My dog ate a tampon

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Our question this week was:

Hi,

I have a gross problem/question. My yorkie decided that he needed to eat a tampon this morning. Will he be able to pass it? I'm very worried and grossed out at the same time. Thank you for your help.

Karri H.


Answer

Hi there, Oh boy. This can be a problem, especially in a small breed dog like a Yorkie.

The problem is that they can't digest the tampon and it has the potential to get stuck as it tires to move through the intestines. I've seen several dogs over the years go to surgery to have tampons removed form their intestines. If your dog was a Great Dane, it may not be a problem but in a little Yorkie, this could cause a gastrointestinal foreign body that requires surgery.

This is what I generally recommend. If your dog has eaten this within the past hour or so, I recommend that we try to induce vomiting. Call your local veterinarian or veterinary emergency clinic for advice.

We often advice clients to induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide or have them come in and we induce vomiting with drugs that work well such as apomorphine.

If your dog doesn't vomit it up, they may want to do x-rays to see if they can see it and possibly use a fiber optic endoscope to see if it is still in the stomach and try to remove it by that method. .

Also, you might find this article helpful- Gastrointestinal Foreign Bodies. It talks about signs to watch for and may answer many of your questions. Another article that might be helpful is Endoscopy to Remove Foreign Bodies in Dogs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Jon



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