Author Topic: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil  (Read 1649 times)

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Offline MillicentWight

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Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« on: June 04, 2020, 09:56:53 PM »
It is now nearly three months since Willow had her operation for closed pyometra and seems to have recovered well except that she is always tired and refuses to go for even short walks now.  I take her out each morning but as soon as we have covered about 50 metres she just sits down and refuses to budge until I give in and take her home. If  I put her in the car and drive her six miles to the beach she will then go for a longer off lead walk though.
Shortly after her operation and during one of these walks along the beach Willow managed to pick up a sheet of aluminium foil discarded from a barbecue and much as I tried to get her to drop it she still manged to swallow a sizeable piece after chewing it for a few minutes.  I was so worried that I rushed home and phoned the vets night time emergency service and the advice the lady gave was to watch her carefully to make sure that there was no obstruction. There does not appear to be any problem as it has been two months now and her toilets appear to be perfectly normal but there has been no sign of Willow passing the aluminium foil and to be honest I am worried sick. She has recently started to drag her bottom along the ground and barking but we think this may be due to hemorrhoids.
The problem is now that the vets have gone into lockdown they will only deal with emergencies and the people on reception have decided this is not an emergency. Should I be worried ?
Grateful for any opinions please.

Thanks

Bob

Offline Ben's mum

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #1 on: June 04, 2020, 10:44:00 PM »
I'm not sure if you have cause to be worried or not, but I think the fact that you say you are 'worried sick' means that the vet should agree to see Willow. You know your dog better than anyone and if you are concerened something isn't right then better to get it checked out.  It is such a difficult time and everyone is being careful because of covid, but the vets should have a system in place by now that reduces risk. If i was in your position I would be asking for an appointment or changing my vet!

I do hope you get it sorted and Willow is fine, they know how to worry us don't they !

Offline MillicentWight

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2020, 11:10:17 PM »
Thanks for your reply. Our vet that we had been seeing for 18 years has recently retired and we have been thinking of changing to another practice.  Think that’s what we must do now.

Offline MIN

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2020, 01:36:10 PM »
You can have your pet registered with more than 1 practice. When we moved away from the big town we registered with the local vet aswell. We used them both. Local one for boosters and not too worrying problems. But anything that gave us real cause for concern  we would go to back to town. This was a fully functioning hospital/trauma practice so were spoilt having it then on the doorstep until we moved 30 miles away. We are now hours away from that vet so have to put all faith in our new local vet who deal more with livestock than pets. Saying that they have been open throughout lockdown, just appointment waiting etc has changed
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Offline ejp

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2020, 07:36:43 PM »
I would be looking for an appointment, simply because you are worried and you need to trust your instincts.  A receptionist at a vets is no more qualified than a receptionist at a GP surgery to make clinical decisions.  If the practise has changed that much and you are looking for an alternative anyway, now might be a good time. Keep us posted.

Offline Mari

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2020, 08:31:01 PM »
Can you find a a veterinary service that does video consultations? If so, then they could maybe give you a better idea of if you should push for an appointment or not. Emergency doesn't necessarily mean life or death situations, it could refer to something that cannot wait until lockdown is ended for animal welfare reasons. So if she is bothered or in pain over whatever is going on in her tail end, they might consider that important enough to see her. I mean, even if it is just something innocent like blocked anal glands, then it should still be treated before it potentially becomes an issue weeks and weeks from now. I know that's how the vets around here work, but I guess everyone has a different policy. They only let the dog into the clinics and talked to the owners over the phone or at a safe distance outside during the lockdown, but they did still treat painful conditions that would not be considered emergencies outside lockdown.

Offline revis

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2020, 09:13:12 PM »
If you are near Vets 4 Pets they will see your dog.My dog Murray had a bad upset tom sick etc and the vet sawc him.They allow 1 person in the room with you.
Hope this might be useful and help to check that  Willow is alright.

Offline MillicentWight

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2020, 10:07:29 PM »
Thank you all for the replies.
We had a phone message left today reminding us that Willow's annual injections are overdue. They were due in March about the time of her operation but we were then told they would not be doing them this year due to the Covid19. Perhaps I may be able to just speak to a vet when I take her in although I realise she will be taken into the surgery alone. If not I will find another vet. I need to speak to someone about a lump on her front leg, a wart in her ear that has grown quite large and the right side of her body just in front of her back leg which feels and looks much larger than the left side. Only noticed the difference since the operation. When I tried booking Willow in  to see a vet about these things a few weeks go I was told to take photographs and send them in online.
I would much rather not have to go anywhere near the vets as I am being shielded for my own serious health problems and will stand little chance of surviving the virus but Willow's needs must come first.
Thanks for listening(reading this).

Offline ejp

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2020, 10:43:12 PM »
Tricky when you are also shielding, that adds to the mix. Hope you get something sorted.

Offline Mari

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #9 on: June 07, 2020, 06:52:46 AM »
If you do end up getting an appointment you can ask them to collect the dog from the car/parking lot so you don't have to go inside. You can talk to them at a safe distance or over phone. I know vets that do this type of things for people that are at risk. They can probably wear masks to protect you too. Hope you find a safe solution!

Offline Darwin

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #10 on: June 09, 2020, 01:38:10 PM »
Our Vets are doing a collect from car service, and I believe talking to the owner over the phone.  Hoping by the time I need to take Darwin in for an appointment things have changed.  He’s always a total handful at the Vets, due to over excitement ( has even been know to try head butting the consulting room door in desperation to see the vet)

Offline MillicentWight

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2020, 06:45:48 PM »
The vet agreed to look at Willow's lumps etc as long as I booked her in for her yearly vaccinations so we saw her on Tuesday. She took  Willow away to the surgery and examined the lumps but does not think they are anything to worry about. Her glands needed emptying but sadly this has not really made much difference to the scooting and barking. The vet does not think the foil she swallowed is linked to her problem and said she thinks it is too long now for it to be involved. She was with the vet for a whole hour but there was no consultation charge even, we just paid for the medications.
We were told off for Willow having put on weight since her operation but I don't know what to do as she won't walk and I can't walk far. Couldn't trust a dog walker as Willow is partially sighted now and I have to be her eyes to stop her from walking into things.
We will just have to stop worrying and try and cope the best we can as always. It makes a difference getting advice and support from all you kind people on here though. Lovely to read about Darwin again too.
Thank you.

Offline AndyB

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2020, 06:38:02 AM »
Aaaw bless you.  It must be difficult for you and the last thing you need is a ticking off from the vet.  You must feel relieved you finally got her to the vet.  I'm amazed they didn't charge you a consultation fee, very unusual these days.  Thumbs up to your vet.  Sending hugs for you and Willow. 

Offline Mari

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Re: Willow has swallowed aluminium foil
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2020, 01:36:24 PM »
Hope you can worry less now that she has been seen by a vet. These are difficult times so having to worry about pets on top of everything can be too much! Sometimes there is no obvious answer, but you can at least relax about the lumps now. Well done for getting her seen under difficult circumstances!

What type of food is she on? There are veterinary diets that are low in calories but still have all the important nutrients. I would put her on one of those diets and measure the daily amount since she cannot get more exercise at the moment. High fibre diet or fibre supplements for dogs could also help her feel satiety and it could help her empty her glands naturally in the future. I'm assuming the vets still sell feed as curbside pickup or some other social distance acceptable method? I would give them a call and ask about getting a suitable diet for Willow to make it easier for you too keep her weight down and her glands from filling up again  :021: