You Know Your Pet; Don't Wait to Call the Vet. This time of year our four-legged friends are spending more time outside with their humans doing all kinds of fun family things; hanging at the baseball field, roaming the sidelines of the lacrosse field, helping out at the boatyard, and walking the beach. Some dogs like to have their nose to the ground the whole time, while some like to stick their nose up high in the air to catch all the exciting smells as they drift by. I know now that the most disciplined dog can be tempted by a random object lying on the ground. When your dog picks something up that is not their breakfast, dinner, selected treat, or acceptable toy, you must tell them to Leave It. If your dog is not eating, is vomiting, has diarrhea, or is not acting "right", call the vet right away, don't wait another day. You just may save your dog's life.  Dogs have been known to swallow bones, toys, sticks, stones, pins,
needles, wood splinters, cloth, rubber balls, rawhide, leather, string,
peach pits, and other objects. With string, one end often knots up while
the other gets caught in food. Tension on the string then causes it to
cut through the wall of the bowel. Swallowing pennies will not usually
cause an obstruction, but can lead to zinc toxicity as the metal leaches
out of the coins. Batteries can also cause toxicity when swallowed.The
esophagus of the dog is larger than the outlet of his stomach. Thus,
dogs may swallow objects that are too large to pass out of the stomach.
Gastric foreign bodies are therefore associated with chronic gastritis
and episodes of gastric outflow obstruction. If an object makes it
into the small intestine, it may pass through the entire GI tract
without causing problems. Those that do cause an obstruction usually do
so at the ileocecal valve or in the colon and rectum. Foreign bodies in
the rectum cause anorectal obstructions. Sharp objects such as pins,
splinters, and bone chips can lodge anywhere in the GI tract and
obstruct or perforate the bowel, causing intestinal obstruction or
peritonitis. Unless it also causes indigestion, a swallowed
foreign body will go unnoticed until it produces symptoms. Many foreign
bodies can be seen on X-rays of the abdomen if they are radio-opaque. A
contrast study may be needed to identify foreign bodies that are not
visible on X-rays.  Treatment: Foreign bodies that produce symptoms
should be removed. This usually involves abdominal surgery. Gastric
foreign bodies can sometimes be removed through an endoscope.An intestinal obstruction can be partial or complete. Partial
obstructions cause intermittent vomiting and/or diarrhea, which tend to
occur over several weeks. Complete obstructions produce sudden abdominal
pain and vomiting that continues without relief. When the blockage is
in the upper small bowel, the vomiting may be projectile. Blockages in
the lower GI tract cause abdominal distension and the vomiting of brown,
fecal-smelling material. Dogs with complete obstruction pass no stool
or gas. Intestinal strangulation occurs when the obstruction
interferes with the blood supply to the bowel. Within hours the bowel
becomes gangrenous. The dog's condition deteriorates rapidly (see
Peritonitis). The diagnosis of intestinal obstruction is made by abdominal X-rays or ultrasound showing distended, gas-filled loops of bowel. Treatment:
Obstructions require immediate veterinary attention. Surgical
exploration and relief of the blockage is necessary. Gangrenous bowel is
resected back to viable bowel, and intestinal continuity is restored
with end-to-end suturing of the bowel. This article is excerpted from
“Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook” with permission from Wiley
Publishing, Inc. |
 |
|||||
 
CategoriesHealth & WellnessNews Pet Friendly Hotels Pet Friendly Marinas Recipes Safety Sports Spring Summer |
|
 |
|||
    |
|||||
