# Vet Visit???



## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

Early Monday morning my puppy chewed off & ate the thumb loop of a 3/8" synthetic leash from FullGripGear. The loop was stiched not knotted. He's eating & acting normally, his poop is normal & he hasn't vomitted. But he hasn't passed the loop yet. Should he go to the vet?


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

I would take the pup to the vet if he hasn't passed it by now. At least they can take an x-ray to see what is going on. Better safe then sorry. I would have suggested that if you caught the pup in the act you could have given him the old throw up concoction of hydrogen peroxide & water to induce vomiting. But you need to catch them in the act & would only use this with the ingestion of certain items not chemicals or sharp items which can cause more harm coming back up. I hope everything turns out ok for your pup.

Also, it could be stuck somewhere or it is possible depending on what you feed (like kibble) that takes longer to pass thru, he just may not have passed it yet. My dogs are raw fed & pass thru the morning feeding in the afternoon.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Nah, he's dead. Just write him off.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

How old is the dog?

I had a situation like this and waited. The dog ate and drank for a few days before showing symptoms and it was 5? days afterwards that the obstruction was confirmed and surgically removed. She lost a HUGE amount of weight.

The dog's age is important to me in making a decision. An 8-week old puppy would have a hard time surviving that. The 2 year old dog in (otherwise) great health barely made it!

It is always "safe rather than sorry," but the younger the dog, the more careful you should be.

I hope this one ends up OK. :|


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## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

He's almost 7-months-old. We've rushed a couple of dogs to the vet and it wound up that they were fine. Last night we noticed tiny pieces of orange (color of leash) in his poop. Maybe he nibbled the thumb loop off instead of chomping the whole thing off. We had been looking for the whole loop.

If he was obstructed wouldn't he have diarrhea or vomit? Thanks for the help.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

It would really depend on how obstructed he was. A partial obstruction can let some food and most liquids through so the dog looks reasonably normal. There might be some vomiting or stool change, but it may not be that severe.

Is it possible after eating the leash the pup threw some of it back up when you weren't looking?

It would be worth an xray just to make sure the dog is OK and that it hopefully chewed the leash up in small enough pieces to just pass through. I'm not sure if the leash would show up on an xray though, I'd take the part you still have in with you so the vet can look at it.


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## Terry Fisk (Jul 26, 2007)

Sue Miller said:


> Early Monday morning my puppy chewed off & ate the thumb loop of a 3/8" synthetic leash from FullGripGear. The loop was stiched not knotted. He's eating & acting normally, his poop is normal & he hasn't vomitted. But he hasn't passed the loop yet. Should he go to the vet?


Get some Sand Free or equivalent psylliam husk or powdered product that they use to prevent sand colic in horses (not psyllium pellets or granules). Put about a tablespoon in some canned food. It works wonders to congeal and move ingested "junk" out of the intestines. Watch for vomiting after eating, drooling, straining to defecate which might indicate an obstruction. Good luck!


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## Anne Jones (Mar 27, 2006)

I never thought about using Sand Free for dogs. I've used it for my horse when he was out on a sandy short grassed pasture. Good idea.


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Had a Mal pup here that swallowed a chunk of a stuffed toy she found out in the yard before I could get to her. Waited a day....no pass....went and got x-rays.....and the next day she passed it.....I put some canola oil on her food.....and fed ground meat instead of meat with bone for a few days and it did the trick...stool was normal and there was the bright purple chunk of material......

Stupid dog....

I would rather be safe than sorry I guess.


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## Terry Fisk (Jul 26, 2007)

Anne Jones said:


> I never thought about using Sand Free for dogs. I've used it for my horse when he was out on a sandy short grassed pasture. Good idea.


Works like a charm =D> I like the fact that it congeals the content of the gut and encases the "undesirables" so they pass through. Usually within 24 hours. Unfortunately, large/lodged foreign bodies have to be surgically removed.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

Anne Jones said:


> I never thought about using Sand Free for dogs. I've used it for my horse when he was out on a sandy short grassed pasture. Good idea.


 
GREAT idea, right? one of those "why didn't i think of that?" moments for me, lol......

thanks terry!


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## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks Terry--he's been passing small pieces since last night. I'm going to get the Sand Free anyway & keep it on hand for any other situations like this. We've had too many $300+ vet bills by jumping the gun on x-rays. If Quinn had shown any symptoms like vomitting, diarrhea or change in personality we would have gone in for the x-rays immediately.


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