My 8-week-old puppy ate an earring. What's the best course of action?

Unfortunately, vomiting up a foreign body can only be done if the item was consumed in the past two hours, and given that you aren't sure when your pup ate your pillowcase, it may be too late to induce vomiting. There's nothing you can do to make her pass it quicker, and I would caution against using any human medications without veterinary approval or using a method you find on the internet as you may do harm to your pup. You can try giving her a slice of whole wheat bread now, and with every meal to form a ball of ingesta around the pillowcase to help cushion it as is passes through her GI tract. You can feed this piece of bread to her with every meal. I would monitor her for the next 72 hours of signs of obstruction, which include vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, and constipation. Should you see any of those signs, please take her into the vet immediately. When you leave the house, I would recommend putting her in a crate, as that will keep her from getting into things while you are gone.

Oh that was naughty of Derek! There is a chance it could pass without problem, and I would just have him seen by a vet tomorrow. If he ate it within the past two hours, the vet may think it's safe to induce him to vomit it up, so you do have the option of calling a vet now about having him seen to get a shot to induce vomiting. That would prevent any chance of an obstruction. Likely, it will pass without problem, but just in case, I will give you the signs of an obstruction. They include vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, lethargy, and constipation. You can monitor him for those signs, and keep in mind that it can take up to 72 hours for it to pass. Hopefully, Derek will be just fine :-)

Hi there! It is very difficult to tell whether something will pass through the intestinal tract or if it will get stuck. Some big things will just miraculously pass, and some small things will manage to get stuck! That being said, 2 months is a very young age, and a tiny kitten is far more likely to get something stuck. There are a couple of things you an do at this point. One would be to bulk your boy's diet just a little bit to help add some fiber to his diet. This will help his intestines move a bit faster, and provide some cushioning for the earring itself. Because a stud earring has that sharp edge on it, a 1/8th slice of plain wheat bread given twice a day will help to wrap around that earring a bit easier than something like canned pumpkin or Metamucil might do. Look for the earring in his stools to make sure you see it come out. If he swallowed the earring really recently, if you take him into the vet right now, it's possible they may be able to retrieve it as well as ensure that it's not caused any undo irritation to his esophagus as it went down. If it has been over 30 minutes or so, it may be too late to try and get it back. It can take 24-48 hours before we can start to see signs of a blockage. You could head into the vet in roughly 24 hours to have an xray taken to try and track the progress of the earring as it moves through. The good news is that metal objects tend to show up really brightly on an xray, so they should be able to easily see it and guage how easily it is passing. The bad news is that if it is not passing, they will have to remove it surgically. If at any point your boy starts to vomit, stops eating/drinking, gets restless or seems painful, grows really lethargic, or is straining to have a bowel movement, he needs to go into a vet clinic immediately. Once an obstruction develops, it becomes an emergency and can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. Depending on what type of metal the earring is made from, some heavy metals can be toxic to animals. While they don't absorb the metal, or even break it down very well, if it sits in the stomach for a long period without passing, certain metals will gradually leech into their systems, leading to a metal poisoning. So if you're not seeing it pass in 24-48 hours if you choose to bulk, head into the clinic anyway, even if you are not seeing any of the above signs.

Vomiting should not be induced if a dog ate anything sharp. I suggest you feed him a slice or two of bread to help "coat" the earrings so they don't cause any trauma to the GI tract and push them through. If they were small they should pass on their own. If you are worried, you could always take him for an x-ray now to confirm. It could ease your mind.

In most cases, it takes about 2-3 days for a swallowed foreign body (such as an ear plug) to pass all the way through and be excreted in the poop. Signs of an obstruction usually occur during this time if there is going to be a problem - usually if it's been more than 2-3 days, you're in the clear. So I would not be very worried about this as long as your pup is acting normal, although I would definitely try to make sure that he can't get to your ear plugs anymore as they are absolutely a risk for causing an obstruction. In rare cases, foreign bodies can stay in the stomach for weeks, months, or even years before eventually moving into the intestinal tract and causing problems - so there is still a slim chance that this could happen at some point, but there would be no way to tell this without an x-ray or endoscopy.

I am sorry to hear about your puppy. It is possible the puppy may pass this object. You can try giving a piece or two of whole wheat bread torn into pieces to help aid in its passing and will need to observe him for signs of obstruction for the next few days until the bobby pin is passed. Signs of obstruction include vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, and painful abdomen. If this happens you must seek veterinary care as soon as possible. If the bobby pin was just swallowed a veterinary center with an endoscope may be able to remove the bobby pin without doing surgery if that is an option for you.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. This may pass without problem. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, or lethargy, have her seen by a vet immediately. I would monitor her (and check her poop for the ring) over the next three days. Best of luck.