Sometimes. If the blockage is caused by a foreign body, the dog can often pass it through the gastrointestinal tract and out in the stool. Your vet may recommend fluid therapy—either IV (through a vein) or subcutaneous (under the skin)—to address dehydration and help the object pass.
Symptoms of Bowel Obstructions in Dogs
Straining or unable to poop. Weakness. Loss of appetite. Diarrhea.
Most dogs with a GI obstruction have severe abdominal pain as well as a lack of appetite. A classic sign of pain is the bowing down position. Your dog may not want to be touched on the tummy. Or she may groan and be tense and wide eyed when you touch her there.
The symptoms of an intestinal blockage generally occur within 24 hours after swallowing the problematic item. However, depending on where the item lodges, the time frame may vary—the earlier in the system the item is lodged, the sooner symptoms will emerge.
Feed a bulky meal of dry food to cushion stones or other heavy objects, and help them move on out. Food also turns on the digestive juices, which can help soften wads of rawhide treats, so they pass more readily.
For a dog with an intestinal blockage, it's imperative that the timeline between the incident and treatment is short. Missing these signs of bowel obstruction and abdominal twisting can lead to very serious consequences. Left untreated, complications typically lead to fatality within 3 to 7 days.
On average, pet owners should expect to spend anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 on intestinal blockage surgery. To help you plan for this expense, ask your veterinary team for a cost estimate prior to the procedure.
Dog intestinal blockage surgery is a major procedure, requiring your dog to be anesthetized. After the surgery, your dog will stay at the hospital and recover for several days. For the intestinal surgery, your vet will make an incision into your dog's abdomen near the blockage site and carefully extract the object.
Most of the time, complete blockages require a stay in the hospital and possibly surgery. But if your bowel is only partly blocked, your doctor may tell you to wait until it clears on its own and you are able to pass gas and stool. If so, there are things you can do at home to help make you feel better.
It generally takes ingesta (all that is swallowed) from 10-24 hours to move through the entire digestive tract. Some objects, however, can actually remain in the stomach for longer periods of time, even months.
Small objects – Anything small enough for your pet's mouth, but large enough to get stuck in their throat, esophagus, stomach, or intestines, is a risk. This includes batteries, rocks, sticks, golf balls, leather items, and coins.
If the dog does not vomit a foreign body back up, it may remain lodged in the stomach if it is too large to pass through the valve to the small intestine. Most objects will however pass through this valve, and can make an irregular passage along the intestine if they are small enough.
A bowel obstruction can begin suddenly or may progress gradually over several weeks or days. 2 Before a complete bowel obstruction develops, you may experience some warning signs caused by a partial bowel obstruction.
It's a common misconception that you can't have a bowel movement if you have a bowel obstruction. Some people do pass stool even when they have a bowel obstruction. Their symptoms are typically pain, bloating, and nausea.
Place one hand on either side of your dog's abdomen and press gently, moving from front to back. You may not be able to identify abdominal abnormalities, but you should note any sign of pain. Roll him over and examine his abdomen for skin lesions.
CLINICAL SIGNS
Signs vary depending on the underlying cause, but abdominal pain is often characterised by: Vocalisation, wincing or attempts to bite when picked up or touched under the abdomen. Resentment of attempts to touch the abdomen. Restlessness, inability to sit in one position.
Signs of an Upset Stomach in a Dog
The most obvious symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, pacing, or loss of appetite. If your dog is having severe vomiting, fever, or bloody diarrhea, you need to visit a vet immediately. Any of these symptoms may signal that something serious is going on with your dog.
The four cardinal symptoms of bowel obstruction are pain, vomiting, obstipation/absolute constipation, and distention. Obstipation, change in bowel habits, complete constipation, and abdominal distention are the predominant symptoms in LBO.
A bowel obstruction, whether partial or complete, can lead to serious and life threatening conditions if left untreated. The intestine can get swollen from the trapped air, fluid, and food. This swelling can make the intestine less able to absorb fluid. This leads to dehydration and kidney failure.
Therapeutic Enema
A barium or enema may be used to diagnose and treat an intussusception. During the procedure air or a liquid containing contrast is injected through the rectum into the bowel. The air or liquid will create pressure in the large bowel which will hopefully push out the folded piece of bowel.
It is often difficult to differentiate between normal small and large bowel, but this often becomes easier when the bowel is abnormally distended. The upper limit of normal diameter of the bowel is generally accepted as 3cm for the small bowel, 6cm for the colon and 9cm for the caecum (3/6/9 rule).