Linus ate a plastic bag!

capybara
Supporter in '13

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:24 pm


Oh, Linus, you stinker! We haven't had this happen, but I think if you keep an eye on him and nothing drastic is happening he'll hopefully be ok. We have had incidents where the pigs have eaten paper they shouldn't have, but I know that's not as worrisome.

briciolona

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:01 pm


For people in this country, this article says that paraffin oil is mineral oil.
I am sorry! You know I am a foreigner and on the British side of the world!:-)

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:00 pm


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.

He eats tons of hay. I toss in clumps large enough to require to hands to carry them (the piles are usually taller than the guinea pigs), and he and Tom work on them until there isn't a strand left. This usually takes three hours.

I will call my vet and see what she thinks. Interestingly, one of her big questions was what type of plastic was it - a soft plastic (like grocery bags) or a hard plastic (probably like coroplast).

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somechick

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:34 pm


My old vet said that soft plastics are worse for pigs than harder plastics. He mentioned that eating a lot of soft plastics like that - which contain zinc - could lead to high levels of zinc in the system and would need to be treated if found.

But he also said that they tend to chew things up very tiny so it passes through their system. It's not like the pig can swallow a bag whole.

My pig ate one of those wee wee pads - a lot of it too - and we found no zinc and nothing became of it.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:51 pm


The harder plastics, as long as they don't poke a hole in anything, generally pass through. The soft, filmy plastics can adhere to the side of an intestinal, bowel or cecal wall for days, weeks, or months; then, if something comes along to dislodge them, they can reposition themselves and cause a blockage. That's the concern about 1) the type of plastic and 2) pouch-shaped or not.

If he were mine I'd make sure he has plenty of fluids, plenty of hay, and a little mineral oil. Then I swear I'd go through every single dropping he produced and pick it apart, until I either 1) found the piece or 2) went stark raving mad.

If it was only a small piece, I think the chances are very good he'll pass it without it causing any more problems. Was it by any chance an odd color? Sometimes the newspapers use pink, white or another color than clear. That'd be easier to see.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Fri Apr 27, 2007 11:54 pm


Unfortunately, what he ate was a clear plastic bag. From what I can tell, he ate little nibbles of it here and there, instead of a big piece.

He's drinking plenty of water and eating lots of hay and everything else we put in front of him. I did call the vet and asked her opinion about the mineral oil. She said it wouldn't hurt, but we would have to be able to monitor him closely to make sure that he was drinking enough water. She also said that the mineral oil was more effective on things that really get lodged, like hairballs, and didn't know how much of a difference it would make on really chewed up plastic (which this was).

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:17 am


I am going to hope -- and really do think -- he'll be okay. Hope I'm right.

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:53 am


Both the boys ate a substantial amount of plastic and were none the worse for the wear (although I was)

I never had the problem with Pandora. I guess her being a picky eater is good in some ways.

Pigs eat poop plastic yet some fruits and veggies are suspect.

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:37 am


Pigs eat poop plastic yet some fruits and veggies are suspect.

Tell me about it. Linus refused the grape tomato Jim offered, even though Tom devoured his.

I just squished through about 30 poops. Some of them seemed almost like they sparkled, but then maybe they always do that when they're fresh and I've just never studied them closely enough to appreciate the effect. Nothing blatant has come out yet, like a piece of plastic with the recycle symbol on it.

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:41 am


Would an X-ray help?

TwoWhitePiggies

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:45 am


Can you see clear bits of plastic on an x-ray?

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JaneDoe

Post   » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:54 am


I don't know, I am not a vet or an X-ray tech. But it COULD show some blockages, I imagine.

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