My dog swallowed something: what to do now, and when it's a vet trip today

What to do right now

1. Pick up whatever is left, so there is no second helping. Note what it was, about how big, and when.
2. Call your vet or the nearest emergency clinic, even if your dog seems fine. Tell them what he ate, how much, when, and what he weighs.
3. Don't make your dog throw up unless the vet tells you to. Some objects do more damage coming back up, and batteries are corrosive on the way out too.
4. String, thread or a sock end hanging from his mouth or rear? Don't pull it. Pulling can cause internal injury.
5. Bring the matching earring, the other sock or the torn toy, so the vet can see the size and shape.

Swallowed a battery, a medicine or anything that could be poisonous? Call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.

"He seems fine" is not the all-clear

A dog can swallow a sock, act normal, and only show it later. Small, smooth objects sometimes pass on their own. Others get stuck in the stomach or gut and block it.

Which way it goes depends on your dog's size and the object's size and shape. That's the call your vet makes, often with an X-ray.

How bad can it get? A 3-year-old Great Dane in Portland, brought in for retching and vomiting. Surgeons took out 43 and a half socks. He went home the next day.

Signs that mean the vet today

Any one of these after a swallow means a vet visit today, not tomorrow:

• Vomiting again and again, or retching with nothing coming up
• Won't eat or drink
• A sore belly: He flinches when you touch it, or paces and can't settle
• Straining to poop with little or nothing coming out
• Tired, weak or not himself
• Drooling a lot
• Something you can see in his mouth or at his rear

These are the signs vets look for with a blockage. If you didn't see him swallow anything but these show up, call anyway.

Sock, jewelry, toys: the first move for each

Keep it from happening again

Dogs don't see a sock. They see a toy that smells like you.

• Socks, underwear and hair ties go in a hamper with a lid.
• Jewelry goes in a closed box, not the open dish on the nightstand.
• Toys that start losing chunks go in the trash. Give him durable chews sized for his mouth.
• Teach "drop it" and "leave it." Practice them with treats, before you need them.
• Watch him with any new toy until you know how he plays with it.