My dog swallowed something — what do I do?

What to do now

1. Move remaining objects away if safe. Keep your dog calm and prevent further chewing or swallowing without risking a bite.
2. Call your regular or out-of-hours vet immediately; explain the object and any breathing problem. Follow their travel and treatment instructions.
3. Do not induce vomiting unless a veterinary professional specifically directs you. Sharp objects, batteries and other items can cause further injury when brought back up.
4. Do not give food, oil, salt, laxatives or home remedies to push an object through. Ask the vet about food and water while travelling.

If your dog cannot breathe normally, treat it as an emergency. Do not blindly put fingers into the mouth or force food/water. Get immediate veterinary first-aid instructions. Emergency and first aid.

This guide focuses on objects. For food or toxin exposure use My Dog Ate This or poisoning advice; an object containing medicine or chemicals may create both risks.

Evidence: PDSA: swallowed harmful items · PDSA: gut blockages · PDSA: pet first aid

Some objects need particular urgency

• Batteries: can cause severe chemical/tissue injury, including burns, and can obstruct. Call immediately whether chewed or swallowed.
• Magnets: especially multiple magnets, or a magnet with metal, can trap bowel tissue between them and cause perforation. Seek urgent assessment; do not assume a small magnet is harmless.
• String, thread, ribbon or fishing line: may anchor internally and damage the bowel. See the warning below.
• Hooks, needles or other sharp objects: may puncture tissue; do not pull, cut attached line or attempt deeply embedded removal.
• Large objects, expanding material or choking objects: risk depends on size, shape and your dog; prompt assessment is needed.
• Medication packaging or objects with toxic contents: report possible chemical exposure as well as the object.

Evidence: PDSA: household hazards · Veterinary case report: magnet ingestion in dogs · MSD Veterinary Manual: gastrointestinal obstruction · Vets Now: fishing-hook injuries

Do not pull string, thread or line from the mouth or back end

It may be anchored inside. Pulling can cause serious internal injury. Do not tug or cut it yourself. Prevent chewing or movement where safely possible and contact the vet immediately.

For a swallowed or embedded fishing hook, do not forcibly remove it or pull the attached line. Keep the dog calm and let the vet manage it. Fishing hazards beside water.

Evidence: MSD Veterinary Manual: gastrointestinal obstruction · Vets Now: fishing-hook injuries

Possible obstruction: warning signs

Repeated vomiting or retching, reduced appetite, a painful or swollen abdomen, lethargy, inability to keep food/water down, straining, reduced/no faeces or diarrhoea can occur. A dog may also behave unusually.

Signs vary: passing some faeces or seeming well immediately afterwards does not rule out a foreign body. Contact the vet at the time of suspected ingestion, and again urgently if signs develop or worsen. This page cannot diagnose an obstruction.

Evidence: PDSA: gut blockages · MSD Veterinary Manual: gastrointestinal obstruction

Useful information for the vet

• Object, material, approximate dimensions and number swallowed.
• When it happened and whether ingestion was witnessed.
• Dog’s approximate size/weight and current symptoms.
• Any medicine, battery type or other toxic contents involved.
• Packaging, a safe photograph or an identical sample if readily available.

Unknown details must not delay the call or treatment. Do not reach into dangerous places to retrieve evidence.

Evidence: PDSA: swallowed harmful items