Linus ate a plastic bag!

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:20 pm


Jim heard Linus making a weird gacking coughing choking sound. We thought had aspirated some water. Jim took him out to hold him, and he made more weird coughs and his body shuddered a few times, and then he was fine.

About 20 minutes later, Jim discovered that Linus had pulled part of a plastic bag our newspapers come in through the grids of the cage. It was heavily chewed, and a couple of little pieces are missing.

Now he's acting fine, drinking and eating. We called the vet at K-State, and she said that if he's breathing, the main thing will be to watch and make sure he's pooping.

*sigh* I feel horrible that that bag was so close to the cage. Anything else we need to watch for?

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meggielou

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:29 pm


I use a plasitc grocery bag for trash when I spot clean the cage. May always likes to come sit by me and watch. One time she reached through the grid and grabbed the bag before I could stop her. I tried to get the piece out of her mouth, but she already swallowed it. :o( I was really worried, but she never had any complications. Now I'm just extra cautious about what is even in close proximity to the cage. A scary lesson to learn.

I hope Linus will be ok. It seems like the most danger could be them choking or suffocating on it.

briciolona

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:46 pm


My vet told me to give pig 2 ml of paraffin oil (liquid parafin) if pig ate some plastic.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:24 pm


Interesting about the parafin oil. I'm assuming it's to keep the bag from getting stuck?

Meggielou, that's basically what happened here. I use those bags the newspaper comes in to shovel poop into , and just like May, Linus was fascinated with it. After nearly choking on it, he seemed to swallow it. The poops are still coming out, and he's acting fine.

briciolona

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:34 pm


Interesting about the parafin oil. I'm assuming it's to keep the bag from getting stuck?
Yes!It should prevent bloat.

There is also an interesting article by Peter Gurney

http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/bloat.htm

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Mum
I GAVE, dammit!

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:33 pm


For people in this country, this article says that paraffin oil is mineral oil.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:07 pm


Oh! Okay. We have mineral oil at home.

klynne

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:36 pm


If you use the mineral oil, syringe him lots of oral fluids first. You don't want to coat any potential masses in that GI tract in anything waterproof. Ideally, you want anything in there soft and hydrated over the next few days.

Also, the little bits that are missing--any of them pouch-shaped, can you tell? As in, a corner of that bag or something? That is what would worry me most--if you got something inside Linus that could then fill up with fecal matter and possibly cause a blockage.

Fingers crossed that this too shall pass.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:14 pm


Nothing pouch-shaped. He nibbled on the side of the bag, so everything was flat.

He seems to be pooping, eating and drinking just fine, and he's not looking or acting like he doesn't feel well. Do you think it's okay to hold off on the mineral oil for the time being?

klynne

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:09 am


I myself would probably hold off, but, since you have such a good vet, I'd call them and ask, first.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:55 am


Our vet didn't mention using mineral oil at all, so I think I'll wait. Linus seems fine so far. The cage is full of poop in two sizes, so I know his GI system is still working.

maremma

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:17 am


Please do not wait to deal with this. Syringe fluids into him quickly, wait half an hour then give him a dose of mineral oil. The longer you wait the more chance that plastic has an apportunity to get stuck in any bend of his intestines or stuck in his cecum. HUGE problems will come if that happens.

As painstaking as it is keep him on towels and begin checking all his poops to be sure it comes out. It can stay stuck inside him somewhere for days, weeks or months then later the problem from it being stuck in there arises.

Do whatever you can to keep him eating a LOT of hay. Try different hays just to keep him eating a lot of it. if he isn't a big drinker keep syringing fluids into him.

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