One of My EVIL Dogs Has Done Me In

[CurlyDave]

Well, today I got distracted in the kitchen and late this morning one of my labs ate the meat juice absorber from a WalMart package of beef.

This thing has a black plastic cover about 4" x 6", with about 3/8" of some kind of white absorbent material inside it. One side is perforated to let the juice in, the other side is solid.

There are two of them, dogs that is, and I don't even know who the culprit is.

Right now my plan is to take them in to the vet in the morning, meanwhile I am watching to see if one of them passes the thing, but no sign of it yet.

Anyone have any experience with this kind of a thing?

I am thinking major blockage, but I have known labs that ate 1.5 square feet of saran wrap (wrapped around a very large muffin) and had no problems at all.

Anyone know how long it takes for input to become output in a dog?

Advice?

 

[greenmule]

Don't know,but sounds like it could have cost you several hundred.

My little beagle picks onions out of meat stuff,and mushrooms too.

 

[Cottonhawk]

For a large dog, it may take four to five hours for food to pass through.
Your vet may be able to help your dog to pass the thing safely and quickly.

 

[Skyco]

Had a very poor experience with a lab/chow mix. She stopped eating and was running a fever. Went to the vet who found no apparent reason, and put her on an antibiotic. She got worse. we went back to vet and he thought he could see something on an xray. Opened her up and found a sock blocking her intestines. Some of the intestine had died. To our knowledge, this dog had never eaten anything that wasn't food before.

The original vet had opened her up twice and sent her home with a drain in her abdomen. I think he sent her home to die knowing he'd failed. We went to a specialist after she continued to deteriorate who opened her up two more times in two days.

In 5 days total we lost her to kidney failure. This ordeal cost $3000 at the specialist, the original vet never billed us for his work. In hindsight we regret not going to the specialist sooner. The original vet operated out of a converted house using a pretty poor excuse of an operating room/converted bedroom. The specialist's operating room looked just like a human one.

So I'd watch both dogs very closely and go to a vet NOW to see what they recommend to maybe monitor for fever etc. and possibly flush the thing out.
Good luck.

 

[Steve_Miller]

If you want them to throw up, give them a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide. It is not harmful, one of my labs ate a bunch of chocolate one time and the vet suggested this to clean out her stomach. Just make sure your outside when you do it, it works pretty fast.

Steve

 

[jas67]

CurlyDave,

How are the pups? Did you get them to the vet? Bowel obstructions are serious business and can kill. Please keepvus posted, and good luck?

Jay

 

[jimmyj]

Soft stuff like that will be hard to see on an X ray too. If it isn't through they'll have to do surgery and find it and remove it. Darned dogs and the things they eat.

Good luck.

 

[CurlyDave]

I called the vet this morning and they don't think it is a big problem. "Just monitor them and call us back if it doesn't come out in another day."

Of course, another day is Sunday, which will make it harder.

So far so good today. They both had a "normal" movement about an hour ago, ~22 hours after whoever ate the thing.

If they tore it up before eating, no big deal, but I have seen them swallow stuff whole that is way bigger than the thing one of them swallowed. Its just that most stuff can be digested, this can't.

So far, they both seem normally active, no one is listless and doesn't want to move.

 

[anojones]

Our Jack Russell just yesterday puked up a bunch of silicone pacifiers he had stolen from our infant. The kicker is, he ate them about 6 months ago. He's been fine but obviously had this bezoar in his belly a long time. It was really pretty disgusting.

 

[Dargo]

If they tore it up before eating, no big deal, but I have seen them swallow stuff whole that is way bigger than the thing one of them swallowed. Its just that most stuff can be digested, this can't.

That is what I was going to say; if they chewed it up, it shouldn't be a problem. There again, I'm a big softie when it comes to pets. I'm sure I couldn't just not worry about it. If it's what I think, it won't expand more inside your dog like some things would. My thought is that like your vet and that it will pass without issue. Good luck.