Oh no! Does your puppy have a bowel obstruction?

Here’s what you need to know about whether or not your pooch’s symptoms indicate their gastrointestinal tract is blocked by something they ate. You know… like socks, dog toys, rubber duckies….

Q: My Lab puppy is vomiting, he doesn’t want to eat and he’s not his usual active self. What could be going on?

A: Just the words “Lab puppy” offer a clue. As a veterinarian with more than 40 years’ experience, I am still amazed at the variety of things dogs — especially puppies and especially Labs — will put into their mouths and swallow: dish towels, socks, rubber ducks, knives or wooden skewers. Young Labs are some of the worst offenders, but any dog is capable of eating something that results in an obstruction.

And an obstruction could certainly be your pup’s problem. Foreign bodies, as nonfood objects are known, might pass through the gastrointestinal tract without you ever knowing the item was swallowed (unless you notice it when you pick up poop), but sometimes they get stuck — and that’s when the trouble starts.

Clues that a dog might have an obstruction include vomiting, regurgitation (when food comes right back up after your dog has eaten), appetite loss, lethargy or just seeming “off” (the veterinary term for this is ADR, or ain’t doin’ right). A dog who’s gagging, coughing or pawing at the mouth or neck might have something stuck in the esophagus — the tube that carries food to the stomach.

If your dog has a habit of eating things he shouldn’t and shows any of these signs, it’s a good idea to take him to the veterinarian to check for an obstruction.

Depending on the results of the exam and diagnostic tests and whether you know what the dog may have eaten, the vet may recommend a wait-and-see approach, giving pumpkin to see if that helps move the object along or immediate surgery.

There’s more in Pet Connection, the weekly nationally syndicated pet feature I co-write with Kim Campbell Thornton and my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker.

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