There is a two-hour window
In the midnight call to the vet, I learned you have a two-hour window in which to have the dog examined and to hopefully safely extract the foreign object that he swallowed before the item makes its way into his intestines. This is critical, and can potentially make the difference between swift removal of the object or surgery.
When your dog swallows something she should not, do not wait around deciding whether to go to the vet. If you do not know what she swallowed, go immediately to the vet and have an X-ray taken. If you do know what she ingested, determine if it has something hard or sharp in it that might get stuck somewhere in your dog’s GI system. Think about the size of the object. Will the unwanted item make it through the intestines?
If your dog has swallowed a foreign object and it is not sharp or metal, most likely vomiting can be induced in the critical two-hour window before the item reaches the intestines. It is advisable to coat your dog’s stomach with food. In my case, I had just fed my dog cottage cheese, which turned out to be the perfect conductor for coating the esophagus and stomach. If the object is sharp, you do not want to induce vomiting because the item could tear your dog’s esophagus. For this reason, it is important to do the X-rays to determine if the object can make its way back up the esophagus.
Plus what to do when you hear that telltale “riiiiiip” sound ♀️
Your dog is playing around with her favorite plush toy when all of a sudden you hear, “Riiiiiiiiiiip.”
Next thing you know, she’s throwing the stuffing around like that’s the toy. But what happens if she accidentally swallows some in all the excitement of tearing the toy apart?
The Dodo spoke with Dr. Clarissa B. Lyon, a veterinarian at Larklain Mobile Veterinary Services in Pennsylvania, to find out when you should actually panic.
How long does it take to pass the stuffing?
It usually takes between 10 and 24 hours for a foreign object to pass through a dog’s digestive system. That said, some objects can take much longer.
In the case of fluff, it depends on a couple of factors, such as whether your dog ate right before they ingested the fluff and how much water they drink.
Simply put, bowel obstruction means that something has gotten stuck in your dog’s digestive system, blocking food from being digested and excreted. There are a couple of potential causes, but the most common cause is ingesting ‘foreign objects.’
When we say ‘foreign objects,’ we mean anything inedible, including any kind of furniture, linen, or toy stuffing. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to gauge whether a dog has ingested enough stuffing to cause obstruction.
The first bit of advice you will find in an online search is to induce vomiting. There are cases where this could solve the problem, but not for polyester stuffing.
Rather, vomiting could cause the stuffing to come back up and get lodged in the esophagus, leading to choking-related asphyxiation.
One of the top searches relating to treating dogs that have ingested polyester stuffing asks ‘how long can a dog live with bowel obstruction?’
The answer is pretty straightforward. A dog will die within a couple of days if they have a full obstruction. If the blockage is partial, they might have a bit longer.
For this reason, you must consult your vet immediately if you suspect an obstruction in your dog’s bowel due to ingesting stuffing.
Your vet will most likely recommend that you bring your dog in for a couple of tests and an x-ray to see what exactly they have going on in their digestive system. The way forward could be as simple as laxatives, or surgery in severe cases.
It is never okay for a dog to eat polyester stuffing or the typical fluff in toys. A very small amount of stuffing might not cause a problem, but it isn’t always easy to guess how much of the fluff a dog has swallowed. So let us briefly go over the manufacturing process for polyester to understand why toxicity is a real concern:
Crude oil in stuffing
The main component of polyester is crude oil. There are different chemicals in crude oil that one can extract. These extracts have a wide range of industrial applications.
One such chemical is called ethylene. The glycol part tells you it falls into the wider organic alcohol family.
Ethylene glycol is antifreeze. So what is it doing in your couch cushion? It is a versatile compound that can keep your motor from freezing, but it can also overheat. That is because it can also bind into threads of linked organic molecules.
To make fibers that can fluff.
Fibers are similar to little strings made up of lots of single molecules bound together. In polyester, manufacturers use ethylene as the mono–single—molecules and chemically bind them using a kind of acid.
It’s very safe, though, right?
If you do a quick search for polyester safety, you will likely come across endless results from producers waxing lyrical about the safety of synthetic polymers. After all, they are non-reactive, which roughly means that they don’t cause any chemical reactions.
When these manufacturers say this, they are not lying. Polymers are so unreactive that your dog should not be at the slightest risk of exposure to toxins if they swallow something like polyester.
But wait…
What was it we said polymers are made of again? These ethylene particles aren’t’ polymers.’ They are single molecules, or ‘monomers.’ The thing about these specific monomers is that they are incredibly reactive.
It is the reason they are used to make polymers like polyester, and it also makes them incredibly toxic on their own. Polyester producers’ omission is that there is no way to convert 100% of the monomers into polymers.
In other words, there will always be a percentage of toxic, raw ethylene glycol strapped in the threads of polyester products. The process of turning polyester into threads for clothing helps decrease the risk of exposure, but polyfill takes no precautions.
Is the food poisoned??? ll funny dogs compilation on fake poisoned food ll
Dogs love toys. It’s an undeniable fact for most with four legs and a wet nose. Playing with toys is a great way to bond with your dog, work their brains, and just have fun! But the road to playtime’s end is often paved with fluff… on the rug, on the couch, and hanging out of your dog’s mouth like a cat with a canary feather.
Dogs live to destroy toys—it’s a normal, even important way for them to play. But without proper supervision, ingestion of toy pieces or stuffing can cause an obstruction that requires emergency care. So what causes dogs to cross the line from shredding toys to swallowing them?
Dogs use their noses and mouths to explore the world, to discover what’s edible and what’s off-limits. Sometimes, during this neurosensory exploration, dogs eat things they shouldn’t, like socks, rocks, dirt, or wood. Most dogs outgrow this non-food, non-nutritional snacking (scientifically known as pica), but those that don’t risk resulting health issues, including:
Labradors in particular are guilty of developing pica, including one who ate 54 nails at just 8 weeks old1. The causes of this strange condition can be either medical or behavioral, though a lot of the time it’s difficult to pinpoint any one culprit.
Your dog isn’t looking for a B12 energy boost by ripping apart their toys, but eating something like dirt could indicate a mineral deficiency. Anemia, for example, can cause an iron deficiency in dogs. More in-depth blood work, fecal, or urine tests should indicate whether nutrient-hogging parasites are present, or if your dog’s system is absorbing nutrients from their normal food like it should2.
Additionally, conditions like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and overactive adrenal glands produce hormones that increase appetite. Basically, a dog with this problem is always hungry, and they’ll eat anything to satisfy that feeling.
If your dog compulsively eats non-edible items that provide no nutritional value, it’s time to have them examined by a vet.
If you or your vet suspect the problem is more mental than physical, ask yourself a few questions about your dog’s lifestyle—How much exercise does my dog get? Do they have appropriate toys to chew? Do they follow a daily routine? If the answer is no, or not enough, consider that behavior is to blame.
Dogs crave structure, and they need a consistent outlet for their energy. If these needs aren’t met, dogs may engage in destructive behavior (tearing up the couch) or worse (eating the couch)3. Take your dog for a decent walk before you leave for the day, or tire them out with a game of fetch or brief training session to put their mind and body to work. If you’re gone long hours, hire a dog walker to get your pup out during the day.
Establishing a routine for your dog’s day-to-day is essential. When dogs know what to expect, there’s no need to be stressed or anxious, but lack of a clear schedule means they don’t know what comes next, and that uncertainty can manifest in negative ways.