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My dog ate a wooden skewer. What should I do if he swallowed wood?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 25 days old | 30 lbs

Hi, my daughters 8month lab cross has swallowed whole a wooden skewer of meat. This happened 7 hours plus ago. The vet told her to feed him bland food but I have serious concerns having read that dogs can't digest, or break down, wood. Please can you advise?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 26th, 2017

I would recommend taking your dog to the vet to have an x-ray performed. Wooden skewers are usually not broken down in the GI tract and may need to be removed surgically. I have seen one case where the dog was able to pass the skewer on his own but using this "wait and see" approach carries a high risk for bowel perforation from the skewer and if that happens, you are unfortunately in an emergency situation. An x-ray can help determine if in fact the skewer was swallowed whole or if it was chewed up and broken down.

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    Answered By Bobbi Musgrove, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I understand your concern. Wood is not truly digestible and certainly an intact skewer can cause some serious issues in the GI tract. Even if Rory is not vomiting or showing any symptoms of concern, it would be best to have him examined by a veterinarian and possibly an x-ray taken to assess the GI tract. If the skewer is still in the stomach, it would be wise to consider having it removed endoscopically (with a scope) to avoid potential serious GI surgery.

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