Impacted Bowel / Constipation

[Christie and Jake]

I woke up Sunday morning to find Jake laying in his kennel where he had vomited.  I got him out and took him outside where he peed but didn't poop.  (He didn't poop Sat. night either)  I took him in and gave him a bath and fed him.  I noticed a sock in the vomit when I went to clean it up.  He's horrible about grabbing a sock or pair of panties and swallowing them before you can catch him.  He just layed around until he started vomiting again.  No blood, just mushy undigested food.  This went on all day.  He barely pooped once and it was very hard and very dark.  He didn't play, he just layed there all day.  Completely out of character as he is usually very wild.  He's 7 months old.  Never pooped anymore that day.  I thought it was because he had thrown everything up and didn't need too.  By Monday morning, he wouldn't eat at all and was still very lethargic.  I took him to the Vet worried that he might have an obstruction.  Vet ran blood work which was all normal, no temperature and xrays didn't show anything.  However, he could feel a mass in his intestines when he had him sedated.  It was soft but there was something there.  He gave him a major enema later and all kinds of fecal material and hair came out.  After that he couldn't feel the mass anymore.  He kept him on iv for fluids that day and started feeding him the next.  By Tuesday he was feeling more his old self and full of energy and eating really well.  He kept it all down.  He's still at the Vets being observed until he starts having bowel movements again.  I'm praying there's nothing else lodged in there and that he doesn't have to have surgery.  However, if he was just impacted what caused it and how do I prevent it from happening again?

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Hopefully Jake will be fine and there is no obstruction.  My Riley loves socks too but he never eats them he just carries them in his mouth and hides them under the cushion on the couch where I find all sorts of things.  I would say you are going to have to find a method of putting socks away in a place Jake can't get them.  If everyone understands that they could potentially be lethal maybe they will take care to put them somewhere safe when they take them off. This goes for all small clothing items too. Please update us when you have news of how Jake is doing.

[Christie and Jake]

Thank you.  I hope after all this my daughter understand how important it is now.  I'm installing gates to keep him out of the bedrooms and bathroom just to be safe. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's vital to avoid him getting at socks etc. Even if they just block his gastropyloric junction, the opening from the stomach, that could prevent food and fluids from passing through. Hem ight eventually vomit this up but meanwhile what had been in his bowel doesn't move as much. More fluid get reabsorbed, the bulk is reduced resulting in hard stool which could cause a blockage. More fluid and fiber helps bowel movements.

[Christie and Jake]

Thank you.  That makes sense to me.  We are going to be very diligent to make sure he doesn't eat anything else he's not supposed to until I can get the gates up.  Poor fellow.  I felt horrible for him.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Poor Jake.  I hope he doesn't eat any more socks.

[Christie and Jake]

Not if we can help it!

[shelly]

Have you tried canned pumpkin?  that always helps tori's tummy... she too has had many shall we call them "issues".  Hope he feels better!

[Christie and Jake]

I've given him canned pumpkin before when he had loose stools.  Wouldn't that make him more constipated?

[shelly]

The pumpkin has a miraculous way of working either way... either to soften up or loosen....we've used it for both ways.

[Christie and Jake]

Good News!  Jake is coming home today.  Bless his heart, we have missed him terribly.  We are going to make absolutely certain that he stays out of the bedrooms and bathrooms so he doesn't eat anymore clothing!  I'm so grateful that he is going to be ok and that we avoided surgery.  Definitely a very costly lesson in more ways than one!  Thank you all for your well wishes for Jake.  I do have one question, since he has been at the Vet's for a week.  Will he still be housetrained when he comes home or will he go in his kennel because he has had to at the vet?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am glad to hear Jake is coming home, that was a long stay. As for housetraining, I'm not sure but he will relearn quickly if need be I think.

[Christie and Jake]

Need your advice please!!! Jake was great Friday night and Saturday when I brought him home. He set well this morning and was fine until this afternoon. He threw up again. Now he's only vomiting liquid and won't eat again and is laying around. What is wrong????? I'm really super worried about him. He's gone to bathroom several times so he's not constipated. Why is he sick again?