My dog might have swallowed a bottle cap 4 days ago. What now?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ziggy. Oh no, that's not good! I would wait some more. He's not showing any signs of a problem, and since he's otherwise acting normally, there's no need to rush him into a vet. Now if he does start showing signs of a problem, then I would take him into a vet right away. It may be this has already passed without problem. If there was internal damage, you would see signs of a problem such as a loss of appetite, lethargy, and blood in his poop. If it would make you feel better to have him checked out, that's certainly ok, but it's also fine to keep an eye on him for now. I hope this helps!

It could take between 1-4 days until you notice symptoms, if the cap gets stuck in the intestines it could cause a blockage, you will need to monitor him for vomiting, diarrhea, lack of appetite and lethargy. if any of those symptoms persist, you will need to take him to the vet ASAP.

It will either pass through or it could potential get stuck and cause an obstruction. If she chewed it in pieces than it will likely pass through without getting stuck. It may cause some inflammation in her intestines and you may notice some diarrhea. If she starts vomitng, becomes lethargic, or stops eating than she needs to be seen right away.

If he is eating and drinking normally, and does not throw up after he eats, he may be ok. The only way to know for sure is to take him in for xrays. Your vet may want to do a barium study to actually see if the cap is still somewhere in his GI tract, as plastic often does not show up on a regular X-ray. There is a chance that he has passed it or will pass it in his stool. If he keeps throwing up, or starts acting lethargic and puny, or doesn't want to eat, you can't wait any longer and need to see your vet. Hope that helps!

It could still become an issue in the future since Ollie is so small. Signs to watch out for are vomiting, poor appetite, and lethargy. If he experiences any of those issues, or just seems off, a vet visit for x-rays and possible blood work is in order. Good luck!

She would stop creating feces and start vomiting within a day or two of becoming obstructed. There is a possibility that the bottle cap (if ingested) will stay in the stomach and never cause an issue, or many weeks or months later it could move into the intestines and then cause issues. Or she may not have even eaten the bottle cap! You can have her examined and x-rayed with a veterinarian, sometimes that will show plastic if it is in the stomach, but not always.

It depends on the size of the cap ingested. The biggest concern would be it getting stuck in the intestinal tract which would require surgery to get out. It may be better to take Jax in to induce vomiting. If he ingested it in the past 1 hour then there is a good chance he could vomit it back out. A veterinarian can give a injection that works well to induce vomiting.