Dog has eaten plastic 'doggy' bags

Question

Recently my dog has picked up an unusual habit of eating small plastic 'doggy' bags that we keep in a basket by our front door, 2 days ago we found one vomited up on the floor and was a little off his food, and a few more have gone missing over the course of a few days.

Last night he vomited up a small snack we gave him, but then proceeded to eat his entire dinner and a bowl of water, but kept this down overnight and today, no unusual changes in behaviour and has been his usual self. Does this warrant a trip to the vet? - we haven't been able to examine any stools as we have had heavy snow most days.

Answer 1

As long as the dog eats, drinks and defecates as normal and doesn't display a sudden change in behavior, it's no emergency.

From experience I can say that indigestible bits pass the digestive tract and reemerge unchanged. But you should try to examine recent excrements to make sure they are actually passed through.

A more severe problem arises if the bits are too big to pass from the stomach into the intestines and remain there for a long time. They could clump together and give your dog a feeling of being full, reducing his food intake and causing vomiting. Or, even worse, they could completely block the intestines or injure the internal organs.

First of all, keep the bags out of the reach of your dog at all times. Then carefully watch for changes in behavior. If your dog eats less, has problems eliminating or throws up again, I would see a vet.

Answer 2

I think you are right to be concerned. Just yesterday, I saw a pup at the dog park shredding one of these bags. The bags I use are supposed to be biodegradable, but I image that isn't supposed to mean "internally". That said, keep things like this out of your dogs reach, and remove anything the dog gets into before there's any chance of harm.

In addition, provide a variety of dog-safe toys, bones, and such to entertain you dog and keep him out of mischief.