My puppy might have swallowed a needle. What signs should I watch for?

It may be serious but not necessarily. You should take your dog to your vet to take an x-ray to see where the needle is (it could got stuck in esophagus and it this case it should be removed). If the needle is in the stomach you will have to wait 24-48hrs for the needle to be passed. If in any doubts the second x-ray should be taken. If your dog develops signs of vomiting, vomiting blood, abdominal pain, lack of appetite he will need emergency surgery to remove the needle. However, most of the dogs will pass a needle and surgery is not required.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The risks of swallowing a nail include perforation of the intestinal tract, which is a life-threatening surgical emergency. They can also get iron toxicity, which can cause severe GI upset and liver damage. The best way to tell if Evy ate a nail would be to take her to a veterinarian for an x-ray of her abdomen. If you cannot bring her, please monitor her for signs of vomiting, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, and have her seen by a veterinarian right away. Otherwise, if she continues to act normal at home, she likely did not eat the nail and should be OK. I hope this is helpful!

You should immediately take her to a petER, preferably to one where they have an endoscope with which they can take out the needle from the stomach before it travels on into the intestine and causes an intestinal obstruction as a "linear foreign body" or the needle perforates the stomach or the intestines. Please take Bebe to a petER now.

If the needle was the only foreign body ingested and it was brought back up without any noticeable additional sign (further vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and inappetence or abdominal pain/discomfort) I would suggest just to monitor him at this stage. Start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice diarrhoea, more vomiting, lethargy or inappetence or abdominal discomfort. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Yes, she should see a vet ASAP and have an xray done, this way you will know for sure if she ingested it as well as where it is situated, if she indeed ingested it she will likely need to have a surgery done to have it removed.

This is very unusual. I'm sorry this happened. I suggest you have the vet remove the needle with an endoscope if possible. I doubt it will work it's way out on it's own. Not to mention the esophagus is a very unforgiving organ and any inflammation will cause permanent strictures (narrowing) so the longer you wait the worse it will be.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Alex. If your dog was in another room and you have since vacuumed the area where you were working, then it is unlikely that he would have consumed anything. If he ate a staple, it has the potential to puncture his stomach or intestines. This would make Alex very sick. He would stop eating, become very lethargic and likely vomit. If this occurs, he will require emergency veterinarian care. I hope this information helps!