What Happens if My Dog Swallows Something?

It is quite common for our dogs and cats, especially those that are still small, to have a tendency and preference for put all kinds of small objects in the mouth found at home or anywhere on the street. On many occasions they can swallow balls, bones, needles, socks, even plastic toys that can become trapped in their trachea or in their digestive system. It is logical that if we do not realize that the animal swallowed it, it will be very difficult for us to imagine that it is in our friend's stomach, so it is important to know the symptoms that occur in the animal's body when it has swallowed a foreign object.

One of the most frequent and easy ways to observe, if our dog has swallowed something, is to remain attentive to the production of constant vomiting after having fed him. This is the clearest symptom that something happens to our animal in its stomach. In addition to vomiting, salivation and retching will occur, and food will usually appear undigested.

If vomiting is prolonged and constant, it may occur dehydration in the animal, since it does not matter how much food or liquid our animal ingests, it will never reach its stomach. On the other hand, if the object that was swallowed and that is covering the trache or stomach produces a gastric perforation, our animal could suffer a shock. It is for this reason that we recommend that if we suspect that our animal has ingested a foreign object, we should take it to the veterinarian as soon as possible to perform some type of examination such as an endoscopy or to prescribe a laxative to avoid intestinal obstructions.