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.... |