My dog ate a wooden skewer. What should I do if he swallowed wood?

Normally, objects can pass through a dog's GI tract fairly quickly (within a day), but there are a number of areas in the GI tract that foreign objects can get "stuck" and cause problems. I once had a dog eat a bamboo skewer and not show any signs for a couple of weeks. So, I would closely inspect Zoey's stool every time she goes to look for evidence of the skewer. If at any point, Zoey is lethargic, does not want to eat or vomits, I would have your veterinarian examine her right away. Good luck! Hopefully Zoey will be fine. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Unfortunately once a foreign object has been ingested there are only 3 things you can do for your pet: 1) Give 1 slice of bread to help bind the foreign object, 2) Feed the pet canned food to hopefully help bind the object for easy passage through the stomach and intestines, 3) Take your pet on a brisk walk for 20 minutes to encourage intestinal motility (only do this if your pet is not lethargic or acting abnormal). Then you just wait and see if this thing will pass without causing any disruptions to your pets gastrointestinal tract. Look for signs of obstruction, which include excessive vomiting, painful abdomen, severe lethargy and listlessness. If Peaches is going to pass this well she will most likely do so within the next 48-72 hrs, so monitor her feces well. However if she should present with any of the symptoms mentioned above, then the best thing to do for her is to get her seen for medical care with your vet.

If Hennighn just swallowed the stick, you can take into into the vet right away for them to induce vomiting. The only concern with this is that it could get stuck in the esophagus, which would be a bad complication. The other option is to wait and see if he digests and passes the stick. Dogs do eat wood, and often pass it without problem. You will need to monitor his feces and his behavior. The stick should pass within 24-48 hours. If he starts vomiting, having diarrhea, stops eating, or becomes very lethargic, then it is likely that the stick is stuck, and he will need to see a vet right away. Hennighn is a big dog, and Labs often eat things they aren't supposed to, so I wouldn't be surprised if he passed it on his own. Give him a slice of whole wheat bread now, and with every meal, to give him more fiber and encourage the stick to pass along. The bread now will help cushion the stick as it passes through the intestinal tract. If the stick passes, you have no worries, just keep monitoring the feces for it. Hope this helps, and good luck :-)

When dogs eat wood it can cause a lot of inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and possibly an obstruction. I am not sure why you think it is stuck but if he is vomiting and having diarrhea than he should be examined by a vet for treatment. Your vet can take an abdominal x-ray to look for abnormalities and then decide the best way to treat. If there is an obstruction than he would need surgery to remove the foreign material. If there is no evidence of an obstruction than your vet can prescribe medications to help with any gastrointestinal issues.

Oh that wasn't good Sadie ate that! The problem with it is that could potentially get stuck in her GI tract or cause perforation of the intestines. Given that it's a small piece of wood, hopefully it should pass ok, but I will give you some things that may help. Give her a slice of whole wheat bread now, as it will form a ball of ingesta around the stick. You can give her this slice of bread with every meal, and keep an eye on her and her feces. If you see any blood in her feces, or she has diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting, or lethargy, that means the stick could have perforated her intestines or caused an obstruction, and Sadie will need to see a vet right away. It can take up to 72 hours for this to pass.

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.

A wooden stick might pass without any problems but could also cause irritation to the stomach and intestines or even a perforation. You would see decreased appetite, vomiting or diarrhea as symptoms of a problem. If you see any of these signs you should see a vet right away for an exam and x-rays.