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 recommended  surgery and my  friend was not  really happy about slicing Barkley’s stomach open. He called  me to see if there was anything else we 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.

I suggested  my friend  cook 2 cups of  squash  to 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 is know to   bubble 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 plus 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.

The purpose of this blog is to give you an insight about what to do when  your dog  eats  non-toxic, indigestible objects.

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 your dog is hyper-salivating,  the object  may be stuck in the esophagus or your dog ate a toxin.  You should  see  your vet immediately.

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.

If the foreign body is in the stomach,  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.

Please  note that  the above information  is  not  intended to replace the care of experienced healthcare provider.

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.