Best way to prevent surgery when your dog eats an undigestible object

Best way to prevent surgery when your dog eats an undigestible object
By Dr. Peter Dobias

What to do when your dog ingests a foreign body?
A friend of mine called me recently and was very upset. This was the second time his dog Barkley had eaten a mango pit. The first time, he threw it up but this time, it stayed down for more than a week! The local vet logically recommended surgery but my friend was not happy about sliciing Barkley’s stomach open. He calle me to see if there was anything else he could do.

The pit was large and flat and it was unlikely to go further than the stomach. I thought if we made Barkley throw up, it could get stuck in the esophagus. We had to find a way that would make the mango pit slippery enough to make it slip out without complications.
“Thrower upper mix”
I suggested to cook 2 cups of squash, make a puree and add 1/3 cup of flaxseed steeped in the same amount of hot water. The flax seed made the whole mixture slimy and slippery which was perfect to make the pit slide out.
To make Barkley throw up, we added ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide (to be mixed in just before feeding). When peroxide reacts with stomach juices it bubbles up which makes most dogs throw up.
My friend and I agreed that he would call me if there was any news and that he would also be ready to see the local vet in the unlikely case of the pit getting stuck. Finally, an hour later, I received a text message from Elan: “Peter, call me! “
“Oh no,”I thought, “Barkley may be in trouble!” I called right away, anxiously waiting for an answer. “Peter, we got the pit! ” my friend proclaimed victoriously.
We were both ecstatic . Barkley didn’t need to go under the knife. Also, 1 squash, flax seed and a little bit of peroxide are definitely much less expensive than abdominal surgery!
This whole story prompted me to write a little more on foreign body ingestion because this was not the first time I have seen dogs eating strange things including a fine china plate with the dinner, 10 golf balls or corn cob.
What can you do if your dog eats an indigestible object
If your dog ingested a toxic substance or a poisonous plant or you are not sure what exactly went down Fido’s stomach, contact your local emergency care provider. Otherwise, read on.
FIRST AID – FOREIGN BODY INGESTION
Ask the following questions:


1. Do you know what your dog ate ?
If the answer is NO and your dog has been repeatedly vomiting or having diarrhea for more than 1 day or appears to behave strange, contact your vet immediately.
IF the answer is YES, and you know what your dog ate, go to STEP 2

2. Is your dog drooling?
IF the answer is YES, the object may be stuck in the esophagus or your dog ate a toxin. You should see your vet immediately.
If the answer is NO go to STEP 3

3. The size of the object is more then 1.5 inches in diameter
it is unlikely that it would pass further in the small intestine. If your dog appears to be fine, is calm. You can prepare the following mixture
2 cups of cooked squash puree
1/3 cup of whole flax seed steeped by the same volume of hot water
½ cup of hydrogen peroxide
small amount of smoked fish or cooked liver for flavor only
Feed this mixture to your dog. You should see vomiting within 30 minutes and hopefully you will be the lucky winner.
If your dog doesn’t throw up and appears fine, go to step 4.

4. The foreign body is smaller than 1.5 inches
If your dog is not vomiting and appears to be fine, feed him the following mixture
50% of meat of your choice ( raw or cooked depending on your preference
40% cooked squash puree
10% flax seed steeped with enough hot water to make the whole mixture slimy.
Feed this meal for 2 – 3 days. Many foreign bodies pass with no problem
5. If your dog is restless, or vomiting more than once or having diarrhea for more than 24 hours, see your veterinarian.
Note: A stomach foreign body often doesn’t cause any obvious problems. Your dog may have normal appetite with occasional vomiting. Intestinal obstructions usually cause lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and signs of discomfort


6. If you know that your puppy or adult dog likes to chew on things,
keep it confined in a dog pen when away or in a room free of hazardous objects.
If you are put in a situation where surgery may be needed, never go for an exploratory surgery unless the foreign body was confirmed.
Barium radiographs, ultrasound or endoscopy are the first diagnostic steps that need to be taken first. Foreign bodies in the stomach can often be removed endoscopically to avoid the surgical trauma and risks.
If you find that your veterinarian is suggesting surgery while your dog appears fine or a foreign body was not confirmed, seek a second opinion.
7. Your dog may be eating objects before he is missing nutrients
If often find that dogs are very good at telling us that there is something missing in their food. Soil depletion in agriculture causes often severe nutritional deficits that manifest in dogs scavenging. The best way to prevent this from happening is to feed wholesome non processed raw or cooked diet and supplements. Here are the essential supplements that my patients and my dog Skai get.



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