YIKES! My dog ate a plastic bag! What do I do ?
I have 3 dogs at home. The wonderful Indie breed. Full of fun and joy, they fill my life, my home and those around with a lot of positivity and hope. Nothing like having adopted an Indie. But like all good things in life, there has to be some added excitement, sometimes a bit of stress as well and my dog ate a plastic bag a couple of days ago.
I had just taken out some raw chicken from a plastic bag, thrown the bag into the garbage bin and proceeded with my cooking. My dog creeps into the kitchen, puts her head into the bin, takes out the plastic bag (which smells of raw chicken and has some scraps of chicken in it as well), runs out with it and begins to chew it.
I see the dog chewing the plastic bag so I put down what I am doing ( its takes me about a minute to do so) and walk towards her just to find out the PLASTIC bag is gone. She appears to have swallowed the plastic bag !. Now I got worried, what on earth am I supposed to do, it was 9.30 pm in the night.
Do not let the dog have easy access to the garbage bin even it is for a short period of time.
Wash the plastic bag so that all remains of chicken are removed from it and then throw the plastic bag into the garbage bin.
#1 Reconfirmation – What if my dog ate a plastic bag – What next ?
Reconfirm if the dog has actually eaten the plastic bag. Sometimes they just chew on it and leave it. Sometimes they might still be chewing it but you cannot see it. In this case open their mouth carefully, check content of the mouth and remove it carefully.
Call the VET as soon as possible. (Search VET near me).
#2 Wait and Watch & add some isabgol in her diet.
I was in a quandry as to what I should do and I was instructed by the VET to wait and watch for the next 24-48 hours to see whether she passes the plastic bag out in her stool or it remains in her.
Adding the ISABGOL (Psyllium Husk Powder) was the only medicine I was prescribed. The VET told me give her 1 teaspoon of ISABGOL twice a day. Mix the ISABGOL in chicken soup for about 15 minutes and then give it to her.
ISABGOL will be available at any medical store near you
#3 Wait and Watch for What ?
The Symptoms of possible blockage after dog eats a plastic bag.
So this was the next question I posed to the vet. What do I wait and watch for, after the dog eats plastic ? There are 3 clear symptoms to watch out for once the dog has swallowed a plastic bag
- Activity – Has the dog become inactive or lethargic ?
- Has the passing of regular stools stopped ? Is there blood in the stools?
- Is the dog having loose motions ?
- Is the dog vomiting excessively ?
If any of the above major symptoms appear then it would be mean the plastic bag has got stuck somewhere and is causing an internal blockage and it is advised to contact the vet on an urgent basis.
Luckily for me, my dog so far was not showing any of the above symptoms. After she ate the plastic bag, the dog still clinically appeared normal, was active, eating well, peeing and pooping normally.
#4 Check that Poo! , has the plastic bag eaten come out ?
Ok so suddenly checking the poo became a major focus in my life. The dog ate plastic and now I am checking her poo. So every time she poo’ed I checked it carefully.
So what was there to check?. One would expect the plastic bag to be seen easily in the poo. It is unfortunately not always that way. The plastic can get covered with all sorts of food and other digested material that she throws out after digestion so it gets layered.
What one has to do is to break up the poo and check it to see if the plastic bag exists inside the poo or not. This can be easily done with a simple stick or spatula.
Remember to carry a stick or spatula with you to break up the stool to search for the plastic bag.
#5 How long does it take for the plastic bag that the dog ate, to appear in the poo?
It is difficult to predict how long it will take. So you have to wait and watch for symptoms and check the content of the poo for how so ever long it takes.
In the case of my dog it took about 2 days for the plastic bag that my dog ate to appear in her poo. It was great relief and a cause for celebration at least for me.
The ordeal was over and the stress was gone. The universe had been merciful and my dog who ate the plastic bag had passed it out in her stool.
I was very lucky that it came out without further complications and blockages else it could have serious.
Your dog eating a foreign object whether it is a plastic spoon, plastic bag, bottle cap, battery, button, part of a chew toy etc. is to be taken very seriously. The VET is to be informed , instructions are to be followed carefully and the dog has to be monitored all the time.
A blockage caused by a foreign object can become very complicated. So be careful, take adequate precautions and be alert and aware of what your dog eats.