# I am concerned there might be a connection



## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Gosh I hope it's not true.

I was worried about one of my grandsons socks for 2 days, thinking Bridget ate it. Then low and behold, SHE found the sock behind the cabinet....


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Sudden loss of appetite and lethargy are serious symptoms, especially in a 12 week old puppy. I recommend a trip to the emergency vet. I don't think you should wait until Monday.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I would be getting a radiograph immediately. If it rules out a blockage, yea! But, to know that there is a possibility that she has eaten one of the number one causes of blockage in dogs and wait it out is way too risky, IMO. Better safe than very sorry.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

This happened to me with my little boy. All I can say is to have a glove handy for when she starts to pass it. My boy swallowed my husbands long tube sock and needed help when he tried to pass it.:yuck:


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

goldhaven said:


> This happened to me with my little boy. All I can say is to have a glove handy for when she starts to pass it. My boy swallowed my husbands long tube sock and needed help when he tried to pass it.:yuck:


IF she starts to pass it... 
You are _very _lucky that it passed...


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*She ate 3/4 of her dinner just now*

So maybe I am being a worrywart. I coaxed her some more to eat. I put some Omega 3 oil on her food to make it more appetizing. It seems like she is more willing to eat if the food is yummier. But sick dogs can do that too. I left a message on out vet's cellphone, but so far no call back. I've since put Mercy to bed. We will be speaking to our vet after church tomorrow. Let's hope that if Mercy did eat a sock, that it is in her large intestine and that she will poop it out tomorrow morning. :crossfing


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

:crossfing and saying a prayer for Mercy. But don't wait too long; it isn't worth the risk. There's something wrong if you have to coax a puppy to eat or dress it up to make it more appetizing. You might just be adding to the problem.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Get her to a vet PRONTO if she starts drooling, repeatedly licking, vomits, strains while attempting to move her bowels, her abdomen becomes distended, hard, or tender, if she turns around to look at her abdomen, runs a fever, or becomes listless. Don't push food, and only let her drink small amounts of water frequently.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Pointgold said:


> IF she starts to pass it...
> You are _very _lucky that it passed...


I realize that now, but at the time I just handed the glove to my husband, the person who thought that his sock would make a good chew toy for the puppy, and said, "he is your dog"


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

goldhaven said:


> I realize that now, but at the time I just handed the glove to my husband, the person who thought that his sock would make a good chew toy for the puppy, and said, "he is your dog"


HA! Bet he doesn't think so anymore!


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

You might want to look into keeping hydrogen peroxide around for these scenarios. I forced Bear to vomit on more than 1 occasion as a pup for eating something she shouldn't have.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I'm not sure vomiting is what you want if it is a sock.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I was told by my vet to do it. It needed to be done immediately after eating the sock. Might be worth asking your own vet about it and when it is or is not okay to induce vomiting.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I would be afraid that the sock would not come up but the attempt at vomiting could rupture the esophagus or stomach. I'm sure no expert tho...just going on 'gut' feeling; pardon the pun.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I think that's why it needed to be done immediately (I think I was told within 15 minutes). So that it is in the stomach still. I think pretty much anything in the stomach was purged. I'd obviously suggest talking to a vet before trying it. And,just like with people there are times when causing vomiting can do more damage!
I haven't had to do it in many many years, but both of my dogs have had vomiting induced. Bear ate a few socks and my lab ate ciggerette butts once back when I smoked. That could have killed him.......


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## Pammie (Jan 22, 2011)

Hoping wishing and praying she is OK!

But in the mean time I am sure you are worrying yourself to death, I know I would be! 
Have you gone back upstairs and matched and counted socks? If there are an even amount, then the chances are even greater she did not eat a sock, right?!


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## Hunter'sMom (Sep 5, 2011)

I'd be matching socks too, if I were you, just to be sure! I hope it is just a piece of tissue! If she has started teething, maybe that could be the cause of her not wanting to eat? When Jackson was teething, I would occasionally have to water down his food to get him to eat all of it. Hoping for something simple, and that she is back to normal soon!


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

The thing about dogs swallowing objects is that for one dog there may be no consequence and another may have serious problems. 
I would certainly consult your vet and watch for any problems.


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

I hope Mercy will be ok. I will watch for updates. I would not push anymore food either. Good luck!!!


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

How is she?


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*Mercy Acting More Normal this Morning*

Hello Folks. Mercy is acting more normal this morning. She is always more energetic in the morning though. She ate about a 1/3 to 1/2 of her breakfast this morning, but at a normal speed and without coaxing. She was playing a different game of chase with me this morning with stuffed toys in her mouth. I then put her outside and she had a normal stool. No sock. I will still be speaking to our vet at church this morning to share with him my concerns. She might have swalled paper and not a sock. I think she was tired last night since she was outside in the 80s heat with us. In addition to puppy kindergarten and to downtown Warrenton VA, she was outside being a spectator during our church's frisbee match. With her just turning 14 weeks today, she might *be* teething, resulting in the lack of appetite. Thanks for all of your concern.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*Spoke to the vet this morning in church*

We spoke to the vet this morning when we were in church. I explained everything as accurately as I could. I told him she was acting better this morning. He said that as long as she is eating some, having bowel movements and not vomiting she should be alright. I do tend to worry about things when there is nothing to worry about. She ate some, but not all of her lunch. We are still keeping an eye on her. She seems to be pretty much acting herself.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Hopefully everything will turn out fine! I'm glad Mercy is doing better! Fingers crossed!


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*Another Update*

Hello again. Mercy has a normal activity level right now. However, her appetite is still less than normal. She ate about 1/4 of her dinner tonight. She is not quite as ravenously eating like before. She took all day to eat one meal's worth when she normally has three meals a day. She had a normal bowel movement during our evening walk. I am very protective of her. I freak out even if she eats just a morsel of people food. I hope a sock is not floating around in her stomach. I read that socks can float in dog's stomachs for 6 months when I did research 2 nights ago. If I had not read that, I would not be so worried now since she* is* having bowel movements. *sigh* I might have to consult with our vet again.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

I have noticed that pups tend to go through the same growth spurts as kids. They will eat ravenously for a week, and you will notice that they seem bigger. With kids, you just notice that their clothes don't fit anymore. Then they will taper off and not be so interested in food. Then the whole process starts over. 

I hope that is all that this is, but to ease your mind, you might want to take her in for x rays. 

I was going to say that I hope she is feeling better but she seems to be feeling fine so I will say that I hope you feel better.:wavey:


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

I think the only way you are going to know for sure, and to ease your mind is to take her into the vet and let them evaluate her. I tend to err on the side of caution, have made lots of ER visits and regular vet consultations for things that ended up being minor issues, but there has also been times when a vet visit was warranted and for my dogs health it was imperative I sought advice and treatment. If she were my dog, I would be at the vets first thing in the morning, or sooner if she starts to feel worse.


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

I cant tell you what to do but I can tell you what I would do if it were me.

I would take her to be examined ASAP...I just worry worry worry and the only way to ease that worry would be to get a clear from the vet. Why risk it.

Best of luck...hope everything turns out OK.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I sent a message to our vet on Facebook, also a friend from church, and explained to her Mercy's current symptoms asking if we should bring her in for an evaluation. I will keep you updated.


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

If you are at all concerned that she could have eaten a sock, it might be best to just take her....although, you are with her so you probably have a better idea of what is going on. Just from reading your posts though, and your concerns of what it could possibly be, I would just take her to be 100% sure.

Hopefully you hear back from your vet soon.


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## Hunter'sMom (Sep 5, 2011)

I agree with the other posters, if you are worried about the sock, get her in and let the vet evaluate her. If it is just a teething issue, you may need to soak her kibble for her to eat. My boy stopped eating for a few days around her age, but it turned out it was just hard for him to chew. Soaking the kibble for a week or so until his mouth felt better worked like a charm.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*Mercy Vomited the Sock(s)*

I was planning on taking Mercy to the vet this afternoon as I am home from work today, when I noticed that she had vomited up 1-2 socks in her crate. It was two separate pieces. I am so relieved! :headbang2:greenboun:rockon::artydude:banana:I knew God would come through! I am a woman of faith. I tried to get my husband to take Mercy to the vet while I was at work Monday or Tuesday, but he did not feel comfortable going by himself. He told me to wait until this afternoon since I am off work for a morning doctor's appointment today. Up until now she has been eating about 1/2 to 2/3 of her meals. She still ate 2/3 of her breakfast, but she could still be feeling sickly after vomiting. Hopefully her appetite will return completely to normal soon. Thanks for your prayers.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I hope that anyone reading this thread in the future takes away the message that if you think your dog ate a sock you'd better not wait, the dog really needs to go to the vet immediately.


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

I agree!

Holy cow..to think that she had a sock in there!!! YIKES

You are very lucky and I agree with the previous poster..in the future, if you even suspect...GO! Just go.

Mercy'smom...do you think there still could be some in there? She could have eaten more...do you think it might be wise to take her in for xrays anyway? Just to be sure?


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

nolefan said:


> Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I hope that anyone reading this thread in the future takes away the message that if you think your dog ate a sock you'd better not wait, the dog really needs to go to the vet immediately.


To God be the Glory!


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I do strongly believe that Mercy is rid of all of the sock(s), especially since I only saw her swallow the one.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I so happy that she SEEMS to be okay. But please don't have a false sense of security. If she was able to swallow a whole sock while you were chasing her, God only knows what else she has eaten when you weren't looking.

You'll have to be vigilant and take her to the vet right away. You should also accompany your husband to the vet but let him handle Mercy and interact with the vet. He needs to be comfortable taking her...the next emergency could be right around the corner with no time to wait!


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## Capt Jack (Dec 29, 2011)

Glad she's doing better prayer does work I'd still take him to the vet for x-rays God may just be giving you the time you need


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## Hunter'sMom (Sep 5, 2011)

Wow, that is super scary, you are very lucky. If I were you, I would still get her to the vet to make sure there isn't any damage done, or remaining socks. And I would certainly put a lockdown on anything dog level. No hampers or clothes on the floor, anything that she could fit in her mouth gets put up, cords tucked away and secured... if she could scarf a sock down that fast, you really need to be extra careful. Especially since it doesn't sound like she'll waste any time chewing so you can catch up to her


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Oh dear, so she really did eat the sock! You really have been very, very lucky...please make sure that every room is puppy proofed, because as others said, you never know what she eats when you are not looking, and you do have small children with toys and such. Mercy, Mercy...what will you do next?


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## Tennyson (Mar 26, 2011)

MercyMom said:


> I do strongly believe that Mercy is rid of all of the sock(s), especially since I only saw her swallow the one.


I don't know if Mercy is all clear.
I would take her in for an xray just to be sure. You only saw her do the one sock.....what about what you didn't see?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

You are beyond lucky. If she were mine she'd be getting an x-ray done to assure that there is nothing else. Actually, if she were mine she'd have been seeing a vet immediately. Internet forums should never take the place of veterinarians/doctors, etc. This could have gone very, very badly.


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

While an x-ray is an important tool when dogs have swallowed things, please know that socks don't always show up on an x-ray. They are not hard objects and depending where they are along the digestive track, they might not show up.

I know this from personal experience with a puppy who we were quite sure had swallowed a sock. An x-ray was taken at the E-vet, but it was inconclusive. Exploratory surgery was being contemplated due to her serious symptoms, but fortunately the sock came out in her stool the next day.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

MyBentley said:


> While an x-ray is an important tool when dogs have swallowed things, please know that socks don't always show up on an x-ray. They are not hard objects and depending where they are along the digestive track, they might not show up.
> 
> I know this from personal experience with a puppy who we were quite sure had swallowed a sock. An x-ray was taken at the E-vet, but it was inconclusive. Exploratory surgery was being contemplated due to her serious symptoms, but fortunately the sock came out in her stool the next day.


True, although that is a rare case. Barium could be given to outline any foreign object, or to show if the intestine is looped or telescoped.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I just want to warn you. Look at the sock and see if you can piece it together, when Brady ate the face cloth, he threw it up in two pieces, but there was a little piece missing. 

X-rays did not show anything but gas bubbles, which could be a blockage or it could be from the irritation of swallowing it to begin with. He did start to eat at one point at the vets, it wasn't until we had an ultrasound done, that we knew there was definitely something still there. The moral of my story, is don't hesitate to go for an ultrasound.

If somebody did not know Brady, they would not have known he was sick, but because I know him, I knew he wasn't himself. Symptoms: wanting to eat grass, not eating food, licking his mouth, drooling, passing mucous when trying to move his bowels or very skinny bowel movement.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

One of my techs who has one of my pups has made him vomit when he ate a sock... it came up. However, I truly believe, that for all the things we see that do not pass, there are many more dogs where the things do pass. I have had two personal experiences myself... one was when my Laney as a young dog, swallowed a flat part of a shoulder blade(rounded) whole when it fell on the floor. She must have vomited multiple times overnight in her crate. I took her to work and there was the bone in her stomach.. But by that time, she was acting fine.. no more vomiting, eating as normal.. so we adopted a wait and see approach... it passed. My other story involves Sally who ate half a corn cob when it accidentally fell on the floor. She was fine until six weeks later when she vomited it up.. in my experience when bad things are happening, a lack of appetite is a big red flag as is persistent vomiting. Often if we give fluids and an anti emetic, things can pass...


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

My vet said the same thing.

I have also witnessed many things that my dogs over the years have passed that I never knew they got into.

The problem that Brady had, and they had no idea until they opened him up, was there was a little piece of fabric in his stomach attached with string to a little piece in his intestines. The piece in his intestines was trying to move, but couldn't because it was anchored to his stomach, this acted like a saw in his insides, and if we had waiting much longer it would have been sawed right through his insides.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Yes, the strings are what makes things dangerous.. just yesterday, we referred a dog for magnet removal with an endoscope. The appt wasn't for several hours, so by the time he got there, being a cocker, he pooped on the floor and out came the magnets...


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

I did speak with my vet today, since Mercy as of dinner still ate less than normal. The vet said that if she is still the same way with her breakfast tomorrow morning to bring her in.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

I didn't want to post this earlier but I think it is an important example of a lesson learned.
My friend purchased a 1 yr old Aussie from a breeder. The dog had intestinal problems from the beginning and no one could figure out why. Finally, during exploratory surgery, an old piece of wash cloth was found that the dog had most likely eaten while at the breeders. Unfortunately, the dog died despite the surgery because too much of the intestine had become necrotic from being strangled by the fabric from the wash cloth.
It was a terribly sad situation for all involved.
Because of my friend's experience I don't take swallowed items lightly.
I hope your dog ends up OK but it seems that a vet visit may be in order.


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## mybuddy (Mar 2, 2007)

MercyMom said:


> I did speak with my vet today, since Mercy as of dinner still ate less than normal. The vet said that if she is still the same way with her breakfast tomorrow morning to bring her in.


 
Why wait till morning? If she is still not eating normally now, perhaps you should take her now. Just a thought.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*We are taking Mercy to the vet this afternoon*

Since Mercy is still walking away from her dish before she finishes, we made an appointment with the veterinarian's office. They could not get her in until 2:00 pm. He is going to perform X-rays. Please pray for the best outcome and that no surgery will be needed. I will keep you updated as to what's going on.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Oh, no, this is not what I hoped to read when I saw you just posted...I will keep her and you in my thoughts! She is still a baby....


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

inge said:


> She is still a baby....


 This is what makes this thing so sad. I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Many prayers and good thoughts for your little girl.

with puppies it is just impossible to keep them out of everything.


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## mooselips (Dec 4, 2011)

Thinking good thoughts for Mercy....


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## Rebroland (May 20, 2010)

coppers-mom said:


> Many prayers and good thoughts for your little girl.
> 
> with puppies it is just impossible to keep them out of everything.


My two year old boy is impossible to keep out of everything.. Thankfully he's bigger now and he either throws up or digests what he occassionally chews. For some reason he only eats things when he's with just my fiance.. hrmmm.. maybe somebody isn't giving him as much attention!

:crossfing for Mercy! Hoping for good news at the vets. I know how you feel - we had a blockage surgery scare when he was a puppy. Thankfully it never resulted in actual surgery. I'm hoping that same for Mercy.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Sending prayers for little Mercy!


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*They moved the appointment back an hour.*

The veterinarian's office called my husband before I got home from work and said that they moved our appointment to 3:00 because they are backed up.:no: *sigh* Now I am going to have to live with a heavy heart (mix of depression and anxiety) for yet another hour. I will try to be strong while we catch up on errands until then.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

is she acting differently apart from the non eating issue? If so, I would phone the vet and tell them that is not acceptable...


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*Update*

Well we took Mercy to the vet and the vet took x-rays. He could not really tell whether something was really wrong. Since my husband and I ran some errands after he picked me up from the train station, I did not feed Mercy until 2:00 PM. I was concerned about a recent feeding causing things to not be seen accurately.  He took both frontal and side view x-rays. He noticed something prevalent in the upper stomach that he said he could not tell whether it was something that shoud not be there or food. Maybe I should have waited with the feeding, but I wanted to check her appetite. He said there was no urgency for taking action, since he could not see for certain that something was wrong, just a couple of questionable areas and since Mercy is very active right now and passing stools and so far gradually eating more. He said that if there was no further improvement by Monday or if she gets worse to let him know. He told us to watch her stools more closely. He suggested barium x-rays that take 6 hours for further diagnosis to see if something is definately stuck in her stomach, if she is still sick after a few more days. I suggested an endoscopy instead of surgery to remove anything that does not belong in her stomach, and he said that they do not have endoscopy equipment and that a specialist would charge a lot more than he would if he had the equipment. *sigh* He said that his doing exploratory surgery would be cheaper than an endoscopy done by a specialist. I cannot bear for Mercy to have surgery! She's so young and needs to enjoy her puppyhood! I beg of the Lord to spare Mercy of that! She ate more than half her lunch today. I took her to a puppy playgroup between 6 and 7 and before that had dinner with my family. That's why I took so long to post updates. I fed her lots of treats during the puppy playtime. She did eat most of her dinner the second time I introduced it to her. She had barely touched it the first time about an hour prior. Hopefully she was tired and full from eating treats and playing with puppies. The vet did acknowledge that her appetite would be slow in coming back since she is recovering from foreign objects having previously been in there. In fact he prescribed antibiotcs due to the inflammation left by the foreign objects. Hopefully, Mercy is indeed on the road to recovery. Please keep praying for God to have Mercy upon my Mercy!

Mercy waiting to have x-rays done:


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

Sending my prayers for sweet Mercy.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Let's hope for the best...


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

If money isn't an issue, I'd go with scoping her instead of surgery. In fact with her continuing issues, I'd probably make the appointment and have it done sooner rather than later.

Surgery is such a big trauma and recovery. I wouldn't even consider it as a diagnostic tool at this point but go right to the specialist.

Sending prayers for the little girl


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

I hope Mercy is OK and she improves over the weekend. 

For future reference, if you are planning diagnostic tests like x-rays, sonograms and barium series, it's preferable to not feed the dog in advance so the scans can be read more easily without the digesting food/stool interference. Sometimes resting the stomach is the best thing you can do anyway. You will definitely need to fast her for the barium series, otherwise it's just a waste of money.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Mercy*

Praying that God will watch over Mercy and you.
Please let us know how she is.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Penny's Mom said:


> If money isn't an issue, I'd go with scoping her instead of surgery. In fact with her continuing issues, I'd probably make the appointment and have it done sooner rather than later.
> 
> Surgery is such a big trauma and recovery. I wouldn't even consider it as a diagnostic tool at this point but go right to the specialist.
> 
> Sending prayers for the little girl


Thank goodness I do actually have pet insurance. I just hope they would cover the endoscopy. If she is still doing poorly this weekend, I will ask my vet to refer me to the specialist since yes, the endoscopy would be worth it for me. She is doing much better this morning. She barked for her breakfast for the first time in days and she ate just about all of it more like she normally did!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Did he say anything about an ultrasound? That would be my next step, and I did have to go to a specialist for that.

My vet also told me that a foreign object that is no longer can cause irritation and it can take a while for everything to be normal again - this is why we waited 6 days before Brady had surgery. Also, sometimes the intestines just stop working, and they need to go in there and start them up again. 

I do think it is a good sign that she is eating and pooping.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

You continue to take her to a lot of activities, out to dinner with you, to puppy play group, car trips, etc. I think that is a very bad thing to do if you really think she is not feeling well. If there really is something wrong it's a bad idea to continue wear her out and stress her system with all this running around away from home and playing with a group of puppies. And feeding her lots of treats on an already upset or sensitive stomach is just asking for more upset stomach.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

mylissyk said:


> You continue to take her to a lot of activities, out to dinner with you, to puppy play group, car trips, etc. I think that is a very bad thing to do if you really think she is not feeling well. If there really is something wrong it's a bad idea to continue wear her out and stress her system with all this running around away from home and playing with a group of puppies. And feeding her lots of treats on an already upset or sensitive stomach is just asking for more upset stomach.


I agree with this. When she has stomach distress the best thing you can do is cut out all activity, let her rest, stop treats and fast her or feed her a bland diet. I fear you may be setting her up for long term digestive issues because she is so young and her digestive system is basically being assaulted by a bunch of stuff when it needs to rest and recover. I don't want to sound too harsh, but she really needs a break to heal properly. Please discuss this with her vet and follow your vet's advice. They are the professionals and have seen what can happen.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

*It's Official!*

Mercy is now all better from her sock swallowing incident. I took her back to the vet to make sure. She is now just as ravenous with her as food as ever of not more so! She is a Mercy Miracle again! :banana:


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