Intestinal Blockage

Given the opportunity, dogs will swallow all sorts of things.  Keep anything that your dog could possibly swallow in a safe place.

Here is a short list of some of the items that have been removed.  Every day, the collection gets larger and stranger.

Toys - Make sure that all toys are much too large for the pet to swallow. The inexpensive ones are real problem. Pets bite off chunks of them and swallow.

Plastic Wrap

Coins 

Pins, Needles & Thread - These are especially bad due to the sharp points and can do additional damage in there.

Socks

Easter basket grass

The strings that come wrapped around roast beef and turkeys

dental floss

SOS pad

pantyhose

pieces of carpet

children's toys of all sorts

bones & rawhides

Signs your dog has an intestinal blockage:  The signs are vomiting, dehydration and distension of the abdomen.  When the blockage is high, projectile vomiting occurs shortly after eating.  When low, there is a distension of the abdomen and vomiting is less frequent, but when present, it is dark brown and has a fecal odor,  A dog with a complete obstruction passes no stool or gas per rectum.

Untreated intestinal blockages leads to death of the dog.  This is most urgent when there is interference with the blood supply to the bowel.  This can be recognized by a rapid deterioration in the dog's condition, an extremely tender abdomen and signs of shock or prostration.  

If your dog is showing any of the above signs rush it immediately to the vet for surgery to remove the foreign object.

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