Dog ate a sponge - Answered by Dr. Van Lienden
 

It was a small piece of sponge, about the size of a toonie. She just did it now and I tried to call a couple of vets to find out if this is serious but they are all closed. I am going to keep calling around but in the meantime, is this something I should be rushing her to the emergency for? I am not sure, she is acting fine and is still eating and drinking but I am worried that she might get sick or that I should be doing something.

Puppies, you just gotta love them :rolleyes:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Missy

Whenever your dog gets into something she souldn't have
do this. It's gonna sound nuts I know...(2 vets told me this) I thought it was crazy too. Give your dog 1-2 tablespoons/depending on her size of Vaseline (yup you read right) put it between toast bread. Apparently it's just like mineral oil...but won't cause the runs. Their body doesn't digest the Vaseline so on it's way out it brings everything with it.

I'm sorry, I don't know what a toonie is. I just saw this thread. How is she? :confused:

[QUOTE]I don't know what a toonie is[/QUOTE]

A "toonie" is a piece of our worthless Canadian money. :p It's smaller than a silver dollar and is supposedly worth 2$

If there is any vomitus, go for an x-ray. She should pass it though (my dogs have eaten things that make me hang my head in shame), but if she becomes lethargic or starts vomiting, it has to be removed surgically.

Good luck. :)


If your dog ever swallows anything thats safe to bring back up again, you can give her 5-10mls of hydrogen peroxide orally. This will make her vomit her stomach content. This should [B]never [/B] be done with bones or anything sharp that could tear on the way back up. It will cause major problems.

She's okay!!
 

Thanks for all the responses. Well, she seemed totally fine all night and so we fed her a little extra to help it out and first thing this morning she passed it. Yep, we had bright yellow poop this morning. It's really sad when you can get that excited about your dogs poop but I was just so happy that she was okay. She's eaten other things but I was worried that the sponge could really hurt her, I guess it wasn't big enough.

Bugsy - vaseline, no way!! That is totally crazy! I didn't have any at home but I'll pick some up for the next time I'm not fast enough.

Glasslass - that was funny! A toonie was the only way I could think of to describe the size but I guess I should have been more clear for our American friends!

SSAC - thanks, I wasn't sure how to know when it was something really serious and she didn't have any of those symptons but it's good to know how to handle it in the future by knowing how to help her throw it up.

The tube of stuff they sell for hairballs that you put on their paws to lick is also just petroleum jelly (vasoline). They may like that better since it's flavored! Glad everything came out alright! Literally! :D

Glad to hear that she passed it! :D

As far as getting excited about good poops!..................We ALL do!
Hurray for good poops! :D

i would not advocate any one but a TRAINED professional give hydrogen peroxide to their dogs, this could be potentially lethal and should never be attempted at home. if your that worried go to a vet.

to make my girl throw up i do this, an old vet told me to get salty warm water in a lg syringe about 15ml to start, i pur this down the side of her mouth, and run it slowly in, it works everytime.

[QUOTE=melanie]i would not advocate any one but a TRAINED professional give hydrogen peroxide to their dogs, this could be potentially lethal and should never be attempted at home. if your that worried go to a vet.[/QUOTE]

Fair enough..........however.......................
Working at a vet emergency clinic for many years, we would often advise owners to give hydrogen peroxide (no more than 10mls) to induce vomiting (depending on what's been ingested). Then the owner was advised to come in ASAP for follow up treatments depending on the ingestion..................chocolate, warfin, some FB's etc.

If the owners didn't feel comfortable doing this themselves, we'd give hydrogen peroxide at the clinic. If the peroxide didn't work (it doesn't work in all dogs). We'd put an "apo-morphine" disc in the eye, (under the lid). This would most definately start them vomiting. Then there was the wonder job of going through the vomit looking for the "evidence". It's common practice in most clinics and like I said, it depends on the ingestion. :)
Something like bleach, you don't induce, your vet calls poison control :)

ssac, thats ok, i didnt mean to offend or anything :) , and i do know you work in vets but there are some pretty stupid ppl in the world and giving hydrogen peroxide is pretty delicate i would imagine, it would just take one small mistake like an overdose for a person to kill a dog with such a chemical or at least cause some real pain.

many of us are not trained vets and i truly believe any chemical use should be left to vets and their nurses or assistants/techs whatever you call them like you, i do not doubt you are well trained in this field and know that you do these treatments and things often.but again it would definatly not a home remedy i would reccomend, it is not safe enough.

it is really important to remember we cannot control who reads our posts and we cannot further explain them after the fact. and there are some really think ppl out there :rolleyes: .

personally i stick to a rule of thumb for home treatments, and that is if you cannot take it yourself, or pour it in your own eye or give it to your children i dont reccomend using it on dogs.

Melaine, I do[B] completely understand [/B] where you are coming from. No offence [B]ever[/B] taken. :)
Yes, unfortunately there are people that surf this site and read other people's replies and feel that it also applies to them. Those same people don't often realise that a particular reply is ment for the person asking the question only.

However, there are many books out there that they can also obtain the same info. I.E:.......Home remedies for dogs and cats, (published by prevention magazine), Your guide to your dogs symptoms etc.........

[B]I absolutely agree [/B] that giving too much peroxide can be dangerous, (a third dose sould never be given, unless advised by a vet)
A [B]lack of judgement on my part [/B] for posting it and not adding the small details like 3% solution and one teaspoon per 10lbs of body weight?........[U][B]Sure [/B] [/U] :o
I still like to think that people would call their vet 1st, but I know there are some out there that have animals that have never seen a vet and never will :mad: . Those are the dangerous ones:(

[U][B]Good call Melaine, everyone needs their "reins" pulled sometimes :D [/B] [/U]


Just for anyone surfing.............Syrup of Ipecac is safe in humans but [B]toxic in animals[/B]

Every foreign body is different, some will pass , some will not. Even the most amazingly large items swallowed will on occasion pass. In Molly's case only time will tell. If there is continual vomiting or diarrhea, then certainly veterinary attention is mandated.

The removal may either be via endoscope if small enough to retrieve, or abdominal surgery if too large otherwise. It is important to monitor bowel movements to assess the passage of any foreign body, and can take up to a week to eventually eliminate the offending item. Watchful waiting is indicated here, but a heads-up to your vet is also indicated.

Dr. Van Lienden

Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM
The Animal Clinic of Clifton
12702 Chapel Road, Clifton
Virginia, U.S.A. 20124
703-802-0490

Is it okay to give the dog petroleum jelly to help them my puppy has eaten half of a kitchen sponge so I was wondering if it's safe to give him petroleum jelly....

Even though some people in this very old thread have suggested vaseline if this were me, I'd be immediately calling a vet for this for sure!
A 1/2 sponge absorbs water and might well be hard (or impossible based on its size) to pass. You likely need professional help on this one especially if there has been diarrhea vomiting or your pup just doesn't look right or isn't acting right. etc. Good luck.

I would never ever ever ever ever give a dog vasoline. That's a petroleum product :( Also, if it goes down the wrong pipe and gets into the lungs, it can cause damage.

Absolutely agree that I would be going to the vet for a sponge....