Your What happens if a dog swallows a needle? A Step-by-Step Guide

Reader’s Note: Lara and Peanut

Last month, a reader named Lara stumbled on this post after Peanut, her six-month old Jack Russell, swallowed not one, but two sewing pins! Lara described the situation in the comment section below:

“After taking him to the vet I learned that they were stuck in his stomach with food around it. The greedy monkey encouraged himself to eat. What brings me a slight sigh of relief is that your story is sounding very much like how mine is panning out. I just hope Peanut is able to pass these two though. And in future my mother has assured me she will make more of a concerted effort not to drop pins on the floor whilst sewing.”

I sent Lara a follow-up email to see how Peanut was doing, and she wrote back that he successfully passed the pins. She was also kind of enough to include a picture that I’m reposting with permission here:

Reader’s Note: Tiffany and Jude

March 30, 2016: Thank you, Fred, and thank you everyone who has posted here since the story of Gatsby and Maddy! My 7-month-old dachshund swallowed a needle on Sunday night. I saw it and tried to get it out but no luck. I Googled “what to do my puppy swallowed a needle” and found your stories! Within 15 mins, I said a prayer and decided to try the cotton balls soaked in chicken broth and high fiber foods. My puppy Jude was happy for the extra treats. Monday morning came and nothing in his poop but he was happy and healthy. So I prayed and kept feeding him, adding the pumpkin and peanut butter and coconut oil. Another poop in the evening and nothing. Still, Jude was happy as could be. I was still scared and had a hard time deciding if we should just go to the vet hospital. With two daughters getting married within six months and just coming off disability, I was really worried about finding the couple thousand it would probably cost…… but my puppy is worth it! I read the thread again and decided to wait one more night! This morning Jude passed his sewing needle thread and all it was inside the cotton that I had fed him. So it took about 36 hours total! Thanks again, everyone!

Will a dog still poop if they have a blockage?

The blockage impairs digestion and intestinal motility, preventing the dog from passing food and waste through the GI tract. Partial obstruction allows the dog to pass some stool and gas but this will still eventually damage the intestines if not passed.

On Needles and Pins | My Dog Ate What?