Anyone who has shared life with a pet knows that our furry companions are capable of ingesting some pretty incredible things. While working in small animal practice, I witnessed several interesting objects being pulled out of the stomach and small intestine of dogs and cats – toys, dishtowels, pantyhose, rocks, needles and thread, even a little green plastic army man.
Unfortunately, some pets will eat almost anything that fits down their esophagus (dogs are especially prone to swallowing things that were never meant to be eaten, although cats are certainly not immune). Luckily, many smaller items are able to be unceremoniously passed in the stool, so more often than not, we never even find out about our pets’ little dietary indiscretions.
But what happens if an object isn’t able to pass safely?
Houston, We Have a Problem
An intestinal blockage is extremely serious. When this happens, not only is food unable to pass through the GI tract, but the stuck object (now called a “foreign body”) can cause blood flow to be blocked to that section of the intestine, causing the tissue to die.
Sometimes, if the foreign body is fabric (such as the aforementioned dishtowel), the intestine can be damaged as the GI tract tries to move the object through. The back and forth motion of the gut contracting and relaxing can cause fibers in the fabric to saw back and forth, resulting in dangerous microscopic cuts to the intestine.
This can lead to a condition known as peritonitis – an inflammation in the abdominal cavity caused by bacteria leaking from the gut directly into the abdomen.
Warning Signs
The most common warning signs of a blockage in the GI tract include vomiting, refusal to eat or drink, and unexplained weight loss. The pet may also act sluggish, pace restlessly, or show signs of pain or tenderness in his abdomen.
If you observe any of these symptoms in your pet, call your veterinarian immediately. Obstructions can occur within a matter of hours…and time is of the essence!
Diagnosis
The quickest way for your veterinarian to determine if your pet has ingested something he shouldn’t have is to take a quick abdominal x-ray. Many times the suspected item will show up clearly on the x-ray, as seen in the images below.


Images courtesy of Veterinary Practice News
However, if the item is fabric, rubber, or any other type of soft material, it may not be clearly visible. In this case, your vet may look for other clues (like an abnormal gas pattern) on the image. If the x-ray is inconclusive, the vet may suggest performing an ultrasound or endoscopy to identify the foreign body and try to determine exactly where it is stuck.
Then What Happens?
If your pet is diagnosed with a GI tract obstruction, don’t panic…there are several ways to remove the troublesome item.
If the object is still in your pet’s stomach and hasn’t yet moved into the small intestine, it can sometimes be removed by using an endoscope, which is a long, thin tube with a light and camera on the end. Once your pet is under general anesthesia, the vet can insert the endoscope through his mouth, down into the esophagus, and into his stomach. From there, the item can be grasped with a specialized tool on the end of the scope and brought back up and out through his mouth.
If the foreign body has already moved out of the stomach and into the intestine, and is lodged there, exploratory surgery may be needed to locate and remove it. If the object is found and removed in time, and damage to the gut is not too severe, your pet may be expected to make a complete recovery.
Hindsight is 20/20
Let’s face it, no matter how diligent we are, sometimes it’s almost impossible to keep our pets from ingesting inedible objects. However, we can do our best to eliminate any potential hazards in their environment.
Do not leave garbage out in a place accessible to dogs or cats, and discard any broken or frayed toys. If you have a new puppy in the house, it’s especially important to “puppy-proof” your home – block access to power cords, shoes, remote controls and smartphones, fabric items like socks or dishtowels, houseplants, office supplies, and any other small items that can be inadvertently swallowed.
Additionally, some dogs have a penchant for rooting through the litter box in search of what we affectionately used to call “kitty chocolate” (I know, ewwwww). In this case, clumping cat litter can cause a GI obstruction if ingested, so limiting your dog’s access to the litter box is always a good idea.
If you happen to witness your dog or cat swallowing a potentially hazardous object, don’t panic. A quick call to your vet can tell you if your pet should be seen immediately, or if chances are good that the object will pass on its own.
Do you have any stories about interesting items your pet has swallowed, either accidentally or on purpose? If so, tell us about it in the comments!
Argh! My husbands cat keeps steeling things! My pens, Barbies shoes etc. yesterday she jumped up next to me and as I looked over she had a straight pin hanging out of her mouth! In two seconds she had pulled it out of the skirt I was working on. I thought I was going to pass out! I calmly asked her for it and took it out of her mouth . Yay!! Now will she just tell me where she took my good necklace??
HA!!!! I had a cat who did this too….he was my little kleptomaniac kitty! Fortunately I was able to figure out where his “stashes” were, so I always knew where to look when something went missing! 🙂
My cat ate probally 6 nerf bullets and threw them up but he was still throwing up all day today and he wasn’t acting normal very slow and not as active as he usually is so I’m scared he still has some of it in him and the worst part is we just got this kitten 2 mo this ago cause my old cat dude at age 9 so I’m just wondering what should I do
Hi Austin, in this case I would have your cat checked out by a vet as soon as you can. If your kitty ate 6 nerf bullets, there’s no telling what else he could have swallowed, and you don’t want to risk a bowel obstruction (blockage in his GI tract)! Good luck, hope he is okay!
My cat maybe every four days but he loves licking and I’ve noticed little hairballs when he does that throws up But after he does that he doesn’t want hard food he wants can food. He will wait a day before he eats and less I give him canned food what can I do
Hi Christine, it’s not unusual for cats to not want to eat hard food after they vomit, since hard food is more difficult to digest than canned food. I would suggest keeping a few cans of wet food on hand, or a few jars of chicken/chicken gravy baby food (make sure it’s the Gerber brand, which doesn’t have onions in it, which are toxic to cats) for those times after your kitty vomits hair. The wet food is much easier on their stomachs, and will make him feel better more quickly. One last thought… it’s not unusual for cats to vomit hair occasionally, but if your kitty is vomiting weekly, there may be something else going on, so you may want to check in with your veterinarian to see if he should be checked out. Good luck!
I have 2 five month old sister kitty’s, one has vomited several times yesterday and possibly another time either overnight or this morning. It’s food coming up surrounded by a little liquid looking like water, it’s not alot of vomit but the frequency is starting to concern me. The kitten is still playing as usual and doesn’t display any kind of discomfort or pain, even as I rub her belly. I’m wondering if the rabbit food that I know she will eat or the Timothy hay could be causing this or something from a toy? She’s eating, drinking and playing as she always has so I’m at a loss as to the cause… can you help me figure this out? Thanks Raymie
Hi Raymie! I would definitely suspect the rabbit food or timothy hay could be causing the vomiting. Cats are carnivores and don’t digest greens very well. I tried giving my cats some of the organic cat grass that you can grow yourself, and although they loved to eat it, they both vomited very shortly after. So we don’t do that anymore! 🙂
If my cat has eaten some scoopable kitty litter will it show up in an ultrasound?