I'm completely freaking out right now. Abby (3 months) had just grabbed a sandal I left upstairs by accident - when I took it from her, even though she'd only had it a minute, I saw a small metal bead was missing (about the size of my little finger's nail). I immediately gave her peroxide, but she only threw up a little bit, and no bead. I called the emergency vet, and she said to bring her in in the morning for an x-ray, since she didn't throw up the bead. I have no idea what the bead was made of and if it contained lead or any other poisonous metals. I don't even know for sure if she ate the bead. I'm shocked the vet (who I usually trust) wouldn't have wanted me to bring her in to try to induce vomiting some other way. I'm in tears, worrying about lead poisoning and a possible dangerous surgery to remove the bead. I would call a different vet, except I have no idea if I'm overreacting.
Don't panic!!! It's extremely unlikely that the bead contained lead. The use of lead in products is very tightly regulated these days and I would be shocked if there was lead content in the bead on an item of clothing. A dog, even a puppy, should have no trouble passing an object the size of your little fingernail. She will be fine. Relax Just one bit of advice though - don't give your puppy peroxide. It can burn if it is not in a very diluted form. If you need to induce vomiting in an emergency and you cannot get to the vet fast then first get the advice of the vet over the phone to find out if inducing vomiting is a good idea (will depend on the substance/object). If you need to induce vomiting then very salty water is a much better and safer option than peroxide.
Hey Oberon- thanks very much for your reply. I've calmed down a bit. The 3% peroxide was at the advice of my vet (the issue came up last month, when she tried to eat gravel during puppy class!) but I am very careful to always check first. I call the after-hours emergency line SO much. (The gravel eating, fell down a stair, got her paw stepped on...) Why can't she do these things during normal business hours?! I feel like the worst pet parent ever sometimes.
Oh that's good that you had the vet's advice on the diluted peroxide And good that you are not feeling so stressed. Don't worry, you are not a bad puppy parent at all. You are a good parent for acting so quickly when you thought something was wrong. Puppies are puppies and dogs are dogs and we can't always stop them from doing things they shouldn't, no matter how vigilent we are. Believe me, if we made a list of all the odd things that the forum dogs have eaten or all the mishaps they've had we'd have a list 100 miles long When my first dog was a puppy he used to eat pine/tan bark, used cigerattes (actually really bad to do), snails and whole bars of soap Now definitely don't worry about that bead. Your vet was right to adopt a 'wait and see' approach. Abby will be just fine
Yup, you really wouldn't believe what our forum dogs have eaten and survived with no ill effects. Not to say that eating a foreign object is not something to be concerned about, but on the other hand it's comforting to know that you are not alone and that most likely, your pup will be fine.
Thanks guys Took Abby for an x-ray this morning and got the all-clear - either she didn't eat it or she pooped it out (unlikely, because I went through all her poos with a plastic fork...) so I am definitely feeling relieved! So what does she do first thing when she goes outside to pee, but find a pebble in the grass and pick it up..... when do puppies stop eating everything?!
Great news that all is well Some pups do eat pebbles or mouth stones...I would try to redirect her from that, if only so you won't feel worried that she has eaten anything. They do usually grow out of it...at this age they are exploring to work out what's worth eating and what's not...eventually they cross stones etc off the menu. Now, Miss Abby, no more eating small round objects, ok?
