The mystery of the missing toothpick
Or how one quick swallow can equal days of problems
Who could guess that something really small could cause so much trouble? Manohra the kitten and Wan-Wan the poodle pup are romping together under the computer table when I look at them closely and see Manohra playing with something very tiny. Then she pushes it over to Wan, and the dog picks it up in her teeth.
Wan turns to me, and, in horror, I see a toothpick sticking out of the side of her mouth. I reach over to take it from her, but as soon as she sees my hand, she moves the toothpick to the front of her mouth. In even more horror, I see it disappear down her throat. I’d swear that wretched dog actually smiles at me.
That toothpick might be small, but its point is very sharp. In my mind, I see it travelling down Wan’s throat and into her gastro-intestinal tract, puncturing delicate organs along the way.
I immediately phone the vet. “Give her some fresh egg yolk or egg white,” she says. The egg will help coat the tract with a protective layer, but I don’t have eggs in the house.
The vet makes another suggestion: “Observe her to see if she starts foaming or coughing up blood,” but I really don’t want to wait. Once the blood appears, she’ll really have an emergency.
Instead, I speed Wan off to the clinic. I also bring an example of the toothpick with me, just to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing. It’s good I do. The vet has been thinking of a much blunter toothpick, not as dangerous as the one Wan swallowed.
Wan is immediately X-rayed. We can see her microchip and even the bones of her hind legs, but nowhere do we see that toothpick.
“It might have already entered her stomach, where we couldn’t see it,” the vet says.
Wan is given a three-day dose of medicine that will protect her stomach from the toothpick. The vet sends her home, and I’m instructed to inspect her droppings to see if the toothpick comes out in the end.
Whether it’s the medicine or the excitement, though, Wan becomes constipated. Nothing comes out, although she eats, drinks and urinates as usual.
The danger is, of course, that the toothpick has formed a blockage lower down the tract.
Luckily, the mild laxative I give to the cats for furball problems is perfect for a constipated canine. Besides, Wan likes the taste of the stuff. I give her a little bit on my finger twice a day for two days, and finally, success!
I spend the next few days inspecting Wan's droppings for that toothpick, but it never appears.
My vet laughs at me when I tell her. “Laurie, the dog never swallowed it,” she says, but I know what I saw.
That toothpick really did go down Wan’s throat, but neither the dog nor the kitten will tell me where it is now.
