Bowel obstructions
can be deadly for your pets
By Karen Carmichael
Special to The Star-Herald
My grandson has a three-year-old Labra-doodle that my daughter adopted from the Central Aroostook Humane Society this past spring. He is intelligent, lovable, gentle and playful … the perfect dog; or so we thought.
A few weeks ago, he started acting lethargic and less playful than usual. We thought he was just having an off day like we all do on occasion so we just started watching him closely. Over the next several days he got more listless, stopped eating and started vomiting. Now we are worried.
My daughter took him to his veterinarian who ordered a series of blood tests and X-rays. When these tests were inconclusive, they kept him over the weekend for observation. He was released on Monday but we didn’t see any real signs of improvement. In fact, now when he vomited, it smelled like feces. Uh-oh!
Needless to say, we were at the vet’s office early the next morning and he was admitted once again. Guessing that he had an intestinal obstruction, he had exploratory abdominal surgery to try to find the problem. Fearing cancer or some other deadly disease, we were both relieved and baffled when the doctor called to say she had removed a 3-inch by 5-inch kitchen scrubber pad from his intestines.
The moral to my story is that pets truly are like our children. They are curious and clever. They will get into things and places that will leave you shaking your head and wondering “How on earth?” and “Why?” Every pet owner is responsible for their pets’ safety and well-being. Please take time every day to watch and pay attention for even the smallest sign that something isn’t right. Watch them chase a ball or toy and look for an odd gait or limp. When giving belly rubs, feel for lumps or sore spots. While scratching their ears, look for ear mites or an unusual odor that could indicate an infection. And, as I have learned from this, always keep a lid on your garbage. Even if you have to put a child safety lock on it.
Like small children, they can’t tell you when they don’t feel good or when they’re in pain. The more you pay attention to them, the quicker you will notice even the smallest change in their behavior. If Finnegan had been an “outdoor” dog, we wouldn’t have noticed his symptoms early enough (if at all) and would probably have lost him in a most unpleasant manner and I would never forgive myself for letting him suffer like that.
After having his stitches removed, Finn is back to the lovable, gentle, playful dog we all love. Yes, I left out “intelligent.” Today I showed him another scrubber pad like the one that was the cause of this entire ruckus. He grabbed onto it, tail wagging excitedly, pulled it from my hand and started chewing it as though it was his favorite toy. Sigh. He may not have learned a lesson from this, but I sure did. In the future I will be very careful about disposing of my cleaning supplies.
Any problem that interferes with the passage of intestinal contents through the GI tract results in a blocked bowel. The most common cause is a foreign body. Other causes of intestinal obstruction are tumors and strictures, adhesions following abdominal surgery, and navel and groin hernias that trap loops of bowel in the hernia sac. In young puppies, heavy infestations of roundworms may obstruct the bowel. The esophagus of the dog is larger than the outlet of his stomach. Thus, dogs may swallow objects that are too large to pass out of the stomach. (WebMD Veterinary Reference from “Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook”).
If you are looking for a friend for life, please stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday or give us a call at 764-3441.
If you would like to make a donation, you can do so through our website or directly at the shelter. You can also mail a donation to 26 Cross St., Presque Isle, ME 04769.
