My puppy ate a Styrofoam cup. Is it an emergency? What should I do?

Question

my 11 week old puppy ate a large amount of a Styrofoam cup. What do i do? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1 month and 25 days old | 6 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

It's difficult to know for sure, because the there are different types of styrofoam and there's a concern for causing an obstruction in the stomach or intestines. If she ate it within the last three hours, then it's possible that it can be retrieved from the stomach if you take her to the vet. This will require anesthesia and special instrumentation though, so it would be expected to be somewhat costly - especially at an emergency clinic. This is the best option though. It will also be best to identify the brand and contents of the styrofoam and make sure there are no other concerns with toxicity. The other option is waiting to see if it passes OK. Normal GI transit time is 3-5 days for such things. During this time you would just be waiting to see if she has any signs of an obstruction. Signs of an obstructions are vomiting, not defecating, acting very painful/depressed and a decrease in appetite. If you notice these signs, then Akela would need to go to the vet immediately for emergency surgery. I hope that helps and all is well with Akela.

My puppy ate a Styrofoam cup. Is it an emergency? What should I do?

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