines.

Poor Jenny. You have done exactly what should be done in a situation like this. Giving her bread can help bind some things that pets invest; however it doesn't always work. I suspect the pen may still be inside, especially if you haven't seen it in the poop, so it's best to take her in at this point because it has been more than 24 hrs with no resolve and continued vomiting. The vet will do an x-ray of her belly to see if they can locate the pen and then make recommendations based on the findings. I wish Jenny well and hope that she gets better soon.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Uh-oh, naughty Chloe! I definitely recommend taking Chloe directly in to the nearest vet - time is of the essence. There are lots of variables that will factor into how concerned I would be about this, including the size of the lid pieces, and thickness/firmness of the plastic. I recommend you bring Chloe directly in to the vet while the swallowed material is still in her stomach, and bring the honey jar and the remains of the lid so the vet can see what sort of material they're dealing with and how much Chloe ate. Your vet can then decide with you what the best course of action is. The may want to start with x-rays if they think the plastic material is thick enough to show up, to make sure it's still in the stomach. If I am very concerned that a swallowed foreign material may cause a problem, I will sometimes either induce vomiting (if it can be done safely) or consider immediate surgical removal of the foreign material (if inducing vomiting may not be safe due to sharp edges of the foreign material). In other cases, it may be an option to simply wait with the hopes that Chloe will pass the material out in her stool without any issue, and monitor her closely for any symptoms that might indicate the plastic material isn't passing. However, even if you end up going this route, I'd still absolutely recommend doing so with a vet's guidance, and they may want to put Chloe on GI protectants to minimize the risk of irritation as it passes. Hope this helps - good luck!

Hello, and thanks for your question about Willow. From your picture, it looks like she probably ingested very little if at all. She will most likely do just fine. Small pieces of plastic will typically pass without incident. If she's acting totally normal, you can monitor her for symptoms of GI upset (vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, lethargy) - or to be on the safe side have her seen by your vet to get abdominal x-rays and make sure everything looks ok. Of course, if you're already seeing symptoms then send her in to be examined. But if she's acting fine, I suspect she'll be fine. :-) Hope this helps!