August 25th-
As I came downstairs in the morning I noticed a sizable puddle of clear fluid all over the floor. Since I have 4 Boxers, I had no idea who the culprit was. I cleaned it up and took them out to do their business. I noticed Cornell was having difficulty pooping – just little drops of a thick, black goo.
Cornell and Bella have been known to eat Daddy’s socks when he doesn't pick them up, so I thought maybe that was the problem. I called our vet to see what they thought I should do. Of course they told me to bring him right in. (We only live a few miles from the office). He hadn't been acting sick, but the fact that he wasn't chasing the cats was a clue that he wasn't his true self.
Dr. Jones examined him and sent him to the back for x-rays. The x-ray showed a large
gas bubble
in his stomach and several boomerang shaped bubbles in his intestines. There was no way to see what exactly the cause was. They drew blood and took a stool sample. While waiting for results, he threw up again, literally flooding the exam room floor with clear, foul smelling fluid.
They asked to do surgery – and I left my sweet guy there. Before surgery they did a procedure to see if barium would pass through his system, which it didn't, so they knew there was blockage.
Editor's Note:
Take note that this Boxer appeared to have swallowed the item causing the blockage 7 days before showing the first sign that something was wrong.
The time that lapses between mouthing something, swallowing it and having it cause blockage problems can vary from almost immediately to up to 10 days later.
7 PM -
Surgery began around 7 PM. I anxiously waited for a phone call. It was after 10 PM before Dr. Jones called. Cornell had swallowed a partial roll of medical tape. The roll was lodged in his stomach. A section (over 12” long) had entered his intestines and pulled them in accordion style. It took a very tedious, lengthy process to “weave” tape through his intestines and out the incision. They then flushed out his abdominal cavity with two bottles of a solution and sewed him up. It would be touch and go.
Editor's Note:
As you can see, if a Boxer swallows something like this, it can cause blockage not only in the stomach, but also in the intestines as it winds its way through the dog's body. This could have happened with any item that is able to lengthen after being swallowed.