My dog ate a safety pin! What should I do if the vet is far away?

I am sorry to hear about your puppy. It is possible the puppy may pass this object. You can try giving a piece or two of whole wheat bread torn into pieces to help aid in its passing and will need to observe him for signs of obstruction for the next few days until the bobby pin is passed. Signs of obstruction include vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, and painful abdomen. If this happens you must seek veterinary care as soon as possible. If the bobby pin was just swallowed a veterinary center with an endoscope may be able to remove the bobby pin without doing surgery if that is an option for you.

Yes, she should see a vet ASAP and have an xray done, this way you will know for sure if she ingested it as well as where it is situated, if she indeed ingested it she will likely need to have a surgery done to have it removed.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Feeding more food may not necessarily help Yanyan, so I recommend withholding food and just offering water for the next several hours. If the bobby pin will become an issue, you will likely see clinical signs such as vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, etc. I would just feed her her usual diet for the next few days, and monitor her feces for passage of the bobby pin. If 2-3 days pass and she is still acting normally, she is likely going to be just fine. If at any time she starts showing any of the clinical signs I mentioned, she should be seen by a veterinarian right away. I hope this is helpful!

It may be serious but not necessarily. You should take your dog to your vet to take an x-ray to see where the needle is (it could got stuck in esophagus and it this case it should be removed). If the needle is in the stomach you will have to wait 24-48hrs for the needle to be passed. If in any doubts the second x-ray should be taken. If your dog develops signs of vomiting, vomiting blood, abdominal pain, lack of appetite he will need emergency surgery to remove the needle. However, most of the dogs will pass a needle and surgery is not required.

Bulky foods like dry dog food, rice, or white bread can sometimes help surround an ingested foreign body and help with passage, but it can vary and is not a guarantee to protect against damage or perforation.

Hi, and thanks for writing. I think it's important for you to take your puppy to the vet for a physical examination and an x-ray of his abdomen. I think there's a pretty good chance that the thumbtack will pass through the GI tract without any problems. However, there are no guarantees, and anytime there's something sharp like that in the GI track I would be inclined to recommend getting it out and not letting it pass through. The worst-case scenario is that it punctures his intestines and causes very serious problems. Since it's metal (or at least partially metal) a thumbtack will show up on x-ray and you can see where it is (and verify that he did eat it, if there's any doubt). If it's in his stomach still it should be pretty simple to retrieve if your vet has an endoscope, or can refer you to a specialist who does. If it's already out of the stomach and in the intestines he may need surgery to get it out. Good luck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Jax ate a staple. I have to agree that I think it will pass in time but one never knows with foreign bodies in each individual patient. I would monitor Jax very closely over the next 2-4 days for nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. If these signs appear and persist I would advise seeing your vet immediately for possible x-rays. You may see no signs at all and that would be the best scenario for this case. One thing I would advise is feeding 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin twice daily with his regular food. Not pumpkin pie filling, just canned pumpkin. It's loaded with fiber and will keep the gut happy and things moving during the next few days, hopefully helping the staple along and out of the system. Good luck with Jax. Not sure if you will check the bowel movements but that staple might be really hard to find. I hope it passes soon and with no complications.