# HELP Ari swallowed a rubber band!



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

What the thread title says. Thank GOD I just got her onto insurance...

Should I induce vomiting, or wait to see if it comes out the other end? For reference, it was this type of rubber band, curled up into a little ball the size of your pinky fingernail when she snarfed it:










Please any advice would be helpful! I am freaking out. Called the vet too but poodle-specific advice (for a 4.8 lb dog) is appreciated!!!


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Do whatever your vet says to do. Lily has eaten many weird things, but never a rubber band. In the past when I've called the vet they have generally told me to give small frequent meals and lots of water to move things along, but I am not sure if that would have been the answer had I told them a rubber band was what was eaten.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Yes speak to your Vet. Timi did swallow a hair band when she was a puppy, which I only found when I saw it in her poop.
I have a feeling that the Vets suggestion will be to feed her some high fiber food...let us know!


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Yes speak to your Vet. Timi did swallow a hair band when she was a puppy, which I only found when I saw it in her poop.
> I have a feeling that the Vets suggestion will be to feed her some high fiber food...let us know!


Yup this was the advice! I'm sure the change in diet will do wonders for her already irritable bowel... Ugh. I'm already graying and I've only had her a week and a half! Fingers crossed that this is no big deal (and PetPlan to save our souls if it is).

Edited to add:
Tiny Poodles, you were the one I really wanted to hear from since you've got little ones. I wouldn't even be so concerned if it was a standard puppy. I worry about her tiny tummy/intestines since she is so little! Breathing a little easier now. Thanks.


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

So glad that you signed up for Petplan - the first year is trying, no matter how hard you try!
But don't worry too much, already at 17 months Timi is totally a trustworthy dog - the only non food item 
I cannot trust her to leave alone is tissues, and even those don't get eaten, just confettied lol!


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Let us know how things go. I hope it is no big deal.


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I think she'll just pass it. But I always call the vet with anything like this just to be on the safe side. Yes, thank goodness for pet insurance! I'm so glad I got it for my wild child.


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

zooeysmom said:


> I think she'll just pass it. But I always call the vet with anything like this just to be on the safe side. Yes, thank goodness for pet insurance! I'm so glad I got it for my wild child.


The vet knows me well at this point... When the secretary answered the phone today she said, "Hi Sara, please tell me Ari is OK..." and of course I had to say nope, she's gone and swallowed a rubber band this time. His advice was the same as what I got here- bread, water and fiber to hopefully bind it up and push it through. We went down to the bakery and got her some nice sticky bread, soaked it in a little water and sent it down the hatch. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I'm eagerly awaiting its return out the other end.

Ari and I have been to the vet 3 times in the week and a half that she's been home! Ack! I feel like a terrible pet parent even though she is never more than 3 feet from me outside or in a very safe playpen/tethered to me inside the house. My mom teases me for being overprotective and yet here we are, AGAIN!

When she swallowed the rubber band she was at my feet as I ate lunch on the patio at work. I looked down, saw her picking it up from under the chair next to me, and threw a bunch of kibble on the ground to try to distract her from swallowing and "trade." She sassily swallowed it (with an audible GULP) clearly seeing that I wanted to take it away. She then proceeded to eat the kibbles as a reward to herself for outsmarting me. She is so lucky that she is adorable and that I love her to death... she can be trying to say the least at times like this!


----------



## cmarrie (Sep 17, 2014)

OH. MY.

What a little stinker you have!


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

She won that round big time. Nice try though. It was probably your best bet to get her to drop it. I keep telling Javelin to drop it and then I say to myself, "uh duh, he doesn't know what that means!" He wants to put everything in his mouth this week.


----------



## itzmeigh (Apr 28, 2014)

Hazel will (sorta) drop things if I tell her "that's not for poodles". I just said it every single time I had to fish something (that wasn't for poodles!) out of her mouth. Before too long if she heard "that's not for poodles!" And saw me start to move towards her then she would gently put down whatever was in her mouth. 

I'm also not at all shy to just reach on in and fish it on out. If you grab their bottom jaw in one hand and sweep under and up around their tongue with the other they usually can't swallow before you can retrieve the "yummy treat"

Just this weekend she had a lord only knows how old frieto she found on the ground at the park. She wasn't going to give it back but I was faster then her and just went in after it. 

Now, if I sweep in for something and find that it IS for poodle then I gladly give it back to her. But truthfully, that's pretty rare. 

(Let's just not talk about the time I had to employ the "not for poodl"e sweep only to come up with a featherless baby bird in the end...)


----------



## Bizzeemamanj (Apr 14, 2014)

Just for a reassuring, I've been there story - Cooper went with my husband to work one day. He apparently ate "several" rubber bands from his desk drawer. Cooper pooped green, red and blue rubber bands for 2 days straight. Needless to say, that was the last time Cooper went to work with hubby. :lol:


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Oh, boy, I sure remember those trying puppy times. I can guess a couple of new poo moms who will soon be practicing, "leave it" or "that's not for the poodle" ...over and over and over again, with lots of lovely trade treats.

My most vivid puppy memory was when Iris stole a green scrubby scotchbrite pad from the sink and shredded it. Once reassembled there were parts missing so we used peroxide to "retrieve" those missing bits. I figured it would not be good to scour out her insides.

Yikes! Puppies! Who knew she was tall enough to fish in the sink for treats...sigh.

Best of luck with the rubber bands.

Viking Queen


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Thank you ALL for bringing me down from my blind heart attack panic to a calmer state where I can be a better guardian for my little Ari. I'll get her through this-- hopefully without any veterinary intervention. :clover: This forum is the best! Poodle people unite!



cmarrie said:


> OH. MY.
> 
> What a little stinker you have!


You don't know the half of it! But oh, do I love her! And how could I not:











lily cd re said:


> She won that round big time. Nice try though. It was probably your best bet to get her to drop it. I keep telling Javelin to drop it and then I say to myself, "uh duh, he doesn't know what that means!" He wants to put everything in his mouth this week.


It's so hard with puppies where they either don't know the command or haven't been conditioned for long enough to just "drop it" because momma says so. We trade for toys all the time and she knows "give" perfectly well but she ignores me sometimes. This is a problem that I think, only more time and practice can solve. And she is definitely in the mouthing/teething stage where everything dangerous is in there and down the hatch if she has a chance.

I just need her to survive the next three months or so and then it'll be so much easier!



itzmeigh said:


> Hazel will (sorta) drop things if I tell her "that's not for poodles". I just said it every single time I had to fish something (that wasn't for poodles!) out of her mouth. Before too long if she heard "that's not for poodles!" And saw me start to move towards her then she would gently put down whatever was in her mouth.
> 
> I'm also not at all shy to just reach on in and fish it on out. If you grab their bottom jaw in one hand and sweep under and up around their tongue with the other they usually can't swallow before you can retrieve the "yummy treat"
> 
> ...


She saw me coming in for the sweep and her sassy swallow reflex was faster than my protective poodle mom hand. She totally knows "drop it" and "give" but is at that puppy stage where she listens when she wants to. Only maturity will change that, I think, but I also believe that she has a personality that is going to make it a lifelong battle between her will and my way. I just HAD to get a smart one, huh?!



Bizzeemamanj said:


> Just for a reassuring, I've been there story - Cooper went with my husband to work one day. He apparently ate "several" rubber bands from his desk drawer. Cooper pooped green, red and blue rubber bands for 2 days straight. Needless to say, that was the last time Cooper went to work with hubby. :lol:


I can't even tell you how reassuring that is!!! I've had a labrador pass a sock (not a fun wait, ugh haha) but Ari is already so much more finicky with her food than even my spoo that I get much more nervous over smaller things. I'm taking deep breaths and centering myself. She will be OK. She will be OK. I hope.



Viking Queen said:


> My most vivid puppy memory was when Iris stole a green scrubby scotchbrite pad from the sink and shredded it. Once reassembled there were parts missing so we used peroxide to "retrieve" those missing bits. I figured it would not be good to scour out her insides.
> 
> Yikes! Puppies! Who knew she was tall enough to fish in the sink for treats...sigh.
> 
> ...


Oh dear, the image of the scouring that could do in a little puppy tummy is horrifying!! :afraid: Glad you got it back up.


----------



## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Goodness poor Ari hopefully this too soon will pass, yup puppies hoover up everything and anything Beatrice chewed off and swallow three buttons on a sweater I stupidly put on her. I fed her up as my vet suggested and spent the next day checking her poo until it had passed.


----------



## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

sophie anne said:


> I'll get her through this-- hopefully without any veterinary intervention. :clover: This forum is the best! Poodle people unite!


Yup! You will get her thru. Dogs are pretty hardy and flexible animals. Best of luck. 

Does it seem to be putting a little bounce in her step?


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Oh Ari! You little stinker!!!!! Puppyhood is sooooo much FUN !!!! I'm sure Ari will present you with a hidden surprise soon!!!LOL! You will find yourself habitually puppy proofing everytime you enter a room now!! Unfortunately, they always find something you thought they wouldn't touch........................Hahaha!!


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Has it reappeared yet?


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Has it reappeared yet?


It hasn't, but she is bouncy and naughty as ever so I am not panicking about it. Hopefully it will within the next few days because I want to stop poking through her poos!


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Anything yet?


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Anything yet?


Nothing. Ari had a vet appointment today (routine for her next distemper/parvo shot) and the vet agrees that she seems completely fine. I'm hoping it came out and I missed it... although I doubt it because I checked thoroughly.

Is it possible for something to not make it through and get stuck and be totally asymptomatic? The vet said maybe she didn't swallow it after all but I'm as sure as I can be that she did...


----------



## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

sophie anne said:


> Nothing. Ari had a vet appointment today (routine for her next distemper/parvo shot) and the vet agrees that she seems completely fine. I'm hoping it came out and I missed it... although I doubt it because I checked thoroughly.
> 
> 
> 
> Is it possible for something to not make it through and get stuck and be totally asymptomatic? The vet said maybe she didn't swallow it after all but I'm as sure as I can be that she did...



Gee it would be hard to imagine it being stuck, but not stuck to anything. Maybe something with weight to it like a stone, but not something light as a rubber band. Besides, if it sat in the stomach long enough, wouldn't the gastric juices erode it? Rubber is certainly degradable.
Well as long as she is feeling fine, I am sure you can stop worrying!


----------



## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

sophie anne said:


> Nothing. Ari had a vet appointment today (routine for her next distemper/parvo shot) and the vet agrees that she seems completely fine. I'm hoping it came out and I missed it... although I doubt it because I checked thoroughly.
> 
> Is it possible for something to not make it through and get stuck and be totally asymptomatic? The vet said maybe she didn't swallow it after all but I'm as sure as I can be that she did...


Hope it's come out by now. My cat swallowed a ribbon once. It was about 13 inches long. Didn't even know it until I found it in her litter box. VERY scary just thinking that it could have had a different outcome. These pets can sure get into things very quickly.


----------



## Zhuhaibill (Jul 10, 2015)

*These puppies eat anything.*

There I was chuckling over the post about Ari's antics...then not 30 minutes later, my wife drops a small handsoap on the floor of the bathroom and SLUUURP!!...Emma our three month old spoo snarfed it right down. Four hours later she's fine and gnawing on my wristwatch which is one of her favorite pastimes. I thought she might throw up but so far she seems to be just fine. For some reason I keep remembering the scene from that Christmas movie about the little boy with the soap in his mouth....


----------



## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

Zhuhaibill said:


> There I was chuckling over the post about Ari's antics...then not 30 minutes later, my wife drops a small handsoap on the floor of the bathroom and SLUUURP!!...Emma our three month old spoo snarfed it right down. Four hours later she's fine and gnawing on my wristwatch which is one of her favorite pastimes. I thought she might throw up but so far she seems to be just fine. For some reason I keep remembering the scene from that Christmas movie about the little boy with the soap in his mouth....


Hahaha.... also :afraid:! These puppies! They get into trouble so fast!

I bet she'll be fine. Is her breath a little sweeter than usual? lol

Careful about the wristwatch gnawing, I let Ari do that for the first week she was home and she generalized it to mean that it's OK to bite my watch wrist really hard. You'll discover this if ever you have the watch off and she gets within range of your wrist!


----------



## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Tiny Poodles said:


> So glad that you signed up for Petplan - the first year is trying, no matter how hard you try!
> But don't worry too much, already at 17 months Timi is totally a trustworthy dog - the only non food item
> I cannot trust her to leave alone is tissues, and even those don't get eaten, just confettied lol!


What is it with these little guys and the confetti tissues. Willow especially loves used ones...but I caught her the other day, standing on the arm of the sofa with her front paws on the end table... pulling a tissue from the box!


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Tissues are the bane of my existence with Lily too. She actually eats them though and any other soft paper like napkins and paper towels too. Thankfully she has never caught on to the ready availability of a never ending roll of paper in reach in the bathroom nor has she ever raided a box of clean tissues.

I am hoping Javelin can be trained to leave paper products alone. One tissue stealer is bad enough...


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

lily cd re said:


> Tissues are the bane of my existence with Lily too. She actually eats them though and any other soft paper like napkins and paper towels too. Thankfully she has never caught on to the ready availability of a never ending roll of paper in reach in the bathroom nor has she ever raided a box of clean tissues.
> 
> I am hoping Javelin can be trained to leave paper products alone. One tissue stealer is bad enough...


Oh my! Another one just like Iris. Iris was infamous about her tissue, paper towel, napkin, TP shredding as a child. Thankfully that mostly has subsided in yhe last year or so, she is 13! As a pup she used to steal things and anything stolen was taken to my bed. One day it was the "spare" roll of TP and by the time I found her in the middle of the bed it was completely unrolled, shredded and fluffed up. It was HUGE! I wish I had taken a picture. She was so proud! I had a really hard time not laughing at her, but you really are lost if you do that. They then think they are entertaining you. Life with a poodle is never dull.

Viking Queen


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

lily cd re said:


> Tissues are the bane of my existence with Lily too. She actually eats them though and any other soft paper like napkins and paper towels too. Thankfully she has never caught on to the ready availability of a never ending roll of paper in reach in the bathroom nor has she ever raided a box of clean tissues.
> 
> I am hoping Javelin can be trained to leave paper products alone. One tissue stealer is bad enough...


Years ago after my cat unrolled a roll and also claimed a roll for his 'arts 'n crafts' project, I stopped putting tp on the roller and just store it in the cabinet (v. small bathrooms here).

Oliver is likewise a tissue thief and eater. Finally learned to check my desk before getting up to go elsewhere....sigh. These Poodles!!!!!!!!!


----------

