Understanding the Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs: Prevention and Treatment

This pet health content was written by a veterinarian, Dr. Pippa Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS, with contributions from another veterinarian, Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD. It was last reviewed on June 20, 2024

Understanding the Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

A foreign body is an object that, once swallowed, is likely to get stuck in the gut and cause a blockage. Some dogs are notorious offenders when it comes to eating foreign bodies, with certain breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, being especially at risk.

• High-risk breeds: Labrador retrievers who snack first and ask questions never.

Key Points:

• Left untreated, a foreign body can be fatal.
• If your dog swallows something they shouldn’t, it’s always best to seek veterinary advice.
• If you are lucky, the object may pass out the other end without a problem.
• There are times when surgery is necessary to remove the errant object.

(Cats can also get foreign bodies, but they are more likely to swallow string or ribbon, which then travels into their intestine and causes the bowel to accordion into pleats.)

Recognizing Symptoms of Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

The symptoms of ingestion of foreign bodies in dogs range from subtle to dramatic, depending on the foreign body’s location.

Key Symptoms:

• Stomach Blockage:
  • If a piece of chewed toy is lodged in the stomach, it forms an intermittent plug at the stomach exit.
  • The dog may be able to drink water but vomit food.
• Intestinal Blockage:
  • If the toy passes into the small intestine, it acts like a cork in a bottle, blocking food and fluid.
  • The dog initially vomits profusely, including fluids.
  • Damaged bowel walls release toxins, causing severe illness.

Critical Signs:

• The dog becomes unwell and lethargic to the point of collapse.
• Left untreated, dehydration sets in, the bowel may perforate, and the dog could die.

It’s crucial to seek veterinary advice if you suspect your dog has ingested a foreign body, as quick intervention can prevent serious complications.

Common Causes of Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

Temptation! Dogs often can’t resist a sneaky snack or tempting toy. It’s essential to be vigilant for anything and everything, from windfall apples and acorns to the tinsel on the Christmas tree.

Common Indigestible Objects:

• Windfall apples and acorns
• Tinsel from the Christmas tree
• Golf balls
• Toys
• Socks

Case Examples:

• One Labrador retriever repeatedly ate golf balls, resulting in three surgeries.
• A French Bulldog swallowed toys whole, requiring two surgeries.
• A Golden Retriever had a sock fetish, also needing two surgeries.

If your dog has a history of eating foreign bodies, don’t let down your guard. The dog doesn’t link surgery (and a large veterinary bill) with eating that yogurt cup, and they’re never going to learn their lesson.

For more information on Labrador Retrievers, visit this link.

The Seriousness of Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

The first problem: Foreign bodies block the bowel and don’t let food pass.

Potential Consequences:

• Slow Starvation: At best, the dog slowly starves as food cannot pass through the blockage.
• Complications: More likely, complications set in as the blockage stretches the gut wall.
  • Cut-off Blood Circulation: This can cause that piece of bowel to die off.
  • Sharp Objects: There’s a risk of a sharp object piercing the gut and causing potentially fatal peritonitis.

Understanding the severity of ingestion of foreign bodies in dogs is crucial. Quick intervention can prevent these severe complications and save your dog’s life.

Diagnosing Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

Diagnosing the ingestion of foreign bodies in dogs can be a thorny issue—it’s not only about seeing if a foreign body is present but also determining if surgery is necessary.

Methods of Diagnosis:

• Physical Examination: Sometimes a vet can feel the blockage through the tummy wall.
• Imaging Techniques:
  • Radiographs: X-rays are great at showing dense foreign bodies such as stones, but they are not as effective for less distinct objects such as yogurt cups. Certain objects, like rubber balls and cloth toys, can have the same density as the soft tissue of the abdomen, making radiographs less helpful.
  • Barium X-rays: For less-clear cases, the vet may give the dog a barium dose and follow the contrast agent as it passes through the gut. The barium should pass specific landmarks at set times, and failure to do so could indicate a foreign body.
  • Ultrasound: In the hands of a skilled operator, ultrasound is arguably the best means of detecting a foreign body. The operator can spot the obstruction and look for changes in the way the bowel moves that hint at trouble.

Indicators for Emergency Surgery:

• Distended loops of bowel
• Dense foreign bodies, like stones, causing a complete obstruction

Quick and accurate diagnosis is crucial to determine the necessary treatment and prevent severe complications.

Treatment for Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs

A firmly wedged foreign body is a definite case for surgical removal.

Surgical Removal:

• Laparotomy: Most foreign bodies are removed by laparotomy, which involves administering an anesthetic and having the surgeon open up the dog’s abdomen.
• The surgeon makes a cut in the gut to remove the object and carefully sutures the wound back together. This also allows the surgeon to check the health of the bowel wall and remove any badly damaged sections.

Complications:

• Unfortunately, bowel surgery comes with more complications than other forms of surgery. The bowel is delicate and swells as part of the healing process.
• This means an increased risk of the sutures pulling through and gut contents leaking out. Although this risk can be reduced with good surgical technique, it never goes away altogether.

Understanding the treatment options and potential risks associated with surgery can help pet owners make informed decisions and take quick action when their dog ingests a foreign body.

This video shows Clover the dog after swallowing a stone (warning: minor graphic surgical scenes after the 1:00 mark):

Risks of Leaving a Foreign Body in Place

Leaving a foreign body in place carries a much higher risk of bowel perforation, peritonitis, and death.

Monitoring and Intervention:

• If the object seems like it is slowly making its way out, close monitoring of its progress is appropriate.
• Ensure that the object is safely passed or be prepared to intervene if it stops moving and becomes critical.

Timely intervention and close monitoring are crucial to prevent severe complications and ensure the safety of your dog.

Surgical and Non-Surgical Treatment Options

Treatment for foreign body ingestion can vary based on the object’s characteristics and location.

Treatment Approaches:

• Non-Surgical: Sometimes, objects may pass naturally with close monitoring.
• Endoscopic Removal: Minimally invasive method for accessible objects.
• Surgical Removal: Necessary for objects causing severe obstruction or those that cannot be removed endoscopically.

Repeat Offenders and the Complications of Multiple Intestinal Surgeries

A Case Study: Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper, not the actor, but a gorgeous young dog with doe eyes, was my latest ICU challenge. Bradley had a habit of eating foreign objects, specifically socks. Today, he was recovering from complicated abdominal surgery prompted by a tube sock he had eaten. This wasn’t his first incident; last year, he had done the same thing.

The First Incident:

• Bradley’s family returned from a skiing vacation, and Bradley found joy in the kids’ dirty laundry.
• He ate a stinky, moist ski sock.
• The first intestinal surgery was straightforward. The sock was removed, and he went home on a recommended SF (sock-free) diet.
• Bradley followed his SF diet until temptation struck again, leading to another surgery.

Risks of Multiple Surgeries:

• Any bowel surgery for removing a foreign body in a dog carries risk.
  • Cutting into a compromised intestine filled with fecal material and suturing it up (enterotomy).
  • Cutting away bowel and suturing two pieces of bowel together (anastomoses).
• Multiple surgeries increase the risk of complications due to abdominal adhesions.

Abdominal Adhesions:

• Abdominal adhesions are scar tissue that forms between abdominal tissues and organs after surgery.
• They can cause loops of intestine to adhere to other bowel loops, organs, or the body wall.
• Adhesions make subsequent surgeries more difficult and increase the risk of further complications.

Vigilance is key for dogs like Bradley, who are repeat offenders. Preventing access to foreign objects is crucial to avoid multiple surgeries and the associated risks.

A Case Study: Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper, not the actor, but a gorgeous young dog with doe eyes, was my latest ICU challenge. Bradley had a habit of eating foreign objects, specifically socks. Today, he was recovering from complicated abdominal surgery prompted by a tube sock he had eaten. This wasn’t his first incident; last year, he had done the same thing.

The First Incident:

• Bradley’s family returned from a skiing vacation, and Bradley found joy in the kids’ dirty laundry.
• He ate a stinky, moist ski sock.
• The first intestinal surgery was straightforward. The sock was removed, and he went home on a recommended SF (sock-free) diet.
• Bradley followed his SF diet until temptation struck again, leading to another surgery.

Risks of Multiple Surgeries:

• Any bowel surgery for removing a foreign body in a dog carries risk.
  • Cutting into a compromised intestine filled with fecal material and suturing it up (enterotomy).
  • Cutting away bowel and suturing two pieces of bowel together (anastomoses).
• Multiple surgeries increase the risk of complications due to abdominal adhesions.

Abdominal Adhesions:

• Abdominal adhesions are scar tissue that forms between abdominal tissues and organs after surgery.
• They can cause loops of intestine to adhere to other bowel loops, organs, or the body wall.
• Adhesions make subsequent surgeries more difficult and increase the risk of further complications.

Vigilance is key for dogs like Bradley, who are repeat offenders. Preventing access to foreign objects is crucial to avoid multiple surgeries and the associated risks.

Understanding Abdominal Adhesions

What are Abdominal Adhesions?

• Abdominal adhesions are a type of scar tissue.
• Bands of fibrous tissue can form between abdominal tissues and organs after any surgery.
• This means a loop of intestine can adhere (attach) to another loop of bowel, an organ, other abdominal tissue, or the body wall itself.

Causes and Formation:

• Any time an intestinal surgery is performed, there is inflammation.
• For example, Bradley’s intestine was angry and inflamed because it was harboring a sock. Once the sock was removed, the incision had to heal, causing more inflammation.
• This healing process often results in a certain degree of scarring or adhesion formation throughout the abdominal cavity.

Prevalence and Impact:

• In a study of human patients undergoing abdominal surgery, 93% developed abdominal adhesions.
• Most of the time, these adhesions do not cause significant problems for people or pets.
• However, if a patient needs a second surgery, the surgeon may encounter scarring and adhesions that complicate the procedure.

Understanding abdominal adhesions and their potential impact is crucial for managing dogs that have undergone multiple surgeries for ingestion of foreign bodies.

Bradley Cooper’s Complicated Surgery

In Bradley’s case, when I went in to retrieve this year’s sock, it was lodged in the same place as last year’s sock. The intestine had adhered to another loop of intestine amid a whole bunch of other adhesions. Think of sausage links stuck together and caught up in sticky cobwebs.

Surgical Challenges:

• Whenever a surgeon breaks down these adhesions, more inflammation and adhesions are created.
• The priority is to remove the obstruction, create as little turmoil as possible in the surrounding bowel, and get out of there.

Initial Surgery:

• Brad’s initial surgery was as routine as possible.
• A simple incision was made in the intestine, the sock was removed, and the intestine was sutured closed (an enterotomy).
• Think of cutting into a sausage casing vertically, removing some of the contents, and sewing it back up.

Subsequent Surgery:

• Brad’s next surgery, due to the adhesions, required the removal of a section of the damaged intestines.
• Think of cutting two sausage links right down the middle horizontally and then sewing them back together end-to-end (called an anastomoses).

Long story short, Bradley’s family has learned the hard way that he must be carefully watched. He looked on with those adorable, devilish, twinkling Bradley Cooper eyes of his as his people had a family meeting about never leaving socks on the open floor again.

Preventing Foreign Body Obstruction in Dogs

Vigilance is the answer!

Tips for Prevention:

• Clean Up Toys: Get your kids to clear up their toys and put them into a dog-proof toy chest.
• Supervise with Small Toys: Always supervise your dog when they are playing with small toys.
• Discard Chewed Toys: Throw chewed toys away to prevent ingestion of small pieces.
• Secure Trash: Be vigilant with trash. Use trash cans with a locking top so a clever dog can’t help himself to packaging and trash.
• Laundry Room Safety: Some dogs have a bizarre addiction to socks and even underwear, so keep the laundry room out of bounds. (Here’s another important reason to keep pets and kids out of the laundry room.)

Additional Precautions:

• Muzzle for Repeat Offenders: For his own protection, the only solution for the Lab who swallowed golf balls was to wear a muzzle on walks because in his case, his eyes were bigger than his belly.
• Garden Hazards: Check your garden for hazards such as stones or fruit.
• Safe Toys: Don’t leave your pet unattended with a toy unless it is designed to be indestructible.

If you suspect your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t, check with your vet immediately. The sooner a blockage is found, the sooner it can be corrected—let’s hope it’s before serious complications develop.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Reference

• Fossum, Theresa Welch, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVS. Small Animal Surgery. 4th edition. Mosby.
• VCA Hospitals. Ingestion of Foreign Bodies in Dogs. VCA Hospitals.