My dog ate string and stuffing, now has diarrhea. Is it an emergency?

Stuffing can act as a gastrointestinal foreign body that results in obstruction of the bowels. If vomiting is persistent, this is a strong indication that there may be either a partial or complete obstruction preventing food and water from moving forward in the GI tract. An abdominal x-ray would be the next best step to determine if your pet has a radiographic abdominal pattern consistent with obstruction. This should be done asap (as in today), because dehydration and irritation/trauma to the GI tract will continue worsening the longer it is present. If there is an obstruction, abdominal surgery may be necessary to remove it. And that's the case, we want your pet to be as stable as possible for the surgery. The longer the delay, the more weak and dehydrated your pet will be, and thus potentially less stable for surgery. In the meantime, I would offer only a small volume of water at a time, to see if your pet can keep it down without vomiting. I wish you both the best of luck!

Poor Nuala! If you think she may have swallowed some string from her toy, I would be very concerned that she might have an intestinal blockage - vomiting, not eating, acting lethargic, and not having regular bowel movements are all common signs of this problem. If she does have a blockage, this is a life-threatening emergency that will require immediate surgery to remove the obstruction, so I would recommend taking her to an emergency clinic tonight to be seen. The veterinarian there can examine her and take some x-rays to help determine if there is a blockage present, and will get her into surgery to remove it if a problem is found.

Hi, and thanks for your question. These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). There is definitively the possibility of the presence of other foreign bodies still inside the gastrointestinal system. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

You need to take Echo into a vet immediately. He could have an obstruction from this stuffing, and may need surgery to remove it. Leaving an obstruction untreated is fatal, which is why you need to get him into a vet now. Best of luck.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Breah is vomiting so much. It is possible that she has an intestinal obstruction or blockage from eating parts of her blanket. This is usually diagnosed with x-rays of the abdomen, and an intestinal obstruction is a surgical emergency. If he absolutely cannot get her to a veterinarian until 7am, I recommend not feeding her any food in the meantime. She can have access to water, however she may vomit this up. Please have her seen as soon as possible! I hope this is helpful - best of luck!

If Sophie destroyed her bed on Saturday, it could be that she ate parts of it leading to the vomiting and diarrhea. Whenever a dog has both vomiting and diarrhea, it's time to see the vet, especially if there is a chance the dog ate something foreign. I would take her into a vet immediately to get checked out. Best of luck.

Poor Jack! I would be very concerned that this chew toy he ate is now causing a blockage leading to him vomiting. A GI blockage is fatal without treatment, so since you know he ate a chew toy, the best thing to do is take him into a vet immediately for a physical exam and x-rays. If the chew toy is causing a blockage, it will need to be removed surgically. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. I hope this helps!