Question:
Hi,

I have a 10 years old dog (mixed breeds) and he's not feeling well since this morning. From what I could understand, he hate some garbage, but the problem is that he ate the plastic bag with it. My dad told me he had to pull out some of the rests of the plastic bags out of his butt. He's currently sleeping in his basket and you can see he's not feeling well. If you call his name, he won't even move an inch and it takes everything to get up.

He once ate some rests of deer that were not good and he felt similar but this time it's some plastic bad and he seems to feel worst than the first time. Any suggestions?

Answer:
a vet visit asap!!!!! its needed good luck, let us now please dont wait brenda and the pins

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I'd go to the vet. The bag may be stuck or worse! Please, please go to the vet, otherwise you may have problems. Dont rely on the dog passing it himself, it may not be possible!
Good luck and keep us posted

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thanks for the fast reply...

the problem is that it is currently 10:00pm here and we don't have any 24hrs veterinerian so I just hope he makes it through the night.

Answer:
Originally Posted by renodion
My dad told me he had to pull out some of the rests of the plastic bags out of his butt.

I think it's dangerous to do this. The bag could be tangle inside and you could pull something .... like the others; your dog has to see a vet asap.

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is there no emergency number to call for a vet i know around here there is and then they can tell you what to do or where to bring the dog in !! as soon as possible !!

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Where are you? Maybe if somebody here is from your area, they know a 24 hour clinic...

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thanks guys, but the closest 24hrs clinic is at 4 hours of drive from here... I'm going to bring him first thing tomorow morning. I think he'll be able to go through the night.

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We found that dog when he was 4 months old in the middle of the winter. He had been abandonned for more than 1 month in the cold and he had been beaten up. His tail was broken... That dog passed through alot of things. He's 10 years old now and he's still as tough as the day we found him.

Answer:
Originally Posted by renodion
thanks guys, but the closest 24hrs clinic is at 4 hours of drive from here... I'm going to bring him first thing tomorow morning. I think he'll be able to go through the night.

Good luck! If he's got an intestinal blockage, he's in for a very bad night. He may not make the night.

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but he's not whining or anything... He's just in his basket and sleeping (or trying to)



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I hope he makes it

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If it was me, I would have been on the road by now. Good luck and keep us posted.

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yeah I know. I'd be on the road, too. The only problem is that I don't have my driver's license and my parents are sleeping (they don't stress themselves when my dog is sick) It takes everything to convince them to pay for his annual rabbies vaccine, so I'm hoping he won't need a surgery because I have the impression I'll have to pay it myself

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I'm sorry your parents feel like that. I hope your dog will be okay.....please keep us posted. Good luck.

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Is there anyone else who can drive you? A friend or relative with a drivers' license? I agree with the others. If this were my dog or pet, I;d be on the road right now!! Can you at least telephone the vet who is 4 hrs away so they can give you advice - maybe you have a videocam and can show them pix??? (sort of short term telemed - I have done this myself with a sick child once, had the parent who had no vehicle and was 6 hrs away from me by car use their web cam to let me see the child. I ended up sending out the helicopter but alas, a vet cannot do that, usually!)

There must be someone with a license???? A vehicle? Some animal lover in your extended family, neighbourhood, friends and their parents? If it does affect his digestive system, it can be extremely serious and you could loose him. As was noted, parts of the bag can become entangled with his digestive tract or cause an obstruction which would prevent eating and thus loss of important nutrients and there are some (like potassium and sodium, amg others) that are required in certain values for life. If they do not interact i the way they should, that in turn can affect his heart and lungs and that can lead to very serious consequences? Do you know CPR? Do you have friends who do?

Even humans who do not eat for days can have a heart attack due to lack of potassium and other elements. It is not just the amount of the nutrient but how they interact with each other in your dog's cells. It sounds like a small thing but if there is an obstruction and no food or none getting to where he needs it, this can lead to electrolytes' levels (how much and how these elements are acting in the body) that are out of whack (for want of a better expression but I think you will get what I mean). This can then lead to the heart and lungs being unable to function in the way their should, his heart especially. If you know any paramedics of firefighters and he is not better in the middle of the night, you might get them to tests his oxygen saturation level and to do some blood work - and give him some oxygen and an IV with the electrolytes he needs - if this is the problem. If it is more serious and the obstruction affects the digestive system so that some part of the plastic is wrapped around certain body parts, then he might need emergency surgery. Even with an obstruction, he will need surgery to alleviate that - and that can be dicey!!

Any way you look at it, a foreign body - esp plastic -with small pieces all over his body - is not at all a good thing!!!

I'll say a prayer and hope you can him to a vet tomorrow. Is there no vet you can wake up in the middle of the night? I mean, I grew up in a rural area and we really had no vet per se but the fellow who worked for the Dept of Agriculture an hour away - my parents would not hesitate to wake him up at night and he would come or tell us to bring or dog or cat or horse or whatever animal it was that needed attention that badly! Where do you live that it is 4 hrs away? Lots of vets will respond to an emergency like the o ne you are describing. I know mine would and sometimes she does not even get paid for it.

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Hi Guys!

It's cuttently 11:00AM and Franky passed through the night and even seems to feel better, although he still looks a little sick. I'm bringing him to the local clinic at 12:00 (when it's going to open).

Thank you very much guys! I'll give you some news soon.

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little update : we went to the clinic, they checked him, touched his belly, checked his butt and they said everything passed. Franky is back to his normal habits, that is, looking out the window for hours to watch if anything or anybody enters his territory (he thinks he owns the entire street). Thanks again for your help.

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Whew!!!! Excellent update! Thanks for letting us know.

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I am very glad to hear that he did alright through the night and is much better now.
You showed a lot of maturity in how you handled this..He is a lucky dog to have you on his side!

Kimmee

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WOW,you said he passed through the night,my heart took a leap,but then I read on and he's still alive
Good news!! Please keep any plastic-bags away from your pets!!

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Great news, glad to hear it.

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Excellent update. He is very lucky! No more rubbish for him ay!!!!

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that it all worked out!!!!

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I am so glad to hear that Franky is now back to normal.

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