What if he swallowed glass?

[grapeguzzler]

I'm freaking out. My puppy 11 mos may have swallowed glass. But I don't know for sure. I found glass on the floor and the kids informed me they broke one but thought it was all up. We have tile floors so glass shatters everywhere. I swept really good and found some shards. But then I heard him drop something that reminded me of glass hitting tile, I went quickly to get a treat for him to drop what was in his mouth but he had swallowed it.

I then decided to clean more and vacuumed the rug close to the kitchen and found more glass. Confident it was all up, I started working again but then it seemed he had something in his mouth. This time he dropped it and it was 2 pieces (dime size) of glass!! His mouth is not bloody. He is eating treats and water and acting fine.

Hubby says vet can't do anything if he swallowed glass. Please help is this true? It's 9:43pm vet closed should I call animal hospital?

[kjc]

I'd call the ER Vet right away...

[Ellie May]

Well, I'd have to recommend calling the ER to check with them. But honestly I agree with your husband. They can't induce vomiting for sharp things. Some vets will have owners feed something soft like bread to try and engulf the sharp object. This may not be helpful though, esp. because everything churns in the stomach anyway. Some vets may also suggest feeding small meals every four to six hours to get it to move through quickly.

One of my sogs has severe pica and found glass on the floor. Even he did not swallow it. It was a tiny piece and he spit it out.

[shelimcallister]

I just searched the internet and found this. What to do if your dog eats glass - snopes.com There were a few websites that recommend dipping a cottonball in half & half and feeding it to your dog; however, I think I would go directly to the emergency vet because I am extremely paranoid. I hope someone can give you good advice. Best of wishes!

[grapeguzzler]

I called the ER and she said with no blood we need to watch him. Watch for his stool, urine and if he vomits. Acting fine and barking at the frogs. I will keep you posted. I guess I will no more by next stool right? I will call my vet in the morn when they open to just be sure.

[dawn27]

I think a ER visit and x-rays to be totally sure is best !

[Yorkiemom1]

One of mine ate a small glass Christmas ornament....I was hysterical...the ER vet told me to take a piece of bread, put a moderate amount of mayonaise on the slice of bread, spread out evenly about 4-5 cotton balls, and then take scissors and cut that slice of bread/cotton, into 1"squares and feed it to the dog...the cotton will snag around any sharp glass, the mayonaise will lubricate it going down as well as facillitate bowel movment. It worked....I found little pieces of red glass Christmas ornament encased safely in wads of cotton....

[ladyjane]

OK folks...as for that cotton ball treatment...this came up once before on YT and I begged to differ with people then and will again.

IF any of my pups ate any kind of glass I would be out of the house immediately and on my way to the vet....if day time the regular vet; weekends and nights...Emergency Clinic. Period. I would not ask anyone online what to do...I would not even stop to log in to ask. That's just me. Some things just worry me and ingestion of glass would be high on my list of a reason to consult with a vet.

What I WILL say is this: that "treatment" is all over the internet and it proves one thing to me: People believe everything they read. Not one of those sites was one I would consider reputable...ie: not from a vet school or a site like Merck or PubMed

I have asked multiple vets including emergency vets about that cotton ball and milk "treatment' and each one of them has looked at me like I had rocks in my head.
I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest it is NOT a good thing to do....but, if any of you believe it might work, the ONLY thing I can suggest is to ask a vet yourself.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by grapeguzzler

I called the ER and she said with no blood we need to watch him. Watch for his stool, urine and if he vomits. Acting fine and barking at the frogs. I will keep you posted. I guess I will no more by next stool right? I will call my vet in the morn when they open to just be sure.

I am happy to see that you called the EC! More than likely she did not really eat glass....I surely hope not. I will look for an update tomorrow.

[shelimcallister]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

OK folks...as for that cotton ball treatment...this came up once before on YT and I begged to differ with people then and will again.

IF any of my pups ate any kind of glass I would be out of the house immediately and on my way to the vet....if day time the regular vet; weekends and nights...Emergency Clinic. Period. I would not ask anyone online what to do...I would not even stop to log in to ask. That's just me. Some things just worry me and ingestion of glass would be high on my list of a reason to consult with a vet.

What I WILL say is this: that "treatment" is all over the internet and it proves one thing to me: People believe everything they read. Not one of those sites was one I would consider reputable...ie: not from a vet school or a site like Merck or PubMed

I have asked multiple vets including emergency vets about that cotton ball and milk "treatment' and each one of them has looked at me like I had rocks in my head.
I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest it is NOT a good thing to do....but, if any of you believe it might work, the ONLY thing I can suggest is to ask a vet yourself.

Haha! I thought it sounded weird but I also thought it was interesting that there were a lot people believing in it. Personally, I would react like you would if I was is that situation.

One of my Boxer's had demodex (sp?) mange and there were so many people that told me to put motor oil on it!!!! Of course I took him to the vet.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by shelimcallister

Haha! I thought it sounded weird but I also thought it was interesting that there were a lot people believing in it. Personally, I would react like you would if I was is that situation.

One of my Boxer's had demodex (sp?) mange and there were so many people that told me to put motor oil on it!!!! Of course I took him to the vet.

OMG motor oil??!?! I just laughed out loud on that one....my pups are looking at me like I am strange.

It really is amazing the things people can come up with and/or believe.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

One of mine ate a small glass Christmas ornament....I was hysterical...the ER vet told me to take a piece of bread, put a moderate amount of mayonaise on the slice of bread, spread out evenly about 4-5 cotton balls, and then take scissors and cut that slice of bread/cotton, into 1"squares and feed it to the dog...the cotton will snag around any sharp glass, the mayonaise will lubricate it going down as well as facillitate bowel movment. It worked....I found little pieces of red glass Christmas ornament encased safely in wads of cotton....

This was given to me by an emergency vet when I rushed the dog to the ER. People can do whatever they choose to do...bottom line, it worked! It isnt voo-doo medicine....it was given to me by an ER vet...I would certainly hope the person whose dog swallows glass has enough sense to rush to a vet or an ER if their vet is closed....if that vet tells them to do what this vet told ME to do, they can either follow the directions or not, their choice...but it isnt a myth...it works. hahahahahahahahah.....

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

This was given to me by an emergency vet when I rushed the dog to the ER. People can do whatever they choose to do...bottom line, it worked! It isnt voo-doo medicine....it was given to me by an ER vet...I would certainly hope the person whose dog swallows glass has enough sense to rush to a vet or an ER if their vet is closed....if that vet tells them to do what this vet told ME to do, they can either follow the directions or not, their choice...but it isnt a myth...it works. hahahahahahahahah.....

Don't feel like you need to justify your actions. I was a tech for many yrs & the cotton is what we used for most sharp objects. Also when my cousin was little he swallowed a screw & my Aunt took him to the ER & YES they fed him cotton rite there at the ER & sent my aunt home with some to continue to feed him for the next 2 days. BUT it has to be real cotton, not the imitation.

[kjc]

This is an example of a more natural approach, lol.

I had fed my 4 pups coconut chips during a group training session one day. They all appeared to chew the chips, but to be on the safe side I broke many chips into smaller pieces, thinking, too, that the stomach acids would be able to break them down even if they were swallowed.

Well, two days later, Sapphire is acting a bit uncomfortable, but otherwise fine, just changing positions alot. This continued the next day, and I was getting ready to take her to the vet, when I found a hairball on the floor. I have cats too, so I don't know where this came from, or who it came from. I thought a cat produced it, and Sapphire ate it then pooped it out. She was definitely acting better now.

Upon closer inspection, this was not from any color of cat that I own. I thought I saw something white at the very end of it, so I touched it with a toothpick and it was as hard as a rock. So I decided to dissect it. The hairs were intertwined so tight I had to cut it apart using sharp scissors. I got the white thing out, thinking gosh that looks familiar but I couldn't place it.

Then it came apart a little bit and I helped it apart the rest of the way. It was the coconut chips she had eaten, but they had been packed together like the chips you get in a can of Pringles, lol. I had given her the chips one by one, maybe 10 in all, over the space of 45 minutes or so.

She must have pulled some of her hair out and ate it, which very effectively surrounded the chips and kept them from doing any damage to her intestines. None of the other pups had any problem with the coconut chips... even my 15 year old Peek a Boo had eaten some.

The hairball was about 2-3 inches long and the size around of what her normal stool looks like. No more coconut chips for my pups!

I do know that hair can cause a blockage in dogs, especially small dogs, as can cotton, stuffing from toys, etc. I think it's more important to cut the cotton into very small sections, almost shredded, and be sure to lubricate it well, as dry cotton will absorb moisture from the gut and will get stuck if too dry. Sapphire's hair at the time was maybe 1-1.5 inches long... so more short than long, and I've always fed her canned food mixed with dry, so that may have helped to keep things lubricated enough to pass on it's own. She also gets coconut oil on her food. Looking back on this now, I think she was very lucky....

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Yorkiemom1

This was given to me by an emergency vet when I rushed the dog to the ER. People can do whatever they choose to do...bottom line, it worked! It isnt voo-doo medicine....it was given to me by an ER vet...I would certainly hope the person whose dog swallows glass has enough sense to rush to a vet or an ER if their vet is closed....if that vet tells them to do what this vet told ME to do, they can either follow the directions or not, their choice...but it isnt a myth...it works. hahahahahahahahah.....

What vet? I have wanted to hear this from a professional ever since the first time I saw it posted. I have honestly asked so many and have yet to find one.
I am not saying you are not telling the truth...just asking for proof from a professional. I asked another person who posted it and she did not want to provide a vet's name.