Emergency surgery - My dog ate a pair of pantyhose
I just wanted to tell everyone to take their dogs quirky eating behaviors seriously as Frodo is currently in the hospital recovering from surgery. Turns out he ate a pair of pantyhose on Saturday evening. We didn’t see him do it and still have no clue as to where he found the pantyhose... but on Sunday morning when he started vomiting and having diarrhea, not to mention excessive lethergy, we sped him right over to the emergency hospital. I just spoke with the surgeon and he told me that Frodo is doing as well as can be expected and that he should be able to come home by Thursday evening. I did a bit of research and apparently this sort of surgery is quite common and most dogs recover fully, but until he’s actually home with my wife and I, I don’t think I’ll be able to rest comfortably. I haven’t slept a wink in two days! So please, please, please take this sort of thing seriously and make sure there is NOTHING on the floors or within easy access of your dog, it can be fatal and if that’s not enough of a deterrent, the entire price of this procedure is going to cost me upwards of $4000.00! The money I could care less about, I just want my sheepie home with me! Please pray for Frodo. He means the world to me. |
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| Oh this is trerrible! I'm gald he's doing OK now. I'll send along an extra prayer. |
| Hugs and kisses from us. It amazes me the things they get into and down their throats. |
| That is so scary! Poor Frodo! Thanks for the warning/reminder. I'll look forward to the good news that Frodo is coming home. In the meantime, wishing you and him the best. What are visiting hours like at the vet hospital? |
| Panda and I are sending Frodo big wet kisses and hugs!!! Hope he feels better soon...and thanks for the warning! |
| The doctor said that my wife and I can visit him later on this evening. I just wish he could come home with us tonight. I know I won’t be able to relax until he’s home again resting comfortably by my side. Even Thor (one of my cats) has been depressed since Frodo left on Sunday morning. He just wanders the house meowing incessantly. Him and Frodo are the best of friends. I assured him that Frodo will be home before the week is up, I just wish someone would/could offer me the same assurance. All I get from the doctor is “if everything goes well, he should be able to come home on Thursday”. Granted, all should go well.. But there’s always that slight chance that something could go awry. It’s that “slight” chance that’s keeping me on edge.
Thanks for the well wishes, I'll pass them on to Frodo! |
Oh dear! Bless your hearts! I can imagine how frightened you were. I pray Frodo will recover quickly and be home with you soon. When you visit him this evening, give him an extra rub behind the ear from me. 
It is shocking the things they can eat. A young boy we've got in the rescue now once ate a stapler and 500 staples.  He's fine now, but it's amazing he made it.  |
Oh, poor Frodo!  Keeping happy thoughts that all goes well and he can come home on Thursday. Thanks for the warning, too.
Chris |
| Poor Frodo! We're sending our positive energy your way so that he'll recover quickly.
Reading this made my heart skip a beat - we had a similar but luckily less severe incident over the holidays. Bailey managed to eat a portion of his rope toy, which caused lots of vomiting and landed him in the emergency room. Fortunately he threw the rope fiber back up on his own and didn't need surgery, that was incredible good luck. Poor Bailey, he wasn't even being bad! Just chewing on one of his own toys that wasn't tough enough. |
| Oh that's scary! I'm so glad he's ok.... it is amazing what they will eat .... |
| Poor Frodo, thanks for the warning, just amazing what they can eat and you don't know they have done it.
Best wishes for frodo and hope all goes well. |
| I can tell you're worried sick. I'm so sorry... I hope he's home with you and your wife real soon so you can spoil him rotten. Please keep us posted on how he's doing. Hugs and prayers to Frodo! |
| Ben has done this twice. He almost died the first time from a "linear obstruction."
We tried to Ben proof the house after the first event, but nine months later he ate a sock that one of my college kids left out (accidently) when they came home. They were quicker to surgery this time. The surgeon told me that Ben would always be a risk for repeating the bad eating habits. And he told me that his dog put him at risk for the same thing - which helped my guilt a bit. I now have a Ben account - monthly I set aside some money to help pay for any future surgery. Four years and counting....... |
| Poor Lil Frodo! Thank goodness he has such a loving family where his health outweighed any monetary cost. I was relieved to here he's on the road to recovery and thanks for keep us informed as to the danger of what might happen should one of your boys/girls do this.
Sending lots of hugs Frodo's way with wishes of a speedy recovery. Marianne and the boys |
Poor Frodo and Dad  Hope he recovers quickly and can be home where he belongs. |
| Okay, here’s the update on Frodo’s condition:
My wife and I stopped by the hospital for a visit last night, I was nervous walking in because I wasn’t sure if I could handle seeing Frodo splayed out across a gurney with tubes and hoses attached to every orifice, but I was pleasantly surprised to see him walk into the visiting room on his own .. Tail wagging and eager to give kisses. He was a bit wobbly, but I suppose that’s to be expected. He is after all on some serious pain meds and antibiotics, not to mention the 12 inch incision on his abdomen. I left in good spirits, but still can’t relax, at least not until he’s home with us. I spoke with the doctor this morning and he said that Frodo is doing well but he’s still not eating or moving his bowels. He said that he was going to start Frodo on some sort of gastrointestinal meds that should help him clear his bowels and start eating solid meals. Unfortunately the doctor doesn’t think Frodo will be ready to come home until Friday or Saturday. This is so hard on my wife and I. Our animals (two dogs and four cats) are our children and they all mean the world to us. When I was a child I spent two weeks in the hospital, the first few days of which were critical, now I know how my parents felt. It’s pure hell. Everytime the phone rings my heart skips a beat.... I just want my boy home with me. Thanks again for all the well wishes and words of encouragement. It means a lot to my wife and I and to Frodo as well. |
Thanks for the update, Gabriel. I'm really glad to hear that Frodo is doing better. It is hard on the family, I know. It sounds like your vet is very optimistic for full recovery. Lucky boy!  |
Beaureguard's Mom wrote: Thanks for the update, Gabriel. I'm really glad to hear that Frodo is doing better. It is hard on the family, I know. It sounds like your vet is very optimistic for full recovery. Lucky boy!
Thanks, I asked the doctor to give me his professional medical opinion, not a guaranty, and he told me that he feels there is an 80% chance Frodo will be home by the weekend. He also said that Frodo is out of Critical condition and is now officially listed as stable. This made me feel a bit better. I'd prefer 100%, but I'll take what I can get at the moment. |
| Gabriel, that is wonderful news.
It is normal for the bowels to stop working for several days after being touched - even works that way for people. They will probably give him Reglan to encourage the bowels to move. And it is possible he may need it for a few days at home. I was shocked/amazed at how quickly they perk up and feel better - with no pain medication too. Keeping Frodo quiet until the stitches heal will be the hard part. And that is wonderful. The surgeon told me that a dog's intestine completely heals up by seven days after surgery. Did they shave his back for the patch? I thought it would never grow back. |
| so glad to hear Frodo is on the mend. I know this time while he is not at home is hard on you, but it is best for him. Hope he makes it home for the weekend. |
| I would be the same way! I was scared sick when I got Daphne spayed(spaid?) and she was only gone less than a day, I coudn't imagine going through that!! |
| Poor baby. I can't even imagine how much you miss him. I hope he improves and you have him home soon! |
| Glad to hear Frodo is improving. I feel so bad for you and your wife - this is so stressful! We'll keep you all in our prayers and hope that Frodo is back home this weekend. |
| Update:
Last nights visit didn’t leave us in good spirits. Frodo was running a fever and they couldn’t remove the I’V tubes or catheter so we had to conduct our visit in the E.R. with him laying motionless in his cage. Last night was terrible, my wife and I barely slept a wink. But I am happy to report that a call from the doctor this morning has once again raised our spirits. He told me that he is very happy with Frodo’s condition this morning. Frodo is awake, tail wagging and according to the doctor had a bit of a “hop in his step”. And more importantly he ate a bit of solid food without any coaxing from the staff.. He just gobbled it up. The doctor actually told me that if Frodo continues to improve at this rate he may be able to come home as soon as tomorrow afternoon! This is the FIRST time in a week that the doctor told me UNSOLICITED that Frodo WILL be coming home soon. All the other times I had to practically force them to give me an answer and it was always “it’s too soon to tell, he’s stable but critical, etc. So today, for the first time since Sunday, I feel VERY confident in his full recovery. It’s been a hellish week to say the least and you fine people have helped me more than you’ll ever know. Thank you all so much and I’ll be sure to post an update when my boy is home where he belongs. |
 Good news! Frodo's eating! That's great, Gabriel! It's gut wrenching when your kids are sick and you feel so helpless. I'm really glad he's feeling better!! He'll be back home soon. Keep us posted on his progress. |
| What a rollercoaster week you've all had. I'm so happy Frodo's doing well this morning and eating again... a very good sign! Thanks for updating us. |
| Yay Frodo! Good for you!
I'm very happy for you and your wife, Gabriel. |
| Thanks again. All of this because he ate a pair of pantyhose! I know I said it in my initial post, but I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping non-edible objects out of the reach of your pets. It looks like this episode will have a happy ending after all but sadly many dogs (and cats) don’t make it. Frodo was touch and go for a few days and I don’t want any of you to ever go through something similar, it’s pure hell and it can be avoided with a bit of care and attention on your part. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as they say.. It’ couldn’t be more true.
Oh, another pleasant surprise is that the bill should end up around $3500.. I was expecting it to be closer to $4500. The money is the last thing on my mind, of course, but it’s always nice to save money when you can. Thank GOD my wife and I are in a position to pay the $3500. Sadly, many people are not and they, as well as their loved one, suffers for it. I plan on getting pet insurance asap. I now know that anything can happen and you have to be prepared both mentally and financially for an emergency. I’m looking into VPI insurance. Has anyone had dealings with them? Any info would be appreciated. |
| There have been some posts baout pet insurace before.
Try this page for some resources: http://www.oes.org/page1/pet-insurance.html |
Ron wrote: There have been some posts baout pet insurace before.
Try this page for some resources: http://www.oes.org/page1/pet-insurance.html Thanks, I'll check it out. |
 Yeah Frodo.
Yep, people use to laugh at pet health insurance, not so funny now when their operations are more that our. |
| I am so glad Frodo is doing better, before you know it.. he will be home and back to his old self.
In my opinion, the best thing a pet owner can do for their pet is buy pet insurance right from the get go. Even the smallest emergency can add up to big dollars. I pay $35.00/month and that covers both of my dogs. I, like many others are not in the position to pay thousands of dollars in an emergency situation, but I can afford $35.00 per month and that leaves me worry free when a situation arises. In a 6-week period in 2004 my Bernese ate a stuffed rabbit, just the shell, the long weekend in May 04, which resulted in him being in the emergency hospital for almost a week with a bellyful of stitches. Six weeks later (long weekend in July), the same emergency room vet used the same incision to operate and remove the sleeve of a sweat shirt. She looked me square in the face and said... "If you love your dog you will buy him a muzzle for when he is out because he will not survive another operation". I don't like the muzzle.. but I love my dog who loves to chew and swallow. Both times Dudley ate his foreign bodies was at the park, they were things that others had left behind. If I didn't have pet insurance.. I wouldn't have a Bernese right now. It was a lifesaver!!! I’m sure Frodo will bounce back quickly, but as parents, we can’t help but worry. Good luck. Brenda, Dudley and Murphy. |
| Just spoke w/ the doctor ... Frodo is coming home this afternoon!!!!!!!
Thank God and thank each and every one of you fine people. My boy is coming home! What a week, I'll be able to sleep tonight. |
| Yeah for Frodo!!!!!!!! Glad he is coming home...everyone take it easy and have a nice quite evening...you deserve it!! |
| Wonderful news!! I'm so happy for all of you!! |
| Awesome! |
| WooHoo Frodo!!! |
| How did the reunion go? I hope you're able to keep Frodo as calm as necessary! How are you doing keeping yourself calm? |
| WELCOME HOME FRODO!! |
| I'm so glad this story turned out as it did!
Welcome home Frodo!!!! |
| I apologize for not posting an update sooner, but I forgot my password and can only log-in from work as the password is saved in the browser.
Frodo came home on Friday afternoon around 4:00PM. The doctor told me to keep him in a small room with the e-collar on and to only let him out for short 10 minute walks three times a day. Of course my wife and I felt that since we have a small house it would be okay for him to walk around on his own accord… big mistake. By Sunday morning he slightly opened one of the sutures and was running a slight fever. Not to mention there was quite a bit of brownish liquid leaking from the wound site. We rushed him back to the E.R. They told us that the fluid is nothing to worry about, it’s normal in some dogs. The fever also wasn’t quite high enough to warrant too much concern. They cleaned and wrapped the wound, added another prescription to his already full load of three pills twice a day and set us home with a follow up appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning. Since yesterday afternoon we’ve been following the doctor’s order to the letter. Frodo is confined to our spare bedroom w/ nothing in there but his dog bed and a small t.v…. he likes to watch the History Channel (just like his dad). He’s eating well. We feed him three times a day, Hills prescription diet w/ a bit of rice and he just gobbles it up. The doctor said him having a healthy appetite is a great indicator that he’s healing properly. He hasn’t had too many bowel movements since Friday, only two or three and they were somewhat small and soft. Is that normal? Also his legs seem to stiffen up after he lies down for an extended period of time. I had surgery myself a while ago and remember a similar thing happening to me. I suppose it’s to be expected. Otherwise he’s in good spirits today. The hardest part is trying to keep him in the bedroom as he tries to barrel out every time we open the door to check on him. So there we have it, our weekend in a nutshell. I’ll keep you all posted on his progress and once again would like to thank you all for your concern and kind words. |
| Good boy, Frodo! You rest and heal up! |
| So happy to hear he is home safe and sound.
Our prayers our with Frodo for a speedy recovery!!! Frodo, you little pumpkin , please just ask Mom and Dad for a tasty treat next time ! |
| SO glad to hear Frodo's home and on the mend. He'll be back to his old self in no time!
Chris |
| I'm so glad Frodo is home and learning a lot on the History Channel. Please ask him to remember everything as I need a refresher on my history! |
| Sorry to hear about your experience. Glad Frodo is okay. |
| Glad he is home and finally doing better. These guys have no idea how to be patients.
It is normal for the stools to be small and soft after surgery. In fact, this is what they want - no straining and not a lot of waste passing over the healing intestine. Remember Frodo is very inactive right now, so there is less stimulation to encourage the normal movements of the intestine. If he stops having stools or if they get hard, it is a problem. |
| YAY Frodo!!!
We are so glad to hear you are resting and healing ...NO more worrying your parents! 
Giant hugs from The Muppets! |
| Another update, and pictures!
Frodo had to spend the night in the hospital on Tuesday evening. His wound was still leaking a brownish fluid and his protein levels were low so the doctor felt it best to keep him overnight and treat him with some sort of fluid protein injections. He also changed Frodo's food to one with a much higher caloric/protein content. He feels that bringing Frodo's protein level up will help to alleviate the fluid build-up. He would also like Frodo to put on some weight as he lost a few pounds due to the obstruction and subsequent surgery. He wants to avoid reopening the surgical site but feels if the leaking doesn't stop by tomorrow he'll have to take a look inside and maybe even change the sutures as this fluid build up may be a reaction to the stitches themselves. Has anyone ever encountered something similar to this? On a positive note, Frodo is feeling much better. He’s eating well and he’s been quite active, so much so that it’s getting increasingly more difficult to keep him confined to the guest room. He even made a solid bowel movement last evening. Hopefully this leakage will stop on it’s own accord as I really don’t want to put Frodo through another surgery. I’ll continue to keep you all posted on his progress. And in the meantime here’s a few photos of Frodo in his recuperation room. Frodo pics.... http://www.putfile.com/gabriel_m |
| ah...thanks for the pics...looks like he's smiling through it all!
I'm sure he's on the mend, just taking the round about way to get there... |
| Hope you have a speedy recovery, Frodo!
Lennon & Sofa |
barney1 wrote: ah...thanks for the pics...looks like he's smiling through it all!
I'm sure he's on the mend, just taking the round about way to get there... Yup, he's a trooper. I think he actually likes the e-collar. He get's excited when we put it on. |
| So glad Frodo is on the mend!
Has the leaking stopped? Has he grown tired of the History Channel? The Muppets want to know if the pantyhose tasted good? |
Sir Gucci's Mom wrote: So glad Frodo is on the mend!
Has the leaking stopped? Has he grown tired of the History Channel? The Muppets want to know if the pantyhose tasted good? It was still leaking as of this morning but I think it’s slowing down a bit. It’s hard to tell just how much fluid is leaking out as he’s bandaged up fairly tight. If it doesn't improve in the next 48 hrs the surgeon may need to remove the stitches and replace them with a different material. I did a search on google (and spoke w/ a friend of my moms, a breeder) and apparently allergic reactions to stitches happen quite often and can manifest as liquid discharge from the wound site. Sometimes it just clears up on it's own, other times the stitches need to be replaced but either way it's considered a "minor" complication and nothing to worry myself over.. I just don't want Frodo to have to go under the knife again. |
| Well, Frodo is back in the hospital again. When my wife and I arrived home last night Frodo's bandage was soaked again so we brought him back to the hospital. One of the doctors didn't like the looks of the fluid and immediately called the surgeon. The surgeon felt it was best to reopen Frodo right away and figure out what was causing the leakage rather than using a "wait and see" approach. He reopened the surgical site late last night and it turns out that Frodo managed to bust open two of the stitches on his intestine. The stitches on the stomach and the rest of the intestinal stitches were intact. Unfortunately the leakage from the intestines caused a peritonitis to develop and Frodo is going to need to stay there for a few more days until the wound on the intestines heal and the peritonitis is brought under control. On a positive note the surgeon said that he's seen much worse cases of peritonitis. Luckily Frodo has been on strong antibiotics for the last week and apparently they prevented the peritonitis from getting worse.
This has been one harrowing couple of weeks. We took Frodo in the Sunday before last, he came home the following Friday only to return on Sunday and be sent home on Monday only to return again on Wed for a secondary surgery. All of this and he's not even 12 months old! And he's been such a good boy throughout this entire mess. so once again I ask for your prayers for a full and speedy recovery. I know the doctor said that he's seen worse cases of peritonitis, but I'm still nervous. I googled the condition and apparently there is a fairly high mortality rate. I'm scared. |
| Poor Frodo! Poor Gabriel!
So sorry your boy is having complications. Good call getting him back to the vet quickly so he can heal properly. Keep us up to date. You'll all be in our thoughts! |
| Hug!!! I'm so sorry you and your boy are going through this! Hope he gets feeling well soon!!! |
Oh Gabriel...this has just been awful for you all! 
I am definately sending all my positive energy Frodo's way. A huge hug to all of you!!!!! |
| Thanks everyone, it’s certainly appreciated. I did a bit more research and it seems as if the majority of deaths that occur from peritonitis infection are due to sepsis and Frodo doesn’t have sepsis (probably because he’s been on antibiotics for the past week). But frankly even a remote chance of death is too much. I just want my boy to get better and come home to stay. No more of this back and forth to the hospital crap. He’s only a puppy!
My wife and I will drop in to see him later on this evening and hopefully he’ll be able to come home PERMANENTLY on Saturday or Sunday. Once again, thank you all. |
| poor baby, I will say some prayers for him and you to, the stress mush be terrible. |
| thoughts are with you. i know this is so hard and Frodo wants to come home too. |
| Oh, the poor baby and poor Mommy and Daddy! He must be so confused by not being home, too. My thoughts and prayers are with you for Frodo to come home SOON and TO STAY!
Chris |
| Yet another update:
Frodo is doing extremely well. His peritonitis was kept under control by the antibiotics and the doctor feels that one more lavage should do the trick. He wants to keep Frodo under observation for another day or two but feels that there shouldn’t be anymore complications and that Frodo should be able to come home for good on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning! He also said that Frodo is an exceptional healer and one of the best behaved patients he’s ever had the pleasure to treat. Cost of Pantyhose: $3.00 Cost to remove pantyhose and subsequent treatments: $5,550 Getting Frodo home safe and sound: Priceless |
| Glad to hear the good news!
Has your wife decided to give up panty hose? |
| Great news!! |
| GREAT NEWS |
| This is fantastic news!!!!
Frodo, you are such a good boy...behaving and winning the hearts of the vets and techs!!!! Remember to give extra kisses to try and get mommy and daddy's vet bill down a wee bit!!!  |
| Frodo has been home since Friday and is doing great. As a matter of fact, he's doing so well that its near impossible to keep him confined to the guest room. And he's already managed to break his e-collar! Good thing we have two.
He's also been eating like a madman and making solid bowel movements. It was a harrowing couple of weeks but I think it's finally safe to say that Frodo is home for good and on the road to a full recovery! Perhaps I'll post more pictures in the next day or two. |
Go Frodo! Go Frodo!
Go Frodo! Go Frodo! |
Gabriel_M wrote: Frodo has been home since Friday and is doing great. As a matter of fact, he's doing so well that its near impossible to keep him confined to the guest room. And he's already managed to break his e-collar! Good thing we have two.
He's also been eating like a madman and making solid bowel movements. It was a harrowing couple of weeks but I think it's finally safe to say that Frodo is home for good and on the road to a full recovery! Perhaps I'll post more pictures in the next day or two. Make that "been home since saturday". I'm a bit sleepy this morning. |
| Congrats to you all and Frodo!
I am just off to look at Pet insurance! I shall show my sister this thread,..... she has a jack Russell x ... she didnt know he had ate her pantihose till she saw them emerging........... she doesnt realise how lucky she was! |
Yeah for you and Frodo!! Nothing like having your baby back home  |
| My dog ate a sock last night and we took him to the vet today because he was throwing up and acting very sick. They've x-rayed him and it looks like he may need a $3,000 surgery.
Problem is: he's 12 and a half. We just had a huge lump on his front leg tested again (first test was inconclusive) and will likely need to have a biopsy performed and then decide whether he'd need an operation for the leg. It may be cancer, but we won't have the results for a while. He has a bad knee on his hind leg that could be fixed as well (so far aspirin is staving it off) but the surgery could take up to six months to recover from and no one is home to watch out for him (cost of that : $2200). So the question is becoming: what is best to do. My husband loves the dog and if offering to sell him Ted Williams baseball collection to pay for any operation he needs, but I kept my cat going until he was 22 and regreted making him suffer those last 3 years. I swore I wouldn't do it again. I know you are all pet lovers, but what is right in this case? |
| Wow that is alot all at the same time. I would just focus on the stomach obstruction because he probably needs that to survive whereas you don't know that the lump is cancer and the bad knee -- well, that sounds optional. Is he otherwise a good candidate for surgery? Have they done bloodwork on him? What is the expected lifespan of his breed? If he is a mix, is he large or small? |
| Good luck with such a difficult decision! My dog had quite a big tumor removed from her paw and it was NOT cancerous, it appeared quite suddenly.
I can only tell you what I would do and that would be to do the surgery. But, only you can decide what is right for you based on the entire picture. The best advice I can give you is to follow your intuition and trust yourself. Good luck,  and support to your family and dog. |
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