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My dog swallowed staples. What to do to help her pass them safely?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 30 days old

possibly swallowed staples

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 24th, 2017

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.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM
Veterinarian
If it is just a few small staples than they may pass through with no problems. If they are large staples and she ate a bunch than they could cause a problem. You could have your vet take an x-ray to confirm that she ate them, determine how many, and determine where they are located within the digestive tract. If she recently ate them, you could also feed her some bread to try to coat the staples as they pass through.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Naughty Benny! No, there's no need to take him to a vet immediately. This small amount of staples and the size of the staples should not cause any problems. I would feed him a slice of whole wheat bread now in order to wrap around the staples to cushion them as they go through the intestines. I would give him the bread at each meal to bulk up his feces, and monitor his feces for the staples. They should pass through in 24-48 hours. If they haven't passed through in that time, or if you are seeing any blood in the stool, black stool (this indicates bleeding in the stomach), vomiting, or lethargy, you need to take him into your vet right away. Of course, if you want to be safe, you can take him into your vet now, and your vet can try to retrieve them. Vomiting wouldn't be indicated in this case because they could puncture the esophagus on the way up. Your vet could use an endoscope to retrieve them.

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