# Help please !



## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I gave Merlin a chicken strip and Tamara ate the remaining part. I let her because I though she wouldn't swallow it without chewing enough on it. But I shouldn't have, she swallowed whole the remaining piece, too small for chewing.

Now she has discomfort, she is pacing and throwing up white foam with sometimes tiny pieces of the chicken strip. But the bigger piece is still there. Unfortunately I didn't see how big it was before she swallowed it. I hope it won't obstruct her bowels. This stuff is really hard.

What should I do ? Is there anything I can give her to help ?


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

I would be worried it may be sharp and puncture something staying down or coming back up, think I'd take her to the vet. Hard to watch these guys all the time, and it's just not possible.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm interpreting this as "I know my dog ate something and now she is uncomfortable, can't settle, and is vomiting foam." Yeah, I'd probably take her to the Vet, too.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Yes, I will go to the vet if necessary. I am just wondering what they can do at this point besides watch her. I am hoping the stomach acids will dissolve the chicken. If it was plastic or other, I would already be out the door.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I hate going to the vet. 90% of the time I leave feeling like I wasted money. I do not go to the vet for every sore paw, sneeze, or stomach upset. I didn't even go when she ate a dark chocolate bar or DH's raisin and chocolate trail mix. This will probably pass on its own. But if she's really hurting, they can induce vomiting and remove the obstruction. If she's not getting better after a few hours, then I would go. They'll probably x-ray before giving her something to help vomit it up or pass it. Around me the visit would cost about US$300. If you want to wait, I find that a little light walking and lots of fresh water can help.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Liz said:


> I hate going to the vet. 90% of the time I leave feeling like I wasted money. I do not go to the vet for every sore paw, sneeze, or stomach upset. I didn't even go when she ate a dark chocolate bar or DH's raisin and chocolate trail mix. This will probably pass on its own. But if she's really hurting, they can induce vomiting and remove the obstruction. If she's not getting better after a few hours, then I would go. They'll probably x-ray before giving her something to help vomit it up or pass it. Around me the visit would cost about US$300. If you want to wait, I find that a little light walking and lots of fresh water can help.


Thanks a lot ! I called 3 different vet clinics and appointments are hard to come by. I talked to 1 technician and 2 secretaries and got good advice. Thing is if I don't go in today and she gets worse during the night, I will have to go to the emergency clinic and spend big bucks... of the 3 clinics, only one could take her today, and of course it's the most expensive one...

The vet tech said to try giving her vegetal oil, which I did. I don't think she kept it because she threw up just the same color afterwards.

So she has an appointment at three, until then I am stressing out and cleaning vomit every 5 minutes.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Dechi said:


> Thing is if I don't go in today and she gets worse during the night, I will have to go to the emergency clinic and spend big bucks... of the 3 clinics, only one could take her today, and of course it's the most expensive one...
> 
> So she has an appointment at three, until then I am stressing out and cleaning vomit every 5 minutes.


That's always the awful tradeoff - to wait and risk a mad dash to the emergency vet (and spend a min of $1000) OR go to the regular vet, spend around $300, and most likely feel foolish afterwards. Usually folks here have good ideas, but the board seems quiet today. And the vets scare you in spending money....

Was the vegetable oil meant as a laxative? 

I wish I could tell you exactly what to do, but in my experience, it really depends on the dog. If my female ate something she shouldn't and was having trouble, I can trust her to throw it up on her own. In fact, when it has happened, she usually threw up even before I knew there was a problem (which is why I didn't sweat the chocolate or raisins). But with my male, his body didn't seem quite as capable of taking care of itself, leaving me to figure out what was wrong. He's the one I would spend the money on a prophylactic trip to the vet. If it helps, I found this link and this other link which may fit the symptoms you're seeing. I also found a million sites that encourage freaking out and spending $$$ at the vet.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

@Liz I can't wait to go now actually. She is really uncomfortable and probably hurting. She is sitting in a weird position and walking strange. And coughing as soon as she gets up.

I don't like to see her suffering so we'll go, even if I spend the money for nothing.

Oh, and yes, the oil was meant as a laxative.

I'll go read your links.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Waiting for the verdict! Hope she's ok........


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

That doesn't sound good at all. Your appointment is soon, no?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

If she's vomiting so much, I wouldn't put anything at all into her stomach. She's irritated, probably from that thing. If there's no blood, at least she probably didn't puncture anything. I bet her stomach acid will digest it eventually, but better safe than sorry. My little Chihuahua ate a pig's ear once and I think it made little ouchies inside her. She had bloody diarrhea and vomiting for all day before she recovered. I don't give any of these kinds of commercial chews anymore...none. I feel like they're too hard, brittle and sharp when they break off some. I do feed raw bones however...flexible softer type like small chicken bones. And yes, their digestive juices are very powerful. It could be some other factor from this thing besides it's sharpness that is causing this upset. I am glad you're going to the vet. It is better to make sure she'll be okay and will be in expert hands. Plus, it's worth the peace of mind. I'm sending my very best for little Tamara.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I read the good info's from Liz's post and Tamara is doing exactly as said in the article. So after much consideration, I decided to postpone her appointment until tomorrow at 4 pm (I have an appointment in the morning that I can't cancel). I am taking the chance to have to go for emergency tonight, but hopefully won't have to.

I put her outside and she peed and she is drinking. She is walking fine, although slowlier. I think her weird posture is due to her stomach discomfort. She is very, very tired and sleeping now. I won't feed her tonight and we'll see how she does tomorrow.

If I didn't know what she had ingested, it would be an emergency for sure. But other than operating on her to remove the dreaded piece of chicken, I don't see what the vet could do. She has vomited at least 12-15 times, it won't do any good to make her vomit some more.

So wish us luck that she has a good evening and night. And thanks for your help.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Fingers crossed Dechi. Sleeping sounds like a good sign.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Good luck. I probably would do the same thing and wait - after all it's food and the stomach enzymes have kicked in to start digestion. With some time she should be feeling better.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Poor baby! A Maltese on the Maltese forum swallowed a piece of chicken jerky the wrong way and wound up with a collapsed trachea from the ordeal! I would get to the vet ASAP!


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Saying prayers for your little one and hoping for a good night.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

zooeysmom said:


> Poor baby! A Maltese on the Maltese forum swallowed a piece of chicken jerky the wrong way and wound up with a collapsed trachea from the ordeal! I would get to the vet ASAP!


I am watching her closely tonight and she has an appointment tomorrow if need be. Right now she is not coughing, throwing up or anything. She has been resting since 2:30. Last time she vomited was around 2:45. 

She didn't want dinner, which was to be expected.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks for the update. I hope she has an uneventful night!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I hope the digestive juices work their magic and you can cancel your AM appointment. Gentle hugs to Tamara and you too.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

The same exact thing happened to me a few years ago and I took the dog to the vet and they X-rayed her. What they did was induce vomiting to clear the stomach. You can do this within four hours. Oh sorry I realized it has been a while since you've posted this. Sorry I didn't notice until now. One can always give dogs hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. I was instructed to do this once by a vet because my pug ate chocolates. The chicken wings was a midnight trip to the ER and it was between $300 or 400. I could have easily done what they did with had I known about the h2o2.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

As it turns out nothing went as planned. :-(

She kept sleeping all afternoon and didn't get up to eat. The vet clinic closes at 8pm and at 7:30 I decided to check her out some more and wake her up. I made her stand up and walk and I didn't like what I saw at all. She was clearly in discomfort and probably in pain. Her posture was really not normal and she kept one paw up. 

I immediately called the vet and they agreed to see her even though they were closing in 30 minutes. 10 minutes later We were at the vet clinic. We did 2 x-rays and one clearly showed that the fricking chicken strip was stuck in her trachea. And it's a pretty big piece, not like a quarter, like I imagine, but at least twice as long and larger too. Poor thing... I hate myself. It's all my fault. I gave the strip to Merlin, he didn't finish it and I saw her munching on it and let her do it because she enjoyed it. I knew the risk, I just didn't think she's be foolish enough to inhale that thing !

My vet doesn't have the equipment to operate, so she sent me to a specialized clinic. I paid the 269$ I owed them for the exam and X-Rays and brought her to the other vet immediately. The vet said she would operate tonight. She should call me around midnight to tell me how it went. She will call me before if there are unexpected problems preventing the surgery or making it riskier. She will have some type of blood work prior to the surgery, to make sure her liver and organs can take it.

The vet will do an endoscopy and try to remove the strip with pliers. If she can't bring it through the mouth, she will push it into the stomach. There is always a risk of rupturing the oesophagus and if not she will probably have some degree of oesophagitis. But right now this is the least of my concerns. She is only 3.8 pounds, she lost 0.4 pounds, usually is 4.0 or 4.2 pounds and chihuahuas are known to have problems with anesthesia. And she is 12 years old. So I am very worried and upset to have her go through this procedure due to my negligence.

The vet asked me what to do if she went into cardiac arrest. They ask everyone that question. She says that dogs aren't like humans, and when their heart stops, they suffer immediate neurological damage and lose quality of life. Tamara is already a bit senile and I wouldn't want her to have a poor quality of life so I said no.

This will cost me an additionnal 1300$-1700$ Before tax, so around 2000$.

I left her there and was so upset I didn't properly say goodbye to Tamara before handing her over to the vet. In my mind I was picking her up tomorrow, I hadn't anticipated that question...

So I was crying like a baby on the way home, alone in my car. If anything happens to her, I will be devastated but my daughter even more. At this time, she is away in Punta Cana to celebrate her university graduation with her dad. I can't even imagine if she comes home and Tamara is gone... :-(

Please keep her in your thoughts tonight !


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Oh Dechi so sorry, I haven't been able to check in since I wrote my comment this morning. So sorry to hear little Tamara is in surgery, the girls and I have fingers and paws crossed for you and your baby. Don't be hard on yourself because you are a great doggy mom, sometimes **** just happens.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Oh this IS awful! Please Lord let her be okay! My prayers will be all for her tonight ..........and my thoughts are for you to hang in there! Big comforting hug being sent your way.............


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Caddy said:


> Oh Dechi so sorry, I haven't been able to check in since I wrote my comment this morning. So sorry to hear little Tamara is in surgery, the girls and I have fingers and paws crossed for you and your baby. Don't be hard on yourself because you are a great doggy mom, sometimes **** just happens.


Thank you Caddy. I am waiting for the vet to call. It's close to midnight. I am hoping for good news. Very, very anxiously waiting...


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

So sorry to hear that. My 5 lb Pomeranian had a piece of French bread stuck in his trachea but we were able to yank it out. He was making a hacking noise and threw up bile. My husband checked his mouth and pulled out a large piece of bread he tried to swallow. The big dogs ate it just fine but he can't chew as easily. I felt so bad because I fed it to him but there was no way of knowing. It is like what Caddy said and it is just bad luck. Please do forgive yourself because it isn't your fault. Please keep us updated on her progress.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Oh no. I hope surgery goes well. This is indeed scary. ((((Hugs))))


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Thank you Molly, Skylar and snow !

Yes, I just had very good news ! Everything went fine. The vet couldn't get the piece of strip with the pliers because it was too soft and mushy, so she pushed it down into the stomach. She says the oesophagus is fine, no damage. 

The vet will stay until Tamara is fully awake and will call me if need be, but she says complications at this point are vey rare. They will call me again in the morning to let me know how she is. They will try to feed her in the morning. I told the vet that Tamara doesn't eat when she stays at the hospital. She says it happens often with tiny dogs. She was happy I mentioned it and wrote it in her file. She will discharge her even if she's not eating if her vital signs are good.

I am so relieved and full of joy ! I love this little bugger so much !

Now I need to try to sleep and tomorrow I will go get her right after my own appointment, around 3 pm or so.


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Great news Dechi, thanks for the update.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Oh Dechi I'm so sorry this happened! But wonderful news the procedure went so well. Fingers crossed she'll be completely back to normal in the morning.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Yay, so glad she's okay!! :adore:


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am so glad she is OK, and should soon be home. What a frightening experience for both of you, especially while you are on your own. Hope all goes well now - I bet you are already planning soft, squishy meals for her while she recovers, and banning hard chews from the house!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Whew! TG everything went well! Sleep well tonight!


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

Dechi said:


> I am watching her closely tonight and she has an appointment tomorrow if need be. Right now she is not coughing, throwing up or anything. She has been resting since 2:30. Last time she vomited was around 2:45.
> 
> She didn't want dinner, which was to be expected.


I just saw this. Praying she's okay. I'll read on to look for an update. Poor girl. :-(


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

Dechi said:


> Thank you Molly, Skylar and snow !
> 
> Yes, I just had very good news ! Everything went fine. The vet couldn't get the piece of strip with the pliers because it was too soft and mushy, so she pushed it down into the stomach. She says the oesophagus is fine, no damage.
> 
> ...


This is wonderful news! So thankful for you Dechi.


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## UKpoodle (Jul 22, 2015)

My heart sank at first when I read through this post, it frightening how things can take a turn for the worse so quickly. I'm so relieved to hear that she pulled through. You made the best decision to follow your gut instinct and take her to the vet just in time.
It's certainly made me think twice about feeding Gunther and Gustav those dried meat chews.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

fjm said:


> I am so glad she is OK, and should soon be home. What a frightening experience for both of you, especially while you are on your own. Hope all goes well now - I bet you are already planning soft, squishy meals for her while she recovers, and banning hard chews from the house!


Yes, she will be eating soft foods for a few days. And I'll bring her weight up too. Those dried chicken strips and any rawhide will be thrown in the garbage and never to enter this house again !


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## marialydia (Nov 23, 2013)

What an awful drama Tamara, and you, are going through. Thank goodness you took her to the vet when you did. And it is such a cautionary tale for us all.

This is hoping that when little Tamara comes home she starts eating some nice soft food and settles in easily.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm so glad you took action and Tamara's going to be ok. I'm looking forward to a status report after you bring her home.


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

So sorry for all the trauma, but so glad Tamara's going to be okay!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I just talked to the vet. Tamara is doing well and she ate with gusto this morning ! ;-)

I am soooo happy ! I will go get her this afternoon right after my appointement. She will be on a special medication to coat and protect her throat for a while, and she will be eating soft foods for at least 5 days.

I can't wait to see her !


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Thank goodness - this is wonderful news. I'm sure you're planning lots of soft, tasty treats for her recuperation.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Oh my gosh! A lot happened since the last time I visited. I'm so very happy for you and Tamara. What an ordeal! So glad you took her in to the vet. Don't blame yourself. They make things for dogs and everyone thinks they're safe and sometimes they're just not, no matter what the manufacturer or pet stores tout. Anyhow, I'm just thrilled for you girls. And I bet Merlin is too. :angel:


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

So glad that Tamara is okay, Dechi! Such a scary experience, but glad all is well in the end. Speedy recovery!


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

So glad Tamara is OK! It's scary how some little thing can cause a big problem like that.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Wow I am glad you went in to the vet the other night and very relieved to see that it is all looking good today.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Tamara is home ! She has peed, drank, eaten her soft food from the vet (from my hand) and is now sound asleep.

Merlin has to be watched because he's just too much. He's excited and jumps like a gazelle over her like she was an agility obstacle. He doesn't get the need to be careful. He's sleeping with her right now. He's not excited to see her, he's excited to see me. He was left alone more these past two days and he cries a lot whenever I come back.

She had pain medication and her throat med this morning, so she's comfortable. I have to give it to her 3 times a day in a seringe, which makes me nervous because I will be alone for a few more days and she will be like the devil when I try to give it to her. I would need a second pair of hands. I hope it goes well. She has to have it 1 hour before meals or 2 hours after. If worse comes to worst, I'll put it in her food, even if not ideal.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Very glad she's home and sleeping peacefully! Good luck with the medication.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm so relieved that she's home and grateful that she's doing well. Did you give her the meds tonight? How did it go?


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Liz said:


> I'm so relieved that she's home and grateful that she's doing well. Did you give her the meds tonight? How did it go?



Thansk for asking Liz. I gave her the meds at 4pm and 9pm, before going to bed, like the tech told me. It actually went very well. She wiggles and tries to get away but I found a way to corner her gently so she doesn't have a choice.

She is used to being fed in the evening with occasional treats during the day, so she's really happy about her mutiple feedings... She needs to have smaller meals, so she was fed at 10 and 12 this morning by the vet, I fed her at 3 pm and again at 6 pm. A dream come true for her, lol ! She's a little piglet, she loves to eat...


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

A week later ... how's Tamara doing?


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Liz said:


> A week later ... how's Tamara doing?


She's doing very well. She's back to her old self. Only thing is I've noticed that when she doesn't eat kibbles, she doesn't spend the night licking her chaps. I always thought it was because her tongue was sticking out (she only has 13 teeth left, all on the same side), but it's not.

It turns out she is trying to dislodge bits of kibble caught on the side of her lips. Since I've been feeding her the canned vet food, she stopped doing that, so I finally caught on. So now I've decided to keep feeding her wet food, so she has a better quality of life, but with her tongue on the side, she has trouble eating the food. Even if I am careful to fluff it nicely so it sticks out when she eats, like little balls, it ends up like a crepe on the botom of her bowl and she can't eat it unless I fluff it more with a fork. I don't want to spend the next 10 years playing with her food by her side when she eats, so I have to find a solution for this.

Maybe there is canned food that's not as soft and easier to eat ? We'll see, I'm still thinking about it.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

She's lucky to have such an attentive mom.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Liz said:


> She's lucky to have such an attentive mom.


I figure after a while, the dry kibble must start rubbing, like grains of salt, and irritate her skin. It's probably painful. Poor dog. I was wondering why she was doing that and it was sooooo annoying to hear ! :-(


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm so glad she's doing well! Could you maybe try a different shaped bowl? You can get those spaniel-type ones that are deeper than they are wide, might that help? Of course she only has a wee nose I guess so that would make it harder!


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I'm just glad that this is all you have to worry about &#55357;&#56855;


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

You might try the Dave's dog food brand of canned food. Some of their foods are just sort of the mushy kind, but if you try the grain free line of their food or the stews they might just do the trick. They are an excellent brand of dog food, not a lot of people are aware of them. The local pet food store where I used to work carries them, but the big box stores do not, as far as I know.

When Poppy was growing so fast and was ravenous all the time one of my friends at the store suggested I give her a little canned to suppliment her dry food. I feed it separately as a treat each morning, just a few tablespoons. Then she free feeds her kibble through out the day.

Here is link to their web site.

Grain Free For Dogs Archives - Dave's Pet Food Dave's Pet Food

Good luck.

Cathy


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Gentle hugs, that must have been so scary.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

I'm so glad to read your little girl is back to her old self!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Whew! Glad she's all good now. I tell you what...why they say having pets lowers your blood pressure, I do not know. I think they do enough to make our blood pressure go through the roof! :afraid:


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Ha Ha Ha ! PB that is soooo true ! Unfortunately not all the time, or else we'd all be crazy...


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