My dog swallowed something. What food or oil can help it pass?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He may be able to pass it but in reality, it is possible that it may cause a gastrointestinal obstruction. I recommend you watch him closely for signs of a gastrointestinal obstruction such as vomiting, inappetence, nausea and/or abdominal pain and have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment if observed. Also, keep an eye on his stools to check to see if he passes the sock. Best of luck! Hopefully this is nothing!

It's difficult to know for sure without knowing the size or type of object ingested, but it's definitely a concern for causing an obstruction in the stomach or intestines. If she ate it within the last three hours, then it's possible that it can be retrieved from the stomach if you take her to the vet. This may require anesthesia and special instrumentation though, so it would be expected to be somewhat costly - especially at an emergency clinic. This is the best option though. The other option is waiting to see if it passes OK. Normal GI transit time is 3-5 days. During this time you would just be waiting to see if she has any signs of an obstruction. Signs of an obstructions are vomiting, not defecating, acting very painful/depressed and a decrease in appetite. If you notice these signs, then Olive would need to go to the vet immediately for emergency surgery. I hope that helps and all is well with Olive.

I'm so sorry that Whimbly is ill. Yes, almost anything indigestible (or very slowly digestible like how corn, bones, some chewable chew toys) can cause obstruction. It's also very very hard to determine what something is on x-rays alone because x-rays are literally looking a shadow of the object -- so your vet is just taking a guess at what is is there. It sounds like the object is on it's way to passing it's own, so you and Whimbly have been very lucky. Usually we have to do expensive, invasive surgery to remove foreign bodies from the intestines. Occasionally, the objects can move forward using IV fluids and medications to keep the gut healthy. It should pass fully in the next day or two. I hope Whimbly is feeling better soon!

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.

Poor Zoey. With any sharp foreign body ingestion we get concerned for possible laceration of the intestines as the intestines work back and forth to grind up ingesta. Staples certainly have the potential to at the very least cause some moderate GI upset and inflammation of the intestines. Laceration of the intestines is also possible. I would recommend feeding Zoey 1 piece of bread in between meals, 2 times day to hopefully bind up the staples and blunt their edges. Also the fiber of the bread helps to bulk up the stool for easier passage and exit out the rectum. Take Zoey on 20-30 minutes brisk walks twice a day as well to help promote GI motility. Then monitor her stool daily and for any signs of trouble which would include excessive vomiting (even water), lethargy, and lack of appetite. If you see these symptoms then take her to your local vet right away. Hopefully these are going to come out just fine. There is a greater chance that they will exit ok, due to their small size, but you can never be too cautious with any foreign body ingestion. I hope things work out ok for your furry friend Zoey.

Hello. I would try feeding him a laxative & one way to do this is to take 1-2 pieces of bread & slather with Vaseline. You can repeat this in 6-8 hours & hopefully this will push the rest of the towel material through. If your dog vomits, do not feed any more & you may need to see your vet. But several small bites of cloth in a 45 pound dog should not cause a significant blockage. Give this a try & see if he becomes more regular. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Laxatives will only work for small proportion of partial blockages (impactions) in the lower intestines but are unlikely to work if the problem is higher up or if the gut is obstructed to the point that the laxatives cannot penetrate around and beyond the problem. If there is complete blockage or any twist of the bowel, laxatives will not help and delaying treatment can result in significant complications and risk rupture and serious infections