Foreign body in the esophagus of a dog. What to do if a dog swallows a bone? If the dog has eaten a foreign body

Dogs are curious by nature. They love to explore new places, smells and tastes. Unfortunately, this curiosity can lead to trouble. Dogs are famous for their ability to swallow paper, fabric, clothing, sticks, bones, food packaging, rocks and other foreign objects. Many of these objects pass through the animal's gastrointestinal tract without problems. And this happens quite often when dog owners report various objects in their dog's stool or vomit.

However, it is also quite common and can be life-threatening when foreign body causes obstruction gastrointestinal tract. Although most foreign bodies leave a dog's gastrointestinal tract unimpeded, obstruction, or constipation, that may occur due to a foreign object can only be resolved through surgical removal.

How can you tell if your dog has eaten a foreign body?

Most pets that have ingested a foreign body will show some of the following symptoms:
Vomit
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Decreased appetite or anorexia
Straining during bowel movements and small volumes of stool
Weakness
Changes in behavior, such as biting or growling when the belly is touched

How is the condition diagnosed?

After a thorough review of the medical history, the veterinarian will likely perform a complete medical checkup dogs. If a foreign body is suspected, an abdominal x-ray will be performed. In addition, the veterinarian may recommend blood and urine tests if the dog's health has deteriorated, or to identify other causes such as pancreatitis, enteritis, infections or hormonal diseases eg Addison's disease.

Treatment of the condition

If GI obstruction due to a foreign body has been diagnosed or suspected, exploratory surgery may be recommended.

The amount of time is critical because gastrointestinal obstruction often compromises the animal's health and cuts off the blood supply to many vital tissues. If the blood supply is interrupted for more than a few hours, these tissues can begin to die, which can cause permanent damage to the body or cause shock.

In some cases, the foreign body may move on its own. In this case, the veterinarian may recommend hospitalization of the dog to ensure close monitoring of its condition.

What are the forecasts?

The forecast is based on:

Location of the foreign body
Duration of obstruction
Size, shape and characteristics of the foreign body
Health conditions of the dog before it ingested the foreign body

Your veterinarian should give you detailed diagram treatment, as well as an accurate prognosis based on your pet's condition.

People love to have dogs as pets, especially for lonely individuals who want to communicate.

Young animals can quite often eat some obviously inedible item, which can bring many negative consequences for their digestive tract in particular and the body as a whole. Therefore, owners need to carefully monitor their dog at all times.

But very often it is impossible to keep track and the dog eats various, sometimes surprising, objects, such as socks.

Why might a dog eat socks?

Do not forget that any dog is a carrier of the genes of wild ancestors and their instinctive base. Dogs are representatives of predators; in nature they are constantly in search of food. They do the same thing in houses, but sometimes it turns out that they eat inedible objects that they mistake for edible, for example, because of their smell.

Socks, especially those that have been worn for a long time, make strong smell, which is very irritating to sensitive receptors olfactory system dogs, the hunter's instinct is triggered and the animal can swallow them.

Danger of getting a sock inside the stomach

If it gets into the stomach, the sock may split into threads due to exposure to an aggressive environment. gastric juice, can pass down the intestines (if it is small in size compared to the stomach), or can get stuck in the stomach.

If the product gets stuck in the stomach, this can lead to indigestion of food and subsequently to peritonitis. Cotton socks are the most insidious when swallowed; such products will swell more and more from internal moisture, leading to rotting of food and bloating of the stomach. Without qualified assistance provided in a timely manner, the consequences for the animal in this case can be fatal.

What to do if the dog ate

If the dog ate a sock and it didn't come out naturally along with the chair, the owners will need to take certain measures.

If the sock was recently swallowed, less than 6 hours ago, you can try to induce vomiting in the animal so that the sock comes out along with the vomit. Vomiting is caused in the following ways:

With salt. Salt can be carefully poured onto the root of the tongue or made brine and inject it inside the dog using a syringe.
With mustard. Mustard has irritating properties and applied to the root of the tongue, it can cause vomiting.
Using hydrogen peroxide. Experienced dog breeders especially praise this method as extremely effective and efficient. Hydrogen peroxide along with clean water mixed in a one to one ratio and then, using a syringe, poured into the dog’s larynx.

If the sock has been swallowed relatively recently, you can try to remove it using an endoscope, naturally not on your own, but with the help of a veterinarian.

Using Vaseline oil as a laxative will help if more than 12 hours have passed after swallowing the sock and it has not come out in a natural way. Vaseline oil should be given to the dog every two hours until desired effect, you should not feed the dog.

Vaseline oil will not harm the dog’s body and will come out unchanged, since it is mineral and will not be absorbed by the body.

If the sock does not come out of the stomach, despite the measures taken, you will need to contact a qualified veterinarian to perform intracavitary surgery to remove the product from the animal’s stomach. After such an operation, mandatory compliance with the postoperative rehabilitation regime, wearing a special bandage, antibacterial drugs, vitamin therapy, dosed walks, avoiding conflicts with other dogs.

Measures to prevent socks from getting into your dog's stomach

Basic preventive measure negative consequences a dog eating socks is cleaning of all socks, especially cotton ones, out of the dog’s reach.

Constant and thorough cleaning of the home space from objects potentially dangerous to the dog will guarantee the peace of mind of the owners and the health of their pets.

It would be useful to periodically train the dog competently to form a negative attitude towards socks and items made of fabric.

Eating obviously inedible objects, in particular socks, can also be an indicator of the dog’s general nervousness and anxiety. Maintaining a walking schedule balanced nutrition, games - all this will reduce the dog’s anxiety level and lead to greater harmonization of the relationship between the dog and the person.

What actions should you not take if your dog ate a sock?

Under no circumstances should you yell at your dog if it has swallowed a sock, because it is already in a stressful state. If the body is in stressful situation, the condition of the gastrointestinal tract may worsen, and spasms may occur.

If a dog swallows a sock in front of its owner, you should not try to pull it out on your own if it has already entered the esophagus from the mouth - this can lead to much greater trauma. You should not try to pull the sock out of the stomach on your own by massaging the abdominal area; this can also lead to a worsening of the situation.

After accurately stating the fact, you should remain calm and strictly follow the above steps.

It is very important to remember that Vaseline should be given as a laxative, and not vegetable or olive oil.

First, let's talk about safety precautions: do not allow situations in which the dog has the desire and opportunity to eat bags.

Close the garbage can (if necessary, use the latch!).
Do not leave shopping bags (meat, sausages in packaging) unattended. (Don’t leave it without packaging either, if you want the food to come to you too.)
Any packaging containing something tasty should be immediately thrown out of the reach of the dog. Dogs rarely swallow bags without an attractive smell, but such perverts do exist. In this case, you can only sympathize: hide all the packages, do not leave the dog unattended, lock your pet in a room in your absence. safe place(dog cages are not evil or violence, they are a safe house while the owner is away).
Walk your pet on a leash and/or muzzle.

But I think if you are reading this article, the above tips are overdue.

What to do if your dog has already eaten the bag

If your dog ate the bag, don't panic. It is very likely that it will come out naturally, especially if the dog chewed it.

Observe the dog's condition for several days: if vomiting occurs, do not feed the dog, do not give it any medications and immediately take it to the doctor, warning that the dog recently ate the bag.

The doctor will conduct a series x-rays with contrast (this will take several hours, you will have to leave the dog in the hospital or come several times) to detect intestinal obstruction. An X-ray without contrast may not be useful: polyethylene does not block X-rays, but the first image is usually taken before contrast material is injected. If intestinal blockage is confirmed, you will need surgical intervention. (And no, “lots of x-rays” are not bad for your dog!)

Very rarely, a foreign body can lie in the stomach for a long time without showing itself in any way for the time being. At some point it moves and clogs the intestines. Even if you are sure that your pet is Lately did not ingest anything “like that”, do not refuse an X-ray examination with contrast to detect intestinal obstruction if the dog has persistent vomiting.

Ultrasound by indirect signs can also help detect intestinal obstruction, but x-rays with contrast are still more reliable.

If nothing bothers the dog, wait for the package to come out naturally. To be on the safe side, you can give Vaseline oil (not castor oil or any other oil%!) - it will make it easier to get out feces. Vaseline oil (sold in a pharmacy) is given orally at the rate of approximately 1 teaspoon per 10 kg of dog weight, 2-4 times a day, until stool appears. You shouldn’t give it for more than a couple of days: the oil disrupts normal absorption processes in the intestines. If, after defecation, only half of the bag comes out of the dog, and the rest sits firmly in the intestines, do not pull on the hanging part. Just cut off what's on the outside with scissors and wait for the rest to come out on its own.

And always, always hide bags and other packaging from dogs. The dog will not draw any conclusions from what happened and, whenever possible, will again eat what attracts it.

Having an animal in the house requires the owner not only to treat his pet with care and provide food in a timely manner, but also to comply with basic home safety rules:

No sharp, piercing or small objects on the floor
Lack of household chemical substances in free access
Handicraft items (needles, threads) at an unattainable height
The dog should not see nuts, crackers, seeds

But, unfortunately, despite all the precautions, everything cannot be foreseen.

If you saw that a dog swallowed foreign object it is necessary to provide her with timely assistance.

The sooner you seek help, the greater the chance of removing a foreign object from the stomach or esophagus without surgery using only the endoscopy method, provided that the foreign object is suitable for removal using an endoscope.

Symptoms of swallowing a foreign object

Oral cavity

swallowing dysfunction
profuse drooling
gagging
lack of appetite

Laryngeal area

lack of appetite
swelling of the larynx
breathing problems
bleeding from the mouth

Esophagus area

inflammation of the esophageal wall followed by wall necrosis
Trauma to the esophagus (wall rupture) is possible
the dog begins to stretch its neck
after eating - vomiting foam or food

Stomach and intestinal area

serious condition with a tendency to worsen
lack of appetite
thirst
nausea, vomiting
defecation with blood

What should you do if you suspect that your dog has swallowed a foreign body? It is necessary to carry out ultrasonography abdominal cavity of the animal and x-ray examination. Sometimes an x-ray examination with contrast may be required. IN in this case the dog is fed contrast agent and a series of images is taken to confirm or exclude the presence of a foreign object.

If a foreign body is confirmed in the intestine, surgery is prescribed to remove it. The operation consists of accessing abdominal cavity animal, examination of the intestines with further removal of the foreign object from the intestinal lumen. As a rule, after such an operation the animal can be fed within a few hours, which, in turn, affects more early dates recovery of the animal after surgery.

Summarizing all of the above, I would like to once again warn the owners that they must not scatter foreign objects around the apartment, and they must not leave any objects within the reach of the animal. If ingested by a pet inedible item you should not count on “maybe it will slip through... this has happened before and everything was fine...”, it is always better to consult a doctor and help the animal. Untimely assistance sometimes results in resection of part of the intestine or death.

Take care of your pets!

Basically, a foreign body enters the animal’s body through the digestive tract. In most cases, this happens with small puppies. IN younger age the dog loves to play with all kinds of objects, grabs them with his teeth and often swallows them. Foreign bodies in this case, as a rule, are a needle and thread, a billiard ball, beads, beads, pieces of rubber hose, small pebbles, bones, nuts, etc.

The reasons why puppy swallowed anything, are different. Ingestion of foreign bodies may also indicate mineral deficiency when the dog does not receive enough minerals from the food. A dog also shows a perverted appetite if it has rabies.

If puppy swallowed something sharp, what could it mean?
Needles and any sharp objects sometimes they get stuck in the dog’s mouth, pharynx and esophagus, thereby causing a suppurative process in this area. Foreign body large sizes, for example, small things, pieces of rags, small balls, can sometimes be removed during vomiting. If a needle and thread is swallowed by a dog, then it can digestive tract and come out with the feces. Suppose that the needle is stuck in the walls of the intestine, the thread, pushed by the peristaltic movement of the intestines, will outstrip the needle and thereby pull it out of the wall.
The free movement of a foreign body in the intestines does not cause any abnormalities in the dog’s condition; the animal feels normal. But as soon as a foreign body gets stuck in the lumens of the intestinal tube, the dog immediately begins to develop intestinal obstruction. She begins to vomit, refuses to feed, the animal’s condition is depressed, the intestines are swollen, and the dog feels pain when palpating the abdomen. Anamnesis, clinical picture, perinephric block and radiography help establish accurate diagnosis. Often a foreign body can be felt even through the abdominal wall.
First aid.

If you notice that your dog has swallowed a foreign body, give him a spoon. table salt, which should be poured directly onto the root of the tongue. This will make the dog vomit, and the swallowed object may be able to be removed this way. But if the dog has swallowed a foreign object and has the symptoms described above, then it must be urgently taken to a veterinary clinic.

A dog that has swallowed a foreign object will undergo an epiplevaral or perinephric block at the clinic. If this does not lead to positive changes, then the animal’s abdominal cavity is opened. The stuck object is removed through an incision or incision in the intestine. Wound abdominal wall It is sutured in the usual manner, as with any operation. After this, the dog is prescribed antibiotics and a diet of foods that the dog can easily digest: broths, milk, mucous decoctions of rolled oats and rice. Small sharp objects migrating through the animal’s intestines are removed only after their location has been established using radiography.
To avoid the dog ingesting foreign bodies, it is necessary to provide it nutritious food with everything you need minerals. If in the house little puppy, then you need to remove all small, piercing and sharp objects as far as possible from it. Do not give dogs bones, the fragments of which can become lodged in the intestinal tract.