If it was a stuffed toy, an x-ray probably will not see it. Maybe with a costly barium swallow...

I had a foster one time that had something hard and solid stuck in his belly (seen on an x-ray). The rescue could not afford surgery. So the vet gave me some medications (I can look up the names if you want) one was an anti-nauseant cause my guy was definitely not well, and the other was something to increase contractions in the digestive tract to move things along faster. Luckily, he passed the object. Which is a good thing because his only other option was humane euthanasia!

Metoclopramide and sulcrate!!! (Found my old thread, post is here: http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/181035/page/0/fpart/2#Post180416)

So anyway, it might be something your vet will want to try if he/she suspects there might be toy pieces stuck in there. Those medications were able to successfully dislodge and pass the object my dog had eaten, that he wasn't passing on his own.

I took Ellie to the vet yesterday, another uneventful experience. I decided to try a new vet that a friend recommended because of all the bad experiences I have had in the past. I did not want a vet that was just going to try to operate if there was no need. The vet said she was not concerned about a partial obstruction and believed if there was more of the toy inside Ellie, it would likely pass.

The vet made it a point to tell me that I should put my dog back on antibiotics for at least another MONTH AND A HALF! No blood work was done to even confirm that was the problem. Of course, I get the usual - "a raw diet is not ideal." Then she went on about salmonella, giardia, etc. and that she believe this is the reason for Ellie's diarrhea. Then she tries to sell me the Hill's Prescription Diet...

In the end, I just told her I don't want to pump my dog full of antibiotic for another month and a half and declined the kibble.

I am happy to report Ellie is doing GREAT right now. I gave her some Honest Kitchen last night with some pre and probiotics. This morning... Solid stool! This morning I gave her some more Honest Kitchen with some ground chicken necks mixed in and this afternoon... Solid stool!

Hopefully now that the 3 month old toy is no longer inside her belly, her stool will continue to be solid and she will naturally gain weight back on her own.

I have made the decision that I am no longer going to go to a vet that does not support a raw diet and I do not want a vet that insists on treating everything blindly with tons of medication. I am so tired of getting the run around from every vet. The second I tell them I feed a raw diet... I get the usual talk and sales pitch to buy their food. They must get commission on Science Diet or something.

The unfortunate part is that there is only one homeopathic vet in my state. But, if I am going to pay the $, I might as well make it worth it and ensure my dog gets the best treatment for her health

I am so happy my dog is doing better on her own! Hopefully she will keep it up!

They absolutely get commission on Science Diet. Plus, they're taught in school that it is good...by the folks who own Science Diet.

Good luck finding a vet who supports it; if you are lucky, you can find one who respects your decision, but true raw advocates are rare in the DVM world.

That's great news that your dog is doing better, Amanda.

Hang in there. I live in a little bodunk place and don't have access to a wide range of vets. Mine sells the crap-in-a-bag, too, but I haven't yet had problems with them telling me the food was wrong, they just don't recommend it. I also went armed with all the information I had so I could at least look like I had made an intelligent decision about proper feeding. They, sometimes look rather taken aback because they expect to push the crap on you.

Hang in there and if nothing else, maybe you can find a vet that is at least not short sighted.

It sounds like Ellie is on the road to recovery! YAY!

I have a conventional vet but other than checking to make sure I was supplementing with fish oil and Vitamine E; no objections were made to the raw diet. Our philosophies are not the same but our goal of a happy, healthy dog is. I can't imagine I would ever switch. However; before I admitted to the raw feeding I did look for alternative vets just in case . I was surprised to find more than I anticipated.

If you do a search through the link below you may find a traditional vet that practices some alternative modalities and might be more open in regards to nutrition. Just because the vet is homeopathic he/she may not be anymore to your liking so I hope you find a couple of options.

http://holisticvetlist.com/

Hi Connie,

The previous fecal swab came back with clostridium and that was why Ellie got the metronidazole to begin with. The vet I saw yesterday said that the two 10 day cycles of metronidazole is not enough to deal with the clostridium bacteria. She said at least 6 weeks is needed. I can't imagine putting my dog on antibiotics for 6 weeks for a simple case of diarrhea. I don't take antibiotics for 6 weeks for that... I am sure if there really was a problem so significant that it was dramatically affecting her health, that would be a different story. But, I think the proposed solution was a little much.

I just wanted to make sure there were no more toys in the belly and she seems to be fine now.

psyllium can help with clostridial overgrowth- 1/2 to 1 tsp mix into food