# Kind of freaking out - worried about a blockage



## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Guys I am kind of freaking out. I'm worried Tux might have some sort of a blockage. This morning I let them all out at 5AM to potty. I saw Tux squat like he was pooping, but I can't say for sure if anything came out...it was dark. We got back in bed. I thought Tux was acting weird, b/c normally he lays down and goes right back to sleep. He kept tossing and turning, getting up and laying back down. Jumped off the bed and jumped back on. Like he couldn't get comfortable. Very weird for him. We went walking about 10:00 or so, he tried twice on our walk to squat and poop. Sat and strained, nothing came out. We came home, and I took him around the block by himself. Again he tried to squat, nothing came out. Now I'm getting worried. We got back home, and he kept walking around like he was uncomfortable. I called the vet. He told me we have two options: (1) I can bring him in this evening for an emergency visit and x-ray to see if there is a blockage (2) Give him Metamucil every 8 hours and see if he poops. I just gave him some Metamucil. I told the vet I would call them at four and decide at that time if I want to bring him in, depending on if he has pooped by then. I gave him a deer leg bone with shoulder (I think) attached to it on Friday to chew on. I know he did break off some of the bone and eat it and swallow it. He has also been really bad this weekened about trying to eat gumballs and sticks in the backyard. I don't know what I should do. I'm afraid to take him in for an x-ray, they see a blockage, and want to do surgery. And I'm afraid they are going to give me a hard time for feeding raw. Any advice at this time is most welcome....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds like he might just have an upset tummy. If he were blocked I think he would show more signs of pain. Shallow heavy breathing, drooling, distended tummy, vomiting, etc. 

My girls will get like this if they get an extra large or rich meal. Takes a day or so to feel better. Keep a close eye on him....


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Natalie, I have three hours before I need to decide if I am going to take him to the vet for x-rays. Do you think this is necessary? I gave him some Metamucil about 45 minutes ago, and am hoping to see some poop. He is laying down now but just lifted his head up and is looking restless and uncomfortable.....

Not sure if he ate too much bone off his deer leg part on Friday and maybe that didn't agree with him.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Lucky did that once, and I gave her a big meal of liver and fish oil. Things really got to movin'!


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

You might want to make sure to get/force fluids into Tux. "Personal" story: my niece's dog (who they'd fed cooked bones. yes, they'd been warned time and again, they're excuse was that the dogs could be "eating" the bones cause the bones were too hard) had bones "stuck" in him. Long story short: he was kept overnight at the vet's office, not for surgery, but for fluids. Vet thinks that the bones would've been "passed", it was just that her dog was too dehydrated so he was constipated which blocked the bones. Of course, it would have ended in surgery if things hadn't "move along"


Edit: She did feed him quite a bit of liver once they got him back home.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i would make sure he is hydrated.....and i'd give him chicken broth or beef broth...and slippery elm bark...but as you've already given him metamucil...

i think it's a matter of time...

as long as he is not progressive in his symptoms....i'd keep an eye on him....sometimes, we tend to get so worried, we move faster than we need to.

if he has a stomach ache, he's going to be as uncomfortable as you would be....right? and you're not running to the ER to get xrays....

i wouldn't necessarily feed him tonight, but broth, either chicken or beef, should help move things, especially since you gave him metamucil.....gotta drink when you take that stuff....

let us know....it sucks when they don't feel well.....i've never felt so helpless as i have with my five hundred dollar gas pocket dogs and i've had two of them...same symptoms.....ran to the emergency vet because it always happened at oh dark thirty and it turned out to be a very expensive gas pocket....

not trying to make light of it, but observation and fluids is what i would do....


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I gave him 4 oz of liver to help move things along. I think I will give him some ice. He did drink a few times today. But he LOVES ice, so that will at least keep him hydrated.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

just a question, maybe someone knowledgeable should clarify. would low sodium broth be the best option?? watered down if possible?

edit: I personally think the liver was a good idea. Hopefully Tux will feel better soon!


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## tuckersmom20 (Dec 12, 2010)

I think is he continues to worsen i would take him in.

When Tuck was blocked he started out like Tux.. very restless, stretching.. pacing.
By the next morning he was drooling, stomach hurt and vomiting was non-stop... every little bit of anything that went in him.. was up within 2 minutes.

Michelle... go with your gut feeling. 
If you don't think things are good or have that bad feeling... i'd be taking him in.

I know its expensive but sometimes if that bad feeling just wont go away, its best to get him checked for piece of mind.
Prior to tucks famous surgery..... he had been taken in one prior cause of a knuckle bone piece.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

We make our own broth but if you buy I would use the low sodium. If I am really worried I use pedialyte.


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Sending good poop thoughts to Tux. Hopefully its just some constipation.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I think I will take him in, for my own peace of mind more than anything. Yes it's expensive, but he does have Petplan so the most I would have to pay is $200. I have to wait another hour and 20 minutes for the vet to get there. The waiting is going to kill me. I'm a mess, I haven't eaten all day I'm so stressed over this.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

physically, it seems that resting the intenstine to allow it to re establish peristalsis and motility is a good idea.....forcing the issue with something that is known to cause diarhhea or hyper peristalsis and hypermotility....can cause a gastro enteritis or an intestinal colitis...

temporary to be sure, but longer to heal....

if the symptsoms pretty much stay the same, broth along with pedialyte ( good idea liz.....greatest invention for prevention of dehydration in babies, dogs, and humans)...will allow the intestines and stomach to normalise on their own.

if the symptoms get worse, it's time to take him in for xrays absolutely.....


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## bully4life (Aug 9, 2010)

shellbell said:


> Natalie, I have three hours before I need to decide if I am going to take him to the vet for x-rays. Do you think this is necessary? I gave him some Metamucil about 45 minutes ago, and am hoping to see some poop. He is laying down now but just lifted his head up and is looking restless and uncomfortable.....
> 
> Not sure if he ate too much bone off his deer leg part on Friday and maybe that didn't agree with him.


From someone whose dog has had 2 surgeries for blockages both caused by my wifes undergarments. 2 of the biggest signs of a blockage are 1) Vomitting, if it can't go out, it comes up. And 2) EXTREMELY hard and rigid stomach . Those are 1st 2 that i look for. Good luck


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I hope everything is ok! Sending good thoughts your way


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Same good luck wishes from me. Please let us know how he does.


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## tuckersmom20 (Dec 12, 2010)

please let us know michelle... keep us updated


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks so much for all the well wishes! I'm back from the vet. I like my vet a lot, he is a good guy. We went back to the exam room, and he started looking Tux over. He asked about vomiting, and said it was a good sign that Tux wasn't. He had yet to say anything about x-rays. He felt around Tux's belly, and then got to his rear end. Stuck in some fingers, out came some poop. Stuck them in again, dug around, and out comes about a 2 inch piece of a stick. Sticks them in a third time, says there is still stuff up there, and suggests I take Tux outside and walk around to see if he will poop on his own now that he has been stimulated. He didn't, which I wasn't surprised by...all the excitement. So we went back in. Also, during the exam, the vet asked me to "excuse his ignorance", and asked me a couple questions about raw a...nd what Tux had eaten that day. I told him I had given him the liver, explaining why it should loosen things up. He seemed to think that made sense. Then he asked what else Tux ate that day. I told him he had a chicken quarter for breakfast. The vet asked about the bone, and I said that yes the bone was included. He just nodded, and as he was digging poop out, he could see bone fragments and he just asked me if that was normal. Conclusion: Tux seems to have eaten a stick or two that didn't agree with him. The vet said nothing at all negative about raw, and did not give me any lectures on feeding bones. Said it was the stick that stopped him up. Told me no reason for x-rays, it had already made its way through the intestines, the problem is now in the rear. Worse case if things don't get better, he suggested a warm soapy water enema to moisten it up. But hopefully extra organs do the trick. He did have a small poop on his own when we got home. I feel better, and am now having some vodka and my first meal of the day since 8AM.


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

shellbell said:


> Thanks so much for all the well wishes! I'm back from the vet. I like my vet a lot, he is a good guy. We went back to the exam room, and he started looking Tux over. He asked about vomiting, and said it was a good sign that Tux wasn't. He had yet to say anything about x-rays. He felt around Tux's belly, and then got to his rear end. Stuck in some fingers, out came some poop. Stuck them in again, dug around, and out comes about a 2 inch piece of a stick. Sticks them in a third time, says there is still stuff up there, and suggests I take Tux outside and walk around to see if he will poop on his own now that he has been stimulated. He didn't, which I wasn't surprised by...all the excitement. So we went back in. Also, during the exam, the vet asked me to "excuse his ignorance", and asked me a couple questions about raw a...nd what Tux had eaten that day. I told him I had given him the liver, explaining why it should loosen things up. He seemed to think that made sense. Then he asked what else Tux ate that day. I told him he had a chicken quarter for breakfast. The vet asked about the bone, and I said that yes the bone was included. He just nodded, and as he was digging poop out, he could see bone fragments and he just asked me if that was normal. Conclusion: Tux seems to have eaten a stick or two that didn't agree with him. The vet said nothing at all negative about raw, and did not give me any lectures on feeding bones. Said it was the stick that stopped him up. Told me no reason for x-rays, it had already made its way through the intestines, the problem is now in the rear. Worse case if things don't get better, he suggested a warm soapy water enema to moisten it up. But hopefully extra organs do the trick. He did have a small poop on his own when we got home. I feel better, and am now having some vodka and my first meal of the day since 8AM.


Great News!


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

CavePaws said:


> just a question, maybe someone knowledgeable should clarify. would low sodium broth be the best option?? watered down if possible?
> 
> edit: I personally think the liver was a good idea. Hopefully Tux will feel better soon!


I worry about people buying broth with onion it it. It's hard to find one that doesn't contain onion


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

Great! Glad it was something easy to fix and nothing bad . Your vet sounds nice!
Vodka always makes these emergencies easier lol


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Yay! Glad to hear it. Hopefully not too bad on your wallet either without those xrays.

Glad you're having a drink.... you deserve it, mama!


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Thanks everyone again for all the well wishes. The vodka is making me feel better. And the visit was under $100 at least...yay for no x-rays!


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

shellbell said:


> Thanks so much for all the well wishes! I'm back from the vet. I like my vet a lot, he is a good guy. We went back to the exam room, and he started looking Tux over. He asked about vomiting, and said it was a good sign that Tux wasn't. He had yet to say anything about x-rays. He felt around Tux's belly, and then got to his rear end. Stuck in some fingers, out came some poop. Stuck them in again, dug around, and out comes about a 2 inch piece of a stick. Sticks them in a third time, says there is still stuff up there, and suggests I take Tux outside and walk around to see if he will poop on his own now that he has been stimulated. He didn't, which I wasn't surprised by...all the excitement. So we went back in. Also, during the exam, the vet asked me to "excuse his ignorance", and asked me a couple questions about raw a...nd what Tux had eaten that day. I told him I had given him the liver, explaining why it should loosen things up. He seemed to think that made sense. Then he asked what else Tux ate that day. I told him he had a chicken quarter for breakfast. The vet asked about the bone, and I said that yes the bone was included. He just nodded, and as he was digging poop out, he could see bone fragments and he just asked me if that was normal. Conclusion: Tux seems to have eaten a stick or two that didn't agree with him. The vet said nothing at all negative about raw, and did not give me any lectures on feeding bones. Said it was the stick that stopped him up. Told me no reason for x-rays, it had already made its way through the intestines, the problem is now in the rear. Worse case if things don't get better, he suggested a warm soapy water enema to moisten it up. But hopefully extra organs do the trick. He did have a small poop on his own when we got home. I feel better, and am now having some vodka and my first meal of the day since 8AM.


That's good news! I am also impressed with your vet and how he handled the whole situation-- esp. the raw part; seems to have an open mind.

Glad to hear Tux is going to be ok--- hmmm... my dog likes to munch on sticks quite a bit. Something to be aware of, for sure.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh, thats the best new's I've had all day! Awesome, I'm so happy he's ok. And, your vet sounds fabulous, my vet for sure would blamed the raw diet straight away.
If I were you, I'd have a couple of vodka's - you deserve it!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Glad everything worked out!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

the best kind of news.


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## bully4life (Aug 9, 2010)

big sigh !!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sounds like you definitely followed your gut instinct! Poor guy...glad he's all fixed up!!! Thanks for keeping us updated!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

I clearly got here late but I felt myself getting more and more worried the more I read... I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until I let out a big sigh of relief after I read about the sticks!

SO glad to hear that Tux is ok!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

SO GLAD he is on his way to relief! and you as well! Poor guy should lay off the sticks 

I really love the sound of your vet. Seems like my kind of guy.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

Glad to hear he is ok, my labs eat stuff like that all the time, had to do the same thing you did once, but was a little more an enema did the trick got the sticks out.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

He pooped again this morning. I saw no more stick in it, so I'm hoping things keep moving along nicely. I've upped his organ both yesterday and today to lube things up. The vet did suggest pumpkin, not sure if that is necessary or not? Or if the organ is sufficient? Also, his poop has seemed really dry in general lately, so I think I'm going to try backing off the bone a bit and see how that goes. I had been feeding some every day, maybe I will try feeding it every other day or something and see how that goes.


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## barneysmom2510 (Oct 12, 2011)

Glad to hear everything is OK. Iwould have done the same and gone to the vet better safe than sorry.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

I'm late reading your post but GLAD Tuck is fine and doing better.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I'm so so happy to hear that things are going much better! 

At this point, I would not add canned pumpkin to the mix. Canned pumpkin can act as at constipator. Which is not what you want. I'd stick with the extra organs and less bones you've been giving because they seem to be doing the trick. :thumb:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Not to mention canned pumpkin is a "kibble feeding remedy" not a great raw feeding remedy for poo issues. You either feed organ meat meals to loosen then up or feed heavy bone meals to firm them up. 

Glad to hear he's still doing well! 

It's kind of ironic that so many people are paranoid about raw causing blockages...low and behold the raw fed dog was blocked by a damn stick :biggrin:


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## BoxerParty (Nov 9, 2011)

SO GLAD to hear he's OK! 

Malcolm ate a stick the first weekend I had him and gave me a huge scare...I was pretty sure I was the WORST puppy mom EVER! (I was also finishing my Master's thesis at the time, so I may have been a touch irrational... :wink: ) 

Give Tuck some love from me and Malcolm and Lila!


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> It's kind of ironic that so many people are paranoid about raw causing blockages...low and behold the raw fed dog was blocked by a damn stick :biggrin:


Yeah, and the vet tech called me today to check on Tux. She knows he is on raw, and said, "I heard the doctor pulled out a bone fragment." I said, "uh, no, he actually pulled out a stick fragment." It was this same vet tech I talked to yesterday, who contributed greatly to my worry.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

shellbell said:


> Yeah, and the vet tech called me today to check on Tux. She knows he is on raw, and said, "I heard the doctor pulled out a bone fragment." I said, "uh, no, he actually pulled out a stick fragment." It was this same vet tech I talked to yesterday, who contributed greatly to my worry.


HA! Good for you for clarifying that vet tech on reality! :thumb:


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