Pete the Vet: When dogs swallow objects that obstruct their digestive tract

Keep all potentially hazardous objects out of dogs’ reach. Easy to say, but more difficult to achieve in practice

Even adult dogs don’t think rationally, and so foreign bodies are seen in dogs of all ages

Dogs are prone to a particular digestive hazard: the risk of swallowing an indigestible object that becomes lodged in the stomach or intestines. This is common: dogs have an enthusiastic appetite, with no cognitive understanding of the risk of swallowing such objects.

Gastrointestinal foreign bodies are seen less often in other species, but they can still happen, as I know from personal experience. When I was just three years old, my brother gave me a glass of orange juice with brightly coloured wooden toy cubes floating in it: “pretend” ice cubes. I happily drank the drink and swallowed the “ice cubes” at the same time. My parents were horrified, and soon I was too, because for the next three days I had to squat on a plastic potty while my poor mother inspected my output. In due course, the “ice cubes” emerged, and there was no need for an operation to remove them.