What to do if my small dog has a popsicle stick stuck in her gum?

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Heidi. Do NOT induce vomiting, the wooden shards from the stick could damage her esophagus on the way out. Give her half a slice of whole wheat bread now, and one with every meal. This may form a ball of ingesta around the stick, and cushion it as it passes through the Gi tract. Monitor her closely, and if you see vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, or blood in her feces, take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

It is possible he injured his tongue or gums or even deeper into his larynx. I would highly recommend a trip to the veterinarian with a sedated oral exam as it sounds like there is either and injury or remaining portion of the stick. Very often I find them on the roofs of their mouth. Good luck!

Hello. Unfortunately, it sounds like the ice cream stick is lodged. There is a small chance that she might vomit it back up, but this could cause irritation or damage to the esophagus. I really think this needs to be removed by your veterinarian. Call to see if they have endoscopic equipment as this will be a non-invasive way to retrieve the stick ( altho it still requires anesthesia ). If the stick can not be removed this way, surgery may be necessary, but in most cases it is no more difficult than doing a spay. But I do recommend having her evaluated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

She may have cut or scraped the inside of her mouth and may even have a piece to the stick stuck in there. Try to get a look in her mouth without struggling with her too much and making her afraid. If you see something and you can get to it, try to get it out but don't get yourself bitten. If her swelling doesn't improve or gets worse by tomorrow, get her in to see your vet as soon as you can so her mouth doesn't get infected.

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 :-)

The good news is that usually corn dog sticks don’t cause too much trauma in terms of the sharp edges. Sometimes, they don’t even eat any, they just chew it. If Pax is acting great, give him a slice of bread which can stick to the sharper pieces and ease their passing. That being said, it can still cause some vomiting or diarrhea and if you see these, or if you see lethargy or any other concerning signs, it time to take Pax to your vet.

Hello and thank you for your post. From your description, it is definitely possible that the stick caused some trauma and now Piper is painful from this. I would get her seen by a vet as soon as you can to make sure nothing is lodged in the back of the mouth. If she is refusing food then she certainly might have something stuck or a splinter that you cannot see causing discomfort. She may have also just strained her jaw with the stick getting lodged in her mouth. I hope piper gets well soon and hope this is just a strain and nothing more. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation.