My dog ate a plastic toothpick. What symptoms should I watch for?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I suspect Pumpkin's appetite was decreased because the toothpick was passing through the intestines and was causing abdominal discomfort. You should continue to monitor Pumpkin at home for the next 24-48hrs. If he starts to vomit, becomes lethargic, anorexic or if he starts to struggle to pass stools, you should take him to your local vets right away as these symptoms would suggest gastrointestinal obstruction.

I would worry about the blood in Spot's vomit. Toothpicks are sharp and you worry about one of them punching a hole in the stomach. I would recommend to take her into the veterinarian asap. They will prescribe medications to coat her stomach. I would also advise to feed her bread for the next 2 days as the bulk may help to cover any tooth picks and hopefully prevent further damage. If she continues to vomit blood, she may need a surgery or endoscopic exam to exam her stomach. I hope Spot is ok!

It could cause him some issues but there is no way to predict that. I suggest you just monitor him closely for any abnormal signs like vomiting, not wanting to eat, extreme lethargy, abdominal pain, etc. If you notice any of those then get him to your vet right away. He may get some diarrhea which would be expected from the steak but that should clear up on it's own. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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.

Bones can cause dental problems like broken teeth, and GI problems like obstruction and perforation. I would watch Babu for now. If you see a loss of appetite, him chewing on only one side of mouth or refusing to eat hard food, vomiting, diarrhea, blood in his poop, or lethargy, have him seen by a vet immediately. It can take a couple of days to see signs, or you may see signs within 24 hours. I hope this helps.

This may pass without problem. Keep a close eye on Leo for the next couple of days. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, blood in his poop, lethargy, or a loss of appetite, he will need to see a vet asap. Vets will see animals for emergencies during this time.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having Captain examined by a veterinarian. I am concerned that the toothpick may have become lodged somewhere along the GI tract. This could lead to serious problems so I would recommend having him seen sooner rather than later.