![\"Fur-Tunately,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Copy-of-Copy-of-stories-of-animal-survival-11.png\")
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If you know or strongly suspect your pet ingested a foreign body that is causing illness, this is considered an \u201cORANGE\u201d \u2013 or urgent case \u2013 on our Fast Track Triage system. We recommend having your pet see your family veterinarian or local animal emergency hospital within the next 12 hours. Please call ahead of your arrival so the veterinary team knows to expect you! <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Note that a foreign body ingestion with no signs of illness is considered a \u201cYELLOW\u201d \u2013 or semi-urgent case \u2013 on our Fast Track Triage system. We recommend having your pet evaluated by your family veterinarian or local animal emergency hospital within 24 hours. Call ahead of your arrival so the veterinary team knows to expect you, and if your pet begins to show signs of illness, call the team back to inform them of the status change. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Upon their return home, the hoomans stumbled upon a puzzling predicament in the kitchen. Two corn cobs had vanished \u2013 although not entirely without a trace, as a few pieces of their husks remained.<\/p>\n The culprit?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, that was obvious! Finn, a 6-year-old black Labrador.<\/p>\n But solving The Mystery of the Missing Corn Cobs was the easy part. Luckily, Finn\u2019s parents were no ordinary pet parents but veterinary professionals. One of them, Dr. Adams, is an emergency veterinarian at Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota. Yup, these incidents happen to vet pros, too! And given the crime, Finn\u2019s hoomans knew they had to act fast.<\/p>\n Note: These are not Finn\u2019s x-rays but those of a different dog who also ate corn cob pieces<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n Although corn is safe for pets, the cob itself <\/span>isn\u2019t<\/span> digestible. When pets like Finn swallow large <\/span>chunk<\/span>s of corn cobs, <\/span>they<\/span> can cause a blockage in the stomach or small intestine. <\/span>The blockage can <\/span>lead to disrupted blood flow<\/span>, <\/span>result<\/span>ing<\/span> in systemic inflammation or infection, organ failure, and eventual death.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Common symptoms<\/span> of a blockage<\/span> include<\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Typically, symptoms occur within 24 hours <\/span>post-<\/span>ingestion<\/span> but<\/span> th<\/span>at<\/span> period<\/span> can vary based on the severity and location of the blockage<\/span>. Symptoms <\/span>may<\/span> appear <\/span>even <\/span>sooner if the blockage is in the stomach rather than the distal small intesti<\/span>ne<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As an emergency veterinarian, Dr. Adams was aware of these dangers<\/span>, <\/span>and <\/span>Finn was rushed to the animal ER before <\/span>the onset of<\/span> symptoms.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once Finn arrived at our ER, we had an especially important mystery to solve: Were the corn cob pieces still in Finn\u2019s stomach or were they lodged in his intestine?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finn\u2019s treatment depended entirely on the answer.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If the corn cobs were still in Finn\u2019s stomach, we could induce vomiting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, if the cob pieces had moved into the small intestine, inducing vomiting would be dangerous. Inducing vomiting when a foreign body has moved into the small intestine can cause considerable damage to the intestinal lining or even perforate the bowel. Instead, Finn would need aggressive supportive care with IV fluids and anti-nausea medication to move the cob pieces into his colon for exit from his body via defecation. X-rays or an ultrasound would be needed to ensure all the pieces were expelled.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If aggressive supportive care didn\u2019t move the cob pieces, Finn would need emergency surgery to remove them.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The cob pieces were still in Finn\u2019s stomach!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our ER team induced vomiting. It took not one, but TWO doses of the medication before Finn finally relinquished his corn cob feast. (Labradors, amiright?) After several bouts of vomiting cob pieces, Finn went to imaging. X-rays showed little corn cob material left in Finn\u2019s stomach and no pieces in his intestines. Emergency crisis averted!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finn received fluids to rehydrate and facilitate his GI tract movement. In some cases, anti-nausea\u00a0 medication is also given to counteract the effects of the medication used to induce vomiting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Later that evening, Finn returned home and slept off his stressful day.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Some savvy dog parents may wonder why Finn\u2019s parents didn\u2019t give him hydrogen peroxide to <\/span>induce vomiting at home<\/span><\/a>. Simply put, inducing vomiting via hydrogen peroxide is no longer recommended by veterinarians except under extreme circumstances. Administering hydrogen peroxide to dogs orally results in vomiting through the intentional irritation of the stomach lining. Veterinarians now know that the irritation can cause significant ulcers, nausea, and pain and can take up to two weeks to heal.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another issue with inducing vomiting at home is that pet owners can accidentally administer hydrogen peroxide into the lungs. Or the bubbling action of the liquid can result in hydrogen peroxide getting into the lungs, causing pneumonia.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The best course of action is to take your dog to a veterinarian. They have medications that induce vomiting by affecting nausea centers in the brain \u2013 avoiding potential damage to the GI tract!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To prevent pets from eating <\/span>toxic<\/span><\/a> or hazardous human foods, it\u2019s best to keep pets out of the kitchen when cooking and secure trash cans in a closed pantry or cabinet \u2013 preferably with a childproof lock.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If corn cobs or other dangerous foods go missing from your counter or trash and you suspect your pet ate them, seek veterinary care. If you have multiple pets, bring them all in! The veterinary team will use x-rays to identify the culprit before inducing vomiting (if the food item is still in the stomach.)\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finn continues to be the <\/span>bestest<\/span> boy at home. Of course, no more corn cobs are left on the counter. For anyone who has ever owned a Labrador, you know that it is only a <\/span>matter of time<\/span> until <\/span>he\u2019ll<\/span> eat<\/span> the next new and unusual thing \u2013 despite a<\/span>ll<\/span> efforts to prevent it!\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Our \u201cFur-tunately: Stories of Animal Survival\u201d series features real pets treated by our team at Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota. All images and information have been shared with the owner\u2019s permission.\u202f<\/span><\/i>\u202f\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Case content provided by Rachael Adams, DVM.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More Reading:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
\n![\"corn](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"corn](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/2-1.png\")
The Danger<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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![\"corn](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/3-1.png\")
<\/p>\nStomach vs. Intestine<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
Good News for Finn<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"corn](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/6-1.png\")
<\/p>\nWhy Not Use Hydrogen Peroxide<\/span> at Home<\/span>?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/5-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"corn](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/4-1.png\")
<\/p>\nUpdate on Finn from <\/span>Dr. Adams<\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
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![\"Animal](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Fast-Track-Triage-for-Clients-Facebook-Post-7.png\")
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