Two days ago my dog swallowed a Popsicle stick. In fact, she ate the entire Popsicle. Whole. She doesn't chew. Ever.
Correction: Leigh fed her the stick.
Actually, what happened was that Leigh was craving chocolate. She found the last fudgesicle in the freezer, but after tasting it her pregnancy hormones told her it had gone bad (really?) so she didn't want it. I said "just give it to Cannelle, she's a big dog and it probably only has a teaspoon of cocoa powder in it." Don't worry, vets have told me bigger dogs can eat chocolate without it bothering them.
So Leigh holds out the Popsicle to Cannelle. Cannelle takes the whole thing, spits it out because it's cold. Leigh reaches for it to keep her from eating the stick, but too late. The stick is in her mouth. I grab her mouth and open her jaws to pull it out but, again, too late. She's swallowed it. Nowhere to be seen.
Of course, my dog regularly eats eaten entire shoes. The laces, the sole, everything. Luckily she chews those into smaller bites before swallowing them.
We panic. We Google it. A shocking number of hits come up. Apparently this happens a lot. The good news is that most dogs can pass a Popsicle stick without event. The edges are round and the chemicals in it (ew) prevent it from digesting. This keep it from splintering and causing internal bleeding. Fun fact: Popsicle sticks are not visible on an X-Ray, so all you can do is watch out for lethargy, vomiting, and blood in the stool. That's when you know it's time for emergency surgery.
So now Cannelle is eating rice with her kibble to get things moving faster and we are having to inspect her poop for signs of Popsicle stick. Also, every time she sleeps too soundly or looks groggy (which she does a lot because she naps while we're at work) we get nervous. All we can do is wait and hope for the best.
For now she seems completely fine. Her tail wags just as violently, all the time, she barks just as excitedly and loudly when we throw the ball for her, she eats just as ravenously, and she's sleeping the same amount as before.
Clarification from above: Leigh feels really bad about not holding tighter to the Popsicle stick and I think we've both learned an important lesson here: always hold on tight to the non-edible objects near the edible objects.
Also worth noting: every time that dog gets into something or we suspect an injury my heart actually breaks a little bit. I love that mutt so stinkin' much. Now if only she'd stop eating non-edible objects, tearing her nails off by digging up parts of my yard (this would actually solve two problems), and playing in cottonwood flurries (which she's allergic to), then I could sleep soundly knowing she's OK.
Correction: Leigh fed her the stick.
Actually, what happened was that Leigh was craving chocolate. She found the last fudgesicle in the freezer, but after tasting it her pregnancy hormones told her it had gone bad (really?) so she didn't want it. I said "just give it to Cannelle, she's a big dog and it probably only has a teaspoon of cocoa powder in it." Don't worry, vets have told me bigger dogs can eat chocolate without it bothering them.
So Leigh holds out the Popsicle to Cannelle. Cannelle takes the whole thing, spits it out because it's cold. Leigh reaches for it to keep her from eating the stick, but too late. The stick is in her mouth. I grab her mouth and open her jaws to pull it out but, again, too late. She's swallowed it. Nowhere to be seen.
Of course, my dog regularly eats eaten entire shoes. The laces, the sole, everything. Luckily she chews those into smaller bites before swallowing them.
We panic. We Google it. A shocking number of hits come up. Apparently this happens a lot. The good news is that most dogs can pass a Popsicle stick without event. The edges are round and the chemicals in it (ew) prevent it from digesting. This keep it from splintering and causing internal bleeding. Fun fact: Popsicle sticks are not visible on an X-Ray, so all you can do is watch out for lethargy, vomiting, and blood in the stool. That's when you know it's time for emergency surgery.
So now Cannelle is eating rice with her kibble to get things moving faster and we are having to inspect her poop for signs of Popsicle stick. Also, every time she sleeps too soundly or looks groggy (which she does a lot because she naps while we're at work) we get nervous. All we can do is wait and hope for the best.
For now she seems completely fine. Her tail wags just as violently, all the time, she barks just as excitedly and loudly when we throw the ball for her, she eats just as ravenously, and she's sleeping the same amount as before.
Clarification from above: Leigh feels really bad about not holding tighter to the Popsicle stick and I think we've both learned an important lesson here: always hold on tight to the non-edible objects near the edible objects.
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