Puppy ate toy stuffing, I think

    • Gold Top Dog

    Puppy ate toy stuffing, I think

    Husband put Ruby, 13wk old Aussie, to bed last night in her crate while I was at work and then he fell asleep.  He took her out to pee about four hours later.  Apparently there was a stuffed toy in there, which is not normal because we are usually so careful about making sure there's nothing in there at bedtime.  I'm guessing it was under the pad she sleeps on and he just didn't see it.  Anyway, I came home about 2 hours later and went to take her out to pee like I normally do before I lay down but found a huge amount of white stuffing all over inside her crate.  Lord only knows how much she ate, if any at all.  When husband took her out at midnight, there was no stuffing (he says he didn't see a toy, either) so it seemed to have happened in that two hour span before I got home.  She pooped this morning when we all got up but then didn't go again until just now and it was diarrhea.  She normally goes about three to four times a day and they're usually firm so this is definitely not normal for her.  I called the vet but unfortunately they were closed.  The answering service is one of the vets' wives and she asked if Ruby is eating, drinking, and playing normally, which she is.  She asked if there was any stuffing in the poop - there is not.  She told me to keep doing everything normally and call back in the morning to see if the vet wants to see Ruby. I'm worried because when my youngest son had an obstruction, the only poop he had was diarrhea (it was the only thing that could get around the obstruction). Should I just wait and see or is there something I can give her to start "moving" her?  Your help is appreciated. ;PS - It just occurred to me that I should try to shove all that stuffing back into the toy to get an idea if there is a large amount unaccounted for.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Okay, I could barely get the stuffing back in the toy so I don't really think she ate much, if any at all.  But there is a piece of the fabric missing, about two inches long and an inch wide.  I'm thinking she ate that.  Crap.
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    Maybe, but maybe not.  Often that kind of thing will come out, but the best thing to do is make sure that she continues to eat, drink and poop.  Vomiting would be a sign of obstruction as well.  The diaherra may be totally unrelated to the stuffy.  Try a couple spoonsful of canned pumpkin...just the pure stuff, not the pre-spiced pie mix, and see if that doesn't help firm things up.
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    I wouldn't be to concerned about stuffing, dogs eat alot worse.
    They usually don't eat stuffie stuffing, they just shred the heck out of it. Somedays when the kids are playing hard, we have a ton of stuffie guts all over the place.
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    The pumpkin went over well; she loved it!  She ate all of her dinner in good time, too.  Keeping my fingers crossed. Just found out today a houseguest of my MIL's left COOKED chicken bones in the garbage and their bichon/schnauzer mix got to it and ate it while they were gone.  This dog is a prolific dumpster diver so they never put food in the trash.  MIL says the dog is fine...
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    MIL needs to keep a very close eye on her dog.  Those bones are brittle and could cause problems.  And signs of obstruction and also lethargy, black tarry stool, vomiting, could indicate some internal damage from the bone.
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    Was there a squeaker in the stuffed animal?  Those can be deadly, as they often don't show up in x-rays.
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    Happy to report Ruby has had two normal, solid stools since my last post.  I've never been so happy to see poop.  I'll keep a close eye on it, though, just in case.  Glenda, do you think it was the pumpkin that firmed her up so quickly? 
    Leslie - Thanks for asking about the squeaker.  There is one in the toy and fortunately it's still there.  It was a bone-shaped stuffed toy and the squeaker was in the other end, praise God.  She never gets to chew on these things unsupervised but I still think I'm going to have to go with tougher toys. Glenda - MIL had called our vet (we share) and that's exactly what he told her.  This happened on Thursday and the vet said to watch her for at least seven days.  So far so good.   Thank you so much for your help. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    Pumpkin has wonderful properties and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised that the pumpkin is what did the trick.
     
    Glad to know that MIL is keeping on eye on things...cooked bones absolutely put the fear of God in me!