What to do if a yorkie eats a Chritmas Ornament....Better late than never?!?!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I would NEVER feed cotton balls to my pup! PLEASE anyone who thinks this is a proper first aid technique, call your vet and inquire about it.

I know of a young lady whose Weim. puppy almost died this month because of an intestinal blockage caused by one of those TINY mouse toys that are stuffed with cotton.

Perhaps bread would be a better idea? I don't know...but I DO know I would consult with my vet before messing around with something like that.

Yes please check with your vet before you do any homemade remedies.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by bchgirl

No way would I ever advise nor do this.

If your pet ingests glass, broken plastic, staples orother small, sharp objects, call your veterinarian.

In the meantime, you can give your dog supplemental fiber in the form of whole wheat or other high-fiber bread, canned pumpkin or Metamucil, any of which can help bulk up the stools the help the foreigh material pass through the dogs digestive system. Dosages depend on the size of the dog. For Metamusil, try a teaspoon for a small dog, a tablespoon for a big dog. For pumpkin, feed one-quarter to two-thirds of a cup. Some folks recommend feeding the dog cotton balls to help pass the foreign objects, but others in the veterinary field caution against this since cotton balls can compound the problem. Source: Partnership for Animal Welfare

Great post!

[Wylie's Mom]

This article is by Sandy Brock, btw.

If one of my pets swallowed anything sharp, obstructive, or potentially poisonous...we'd be on the way to our vet or any Emergency Clinic.

You know the texture of the inside of your mouth? The entire digestive tract surface is just as soft, and in some areas softer.

And an obstruction is so very dangerous bc, first, they actually have to *find* the obstruction...

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I would NEVER feed cotton balls to my pup! PLEASE anyone who thinks this is a proper first aid technique, call your vet and inquire about it.

I know of a young lady whose Weim. puppy almost died this month because of an intestinal blockage caused by one of those TINY mouse toys that are stuffed with cotton.

Perhaps bread would be a better idea? I don't know...but I DO know I would consult with my vet before messing around with something like that.

Yes but those toys do not have real cotton in them. Cotton is what is used in the veterinary field and the MDs also use cotton for children who ingest sharp objects like screws or staples. But it MUST be real cotton.

[livingdustmops]

Originally Posted by lillymae

Yes but those toys do not have real cotton in them. Cotton is what is used in the veterinary field and the MDs also use cotton for children who ingest sharp objects like screws or staples. But it MUST be real cotton.

I think the key word here is veterinary field or people trained in something as serious as this.

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I have never heard of it, but if my pup ate glass, I would be running straight to the vet and follow his/her advice.

And, yes, bread over cotton balls.

Absolutely the vet should always be the first choice. And bread or any other food product will break down so it would be useless for this. The cotton wraps itself around the sharp object so it doesn't tear any part of the digestive tract as the sharp object passes through. And is far safer then surgery for certain things but you should NEVER do this without taking your pet to the vet First.

[livingdustmops]

Originally Posted by lillymae

Absolutely the vet should always be the first choice. And bread or any other food product will break down so it would be useless for this. The cotton wraps itself around the sharp object so it doesn't tear any part of the digestive tract as the sharp object passes through. And is far safer then surgery for certain things but you should NEVER do this without taking your pet to the vet First.

This really is the point Linda was trying to make about going to the vet First...

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by livingdustmops

I think the key word here is veterinary field or people trained in something as serious as this.

Yeah.....and next thing I see will probably be a post about in home spay and neuters.

I can see it now....

Use a wrestling hold until the pup passes out...and then hurry before they come to......and......With a steak knife, make a small incision, turn the pup over and let the little marbles fall out, flip him back over again and take a needle and thread and stitch him up. Give 5cc of vodka twice daily for 7 days fo pain.

Same procedure for spays ... carefully remove the ovaries, use "real" cotton balls to clean up the blood....be sure to count the cotton balls before stitching up the pup. Use the same procedures above for anesthesia and pain management.

Tune in tomorrow for cataract surgery.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by livingdustmops

This really is the point Linda was trying to make about going to the vet First...

I think the vet is the ONLY choice.

Tell me....all of you who think this is appropriate....if YOU accidentally swallowed glass, would you eat cotton balls or rush to the ER?

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

Yeah.....and next thing I see will probably be a post about in home spay and neuters.

I can see it now....

Use a wrestling hold until the pup passes out...and then hurry before they come to......and......With a steak knife, make a small incision, turn the pup over and let the little marbles fall out, flip him back over again and take a needle and thread and stitch him up. Give 5cc of vodka twice daily for 7 days fo pain.

Same procedure for spays ... carefully remove the ovaries, use "real" cotton balls to clean up the blood....be sure to count the cotton balls before stitching up the pup. Use the same procedures above for anesthesia and pain management.

Tune in tomorrow for cataract surgery.

OK your too funny, lol.

Now that would be scary.

[lillymae]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I think the vet is the ONLY choice.

Tell me....all of you who think this is appropriate....if YOU accidentally swallowed glass, would you eat cotton balls or rush to the ER?

Well just so happens my nephew did. So aunt rushed him to the ER and Guess what they did. You guessed it they fed him cotton. And when I was working at the vet they used cotton for certain things that were ingested . However never without an x-ray to see what and where the object was.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by lillymae

Well just so happens my nephew did. So aunt rushed him to the ER and Guess what they did. You guessed it they fed him cotton. And when I was working at the vet they used cotton for certain things that were ingested . However never without an x-ray to see what and where the object was.

There ya go....vet or doctor first. Always.

I swallowed a fish bone and was given bread. But...maybe the doctor was a quack?

[kjc]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I think the vet is the ONLY choice.

Tell me....all of you who think this is appropriate....if YOU accidentally swallowed glass, would you eat cotton balls or rush to the ER?

I'd be eating cotton balls on my way to the ER. A punctured bowel/intestine and the surgery to repair it (if they could find it) and then taking the drugs to treat the resulting peritonitis, and any additional surgeries needed to remove the sponges and/or surgical instruments they leave inside you, would be far worse than clearing a blockage caused by cotton balls.

Also, anything sharp can cause injury, including plastics, so switching to plastic ornaments may not remove the threat.

This thread just reminded me of my second Yorkie. She would eat the metal zipper slides you find on a pair of jeans. Never knew it till after the fact, ie: put on a pair and try to zip them up! I found one in her poop one time. She also liked to eat the snaps off western type shirts, which almost caused death by hubby. (JK)
Yorkies will teach you to put your clothes away...at least until they learn how to open the closet!

[Nancy1999]

yorkiemama1986 I just want to say that I know that you meant well by posting this tip, but you have to be careful when you read tips over the web. Craigslist it not a place where I would get recommendations on what to do in an emergency. I know that cotton balls can cause problems, my son's dog ate one, and it was a real cotton ball, not synthetic. It was whole and perhaps that's why it caused the problem, but it’s a 15 pound dog, and still it took a long time before it passed, about 5 days. I just don't want you to feel bad about posting the tip, you have helped educate by doing this.

[MaddiesMommie]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

There ya go....vet or doctor first. Always.

I swallowed a fish bone and was given bread. But...maybe the doctor was a quack?

Same here. Bread did the trick.
(You know I have never been able to eat fish since then without searching through it CAREFULLY and chewing tiny bites like 100 times. Totally tramatized me as a kid....Choking on a bone.)