[Rhu]

Hello, I know I'm new here but this website has a wealth of information and I'm wondering if any of the users here could help me out...

My dog's name is Candy...she's a great dog and now I'm worried sick because she swallowed a toothpick!

Here's the story: (Bear with me on the bad grammar/sentence structure...been crying)
My dog swallowed a toothpick at 1 o' clock in the morning last night. Being a very, very concerned owner I rushed her to a 24 hour vet, and let her stay the night for the vets to see if everything will be okay.

I went to see her in the morning and the doctor that was working on her assured my family and I that our dog is fine. He went over the x-rays with us and told us that the wood could not be seen by x-rays so all he could do for suggestion is a endoscope, surgery, or wait and hopefully let the toothpick pass by. My father asked if her stomach and intestine looked fine and he replied with a yes.

So we chose to wait and brought our little doggie back home with us. What I'm worried about is that the toothpick was pretty big and my dog is just a 6lbs. I'm pretty scared, but my dog seems to be alright for now...it's been 4 hrs since she got home and she ate her food and drank plenty of water. I also gave her some medicine that the vet prescribed to us- Zantac I believe. Tomorrow we will be taking her to our family vet to get a second opinion/look.

I'm wondering if there's anything else to be worried about? I'm trying to make it very comfortable for her right now..she seems fine. She is sleeping right now with no signs of discomfort except maybe for a little bit of rapid/heavy breathing but that's been normal for her. I fed her some bread but this was about 12 hrs after she swallowed the toothpick so I really have no clue if it will help at all.

I'm so worried right now...I've read that dogs can pass a toothpick with no problems but my dog is a pretty small dog. Ugh, I also feel like beating myself up because we had an option for an endoscope when we first brought her in but the vet didn't guarantee that the toothpick would be removed since there was too much food in there, so we decided not to scope her yet...and after 10 hours pass by...i think it's too late for a scope. :smilie_tischkante:

I'm really concerned and I'm praying every moment for her that the toothpick will pass through no problems.

Thank you for reading..do any of you guys have any suggestions? It would be appreciated.

 

[jmm]

I surely hope it does. The thing it a toothpick is likely to perforate the stomach or intestines while trying to pass. This is a true emergency. If she seems uncomfortable in the least I would get her to the ER immediately.

 

[Rhu]

I surely hope it does. The thing it a toothpick is likely to perforate the stomach or intestines while trying to pass. This is a true emergency. If she seems uncomfortable in the least I would get her to the ER immediately.

She seems fine as of this moment...she's running slower though but I think it's because of one of her legs was poked for an IV when she was at the vet.

 

[bellaratamaltese]

Oh no! Please keep us updated

 

[k/c mom]

Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!! JMM who answered you above ... she is an experienced vet tech so her advice is very valuable. What she says makes sense ... Please keep us updated!!

Is it possible that your little Malt chewed up the toothpick or did she swallow it whole?

 

[Snowbody]

OMG - Am praying that it passes and that Candy will be okay. Keep us posted. :grouphug:

 

[susie and sadie]

Oh, I'm so sorry! I will be praying for Candy. rayer:rayer:

Keep us updated. :grouphug:

 

[Rhu]

Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry!! JMM who answered you above ... she is an experienced vet tech so her advice is very valuable. What she says makes sense ... Please keep us updated!!

Is it possible that your little Malt chewed up the toothpick or did she swallow it whole?

I really have no clue if Candy chewed it...the toothpick had a piece of chicken covering half of it so she gobbled it down pretty quickly. My mom tried to get it away from her but it was too late. My mom and dad says that Candy swallowed it with maybe some chewing for the chicken...maybe.

 

[Rhu]

I surely hope it does. The thing it a toothpick is likely to perforate the stomach or intestines while trying to pass. This is a true emergency. If she seems uncomfortable in the least I would get her to the ER immediately.

I don't know what to believe anymore...='[. The vet tech i met in the morning said that Candy has a good chance to pass it. And the vet i met at midnight said that she had an 80% chance that she will be fine..but I'm pretty sure numbers don't mean anything right now.

When I saw her after she stayed for the night..she looked so happy to see us..tears just started rolling down my cheeks.

She just pooped like 2 hrs ago..no toothpick yet but I'm pretty sure that batch was her dinner..so we may have to wait one more day/ tonight to see if she'll poop again, and HOPEFULLY - crosses fingers - there are some signs of the toothpick in it.

 

[Kutsmail1]

It sounds like you are doing a good job watching her closely. I hope she is able to pass it.

There are a few possibilities for concern, and you will worry about all of them the longer you think on it.

I think you are looking for specifics that you can watch for that might be helpful. I would also watch for excessive thirst, check the color of her gums, and monitor her body temperature.

If her gums pale from the normal pinkish red, I would go on into the vet.

Excessive thirst (out of the ordinary at this time of the year), check her gums...if pale...see the vet.

If you feel her body temp has gone up, or she is very cold...go to the vet.

I think your regular vet can probably make you feel a lot more secure when you see them.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Cheri&Vi]

Sounds like you did everything right! Hopefully she chewed it. She's pretty small to be swallowing it whole, so lets just hope she chewed it at least a little...
I agree with the above, watch her carefully (as you seem to be) and take her in at the slightest sign she's not doing well.

(((HUG)))
You seem like a good doggy mommy
~~Cheri~~

 

[poochie2]

Oh no!
You are doing everything you can and have gotten some good advice. I would continue to keep a real close eye on her. Good luck and pls. keep us posted !

 

[Rhu]

Sounds like you did everything right! Hopefully she chewed it. She's pretty small to be swallowing it whole, so lets just hope she chewed it at least a little...
I agree with the above, watch her carefully (as you seem to be) and take her in at the slightest sign she's not doing well.

(((HUG)))
You seem like a good doggy mommy
~~Cheri~~

Hahaha I just love my dog too much. I'm a guy btw..can guys still be mommys? :HistericalSmiley:

Anyways I just took her temp..it's at 99.3 F. I'll recheck it again in an hour.

Thanks for all your guy's/gal's concern...it's really helping me in a big way :]

 

[kathym]

Wow... I will say a prayer that she passes the toothpick that hopefully got chewed. You are doing everything that can be done. Please keep us Posted
Kathy

 

[Rhu]

What are some of the discomfort signs that I should keep an eye out for? I'm touching her tummy to see if she reacts to it but so far she isn't so that's a good sign i hope.

Edit: UPDATE: She just pooped a light brown poop...i shifted through it but couldn't find any wood...there was some mucus thing there or something weird..I don't know..=[.

 

[Snowbody]

Sorry we referred to you as a mommy. :brownbag: It's just that so many of us are women. So correction -- you're being a very good daddy!!!
I just read about the mucus. I think I would call the vet about what that stool sample was like. There wasn't blood was there? I always err on the side of caution.

 

[susie and sadie]

Just checking in on Candy. I hope she's doing okay this morning. :grouphug:

 

[uniquelovdolce]

sounds like u were a great daddy n u are watching her closely ... i hope she passes it or passed it already ... i would hope she chewed it at least a little .. how is the lil fluff doing today ?

 

[Rhu]

She's doing fine this morning. Woke up to check if everything was okay. No signs of discomfort or anything. Going to the vet after class! Hopefully he has something good to say...

And there was no blood in the stool so that's relieving.

 

[drclee]

I'm so sorry to hear this! I hope Candy chewed the toothpick and passes it today. Please continue to keep us posted.