Over the years we have had many dogs that eat things they shouldn’t (see Things We’ve Found in our Dogs’ Stomachs). Sometimes the dogs are okay and poop out or throw up what they shouldn’t have eaten. Sometimes we have to bring the dog in for obstructive bowel surgery. Unfortunately, on one occasion our beloved dog didn’t make it through surgery (Moe) or the vet was unable to determine there was a blockage (Magic).
I was quite distressed when we came home from walking the dogs and found that Chaos had eaten his bed.
We were gone for less than two hours, so I tried giving Chaos two doses of hydrogen peroxide (each dose 15ml and 15 minutes apart) to try to get him to throw up. From past experience, I know that sometimes hydrogen peroxide works and sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, it did absolutely nothing.
I phone the after-hours vet line. The vet tech told me to walk him around the yard to see if the hydrogen peroxide would kick in due to movement. It did not.
I texted her photos of what Chaos had eaten.
The vet tech was happy that not all of the stuffing was eating. She thought that the fabric and foam would pass (I was doubtful), and she provided me with a protocol we never heard of before! To feed Chaos full portions several times a day, with the goal that he would poop it out. Chaos was served dinner at 7:00pm, then second dinner at 9:00pm, and then third dinner at 11:00pm, and ditto for the next day for breakfast and dinner. I threw in canned pumpkin, rice, and psyllium. He was so happy with his new feeding routine. She expected the fabric to pass in 48 hours (I was doubtful).
The good news is that I found the poo with the fabric!! Sorry I didn’t take a picture for you, I didn’t have my phone with me.
Chaos is doing well and is still expecting his triple breakfast/dinner. By the way– I don’t recommend naming a dog Chaos– he certainly lives up to his name!!
Note: In 2022 Chaos was supposed to run the Yukon Quest, but instead ate his collar a few weeks before the race. We brought him to the vet who saw something on the e-xray. The vet pulled out a partial Kong from his stomach, but no collar. She was quite certain that there wasn’t a collar. The day we brought him home from the vet, he pooped out the collar.
