Help!

Here is a vet student's response to such a question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071208225741AA1t2mR
"The emergency vet is not going to jump immediately to surgery. The first thing that should be done is to determine if the dog actually swallowed the ball. Usually this is done by radiography (x-rays). There are 2 key spots the ball may get stuck - the pyloric sphincter (junction between the stomach and first section of small intestine) and the ileocecal valve (where the small intestine transitions to large intestine). If the ball can pass those points on its own, surgery won't be needed. X-rays done over a few different time points will determine if the dog is blocked or not.

I would get her in to a emergency vet. It's better to be sure than to hope she passes it. The longer you wait, the more hospitalization she could require. If there is a blockage and it is left long enough, she will not only need the ball removed, but a portion of her bowel could die off. That would also need to be removed thereby complicating the surgery and increasing the cost. Also, that dying tissue effects the dog quite poorly, and measure may need to be taken to save the liver and kidney (common organs damaged with the death of other tissue).
 
I would think very hard, see if there is any way she might not have swallowed the ball, and then take her to the vet if she did. Waiting until Monday could kill her if she is blocked, and feeding her pumpkin may only cause more problems. The vet may be able to give a pro-kinetic agent to help the intestines move the ball themselves. Blockages can cause the muscles in the intestine move in an uncoordinated manner, making it even harder to propel that object through the tract. Certain medications may be able to get those movements under control. I wish you the best of luck, but I would be prepared for the prospect of surgery."

Here is advice from one vet on avoiding surgery - http://peterdobias.com/community/2010/07/foreign_body_surgery/

Here is an article about a 5-year-old black lab that had swallowed 13 golf balls over an unknown period of time.  All the balls stayed in his stomach.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7599899.stm
"Owner Chris Morrison had been taking five-year-old black labrador Oscar round the Pitreavie golf course in Dunfermline for several months.

He took Oscar to the vet after noticing a rattling sound coming from his pet's stomach.

They then discovered that 13 balls - each weighing 45 grams - were lodged in his stomach.

Mr Morrison, a planning administrator, said one of the balls had been in his stomach so long that it had turned black and was decomposing.

He said: "He finds golf balls like truffles. We're not sure how long exactly this happened over, but it must have been a fair period - several months at least.

"I felt his stomach and heard them rattling around.

"He normally brings a few home, but I had no idea he had eaten so many."

 I don't have any advice Dyan but I'm sending good thoughts. Please let us know how Gibby's doing; ((( hugs )))

Thanks everyone...thought I would come back to tell you that after deciding to give Gibby 2 pieces of bread to catch any of the golf ball covering that seemed kind of sharp and pointy........then fed him supper..................then looked up " dog swallows golf ball " on Internet ( saw a couple of the ones you sent Janet.....thanks so much for looking them up...just LOVE that one about WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG SWALLOWS THINGS )  and found that I couldn't take the stress of waiting and wondering.  Its been a bad bad day, starting out be a phone call from my sister that lives ( by herself ) about 45 minutes away...sounding half dead.  She was very sick..could not move and God knows what else...I called her city police station to get her......then dealt with her " life line " which called MUCH MUCH later.  EEKS.   Took care of Gibby...walked him and fed him and ran to hospital and that is where I was when Mr Gibson was eating golf balls.  HHHmm!  I am just stressed enough today I can't take the wondering and worrying.... ran him up for an xray.  Probably wasted my $162 but at least know that the ball didn't show up. Hoping his supper didn't cause us not to see it......but vet didn't think so.........she thought it would still show up and she saw nothing. HOPEFULLY that means he chewed it up before swallowing it.   Unfortunatly it doesn't mean he is totally out of the woods.......but its good that at least its not sitting there and we wonder if it will come out or do surgery.  So I will keep every so close watch on him....and be on " poop patrol ' yet again...its been a while. LOL!   Oh..........only good thing.........at least he expressed his anal glads THERE while getting xrayed ( guess he showed them ) instead of at home...........and he sure expressed them...shew he stunk the whole place out!  LOL!

 Goodness Dyan I am sorry you've had such a tough day!! Hoping your sister is getting the care she needs.

As for Gibby, well hoping he only chewed it up and that if he did eat it, it passes without issue. At least with a big guy you know its more likely they can pass it!

kpwlee

 Goodness Dyan I am sorry you've had such a tough day!! Hoping your sister is getting the care she needs.

As for Gibby, well hoping he only chewed it up and that if he did eat it, it passes without issue. At least with a big guy you know its more likely they can pass it!

Dyan -- watch for either or both -- NO poop or vomiting.  In particular watch to see if **everything** he ingests is vomited (particularly see if he holds down water)

IN essence if there is a blockage **somewhere** they will poop out whatever is "below" the obstruction... and food will fill in up **to** the obstruction.

Depending on *where* the obstruction is -- you may see vomiting or no poop first.  If you see only diarreah then water is likely getting thru and not much else.

 Obstructions are nasty simply because trying to *find* the object is tough and I don't know if a golf ball will show up.  Often it's the strangest things that do show up -- metal shows up, but things like fiber don't.  Rubber, plastic -- those things often don't show on an x-ray -- and often the only thing that *will* show is the cleared intestine *below* the obstruction.  (which is why they suggest several x-rays - to track that).

Bottom line, Dyan -- obstruction is debilitating quickly.  And I wouldn't go by that Scottish fella's dog.  American golf balls are way to apt to be made with something toxic -- anything from lead paint to toxic plastic.  *I* sure wouldn't want one to disintigrate in MY dog.  And if the vet can even palpate it in the stomach I'd want it out of there because even if it hasn't moved out of the stomach (and stuff CAN stay in the stomach for days!!  They'll process food around it) it *can* become an obstruction any time.

UPDATE!   Just wanted you guys to know that this morning about AM, Gibby got up and barfed in my bedroom ( go figure, on my white carpet ) and it was a lot of white covering from a golf ball....AND some brownish kind of chunck hard stuff...it looked like food but it was hard....so it must be what the inside of a golf ball is not made of...gone are the days of rubber bands.     Easily could have been ALL of it......but it must be at least most of it. He also took a dump this morning which it was dark outside so I will go out now to disect to see if anything is in it.  Hoping that he got rid of the whole golf ball...the bad boy!!!   Before bed last night I had given him some slippery elm w/honey....then a half can of no salt green beans mixed with pumpkin............gave him the rest of that this morning with his kibble breafkast.   Praying all will be fine. Thanks for helping everyone.

Great news!!

Gibby, please don't scare your momma like that again!!  Good boy, for at least not swallowing that golf ball whole. 

janet_rose

Great news!!

Gibby, please don't scare your momma like that again!!  Good boy, for at least not swallowing that golf ball whole.