An intestinal foreign body could spell major surgery for dogs and cats that eat non-food items.
My sister has a Boston Terrier named Buddy. This little guy is about as cute as they come and we all love him dearly, but he will not stay out of the bathroom trash. Unfortunately, for him and my sister, he got into the trash one morning and ate a tampon. Gross and embarrassing (for her) all at the same time. She called me at work and I talked her through giving hydrogen peroxide. (Hydrogen peroxide can be given orally to make dogs vomit, but always ask a veterinarian first because some items should not be vomited.) Unfortunately he wouldn't vomit with just the hydrogen peroxide so he had to be taken to her veterinarian to be given a prescription medication that makes dogs vomit.
The danger in leaving the tampon in the stomach is that some non-food items will not pass safely out of the stomach and through the intestine and into the colon. If the item becomes stuck it is called an intestinal foreign body. The foreign body starts to cut blood supply off to sections of bowel causing the tissue to die. If this happens then a section of bowel may need to be removed during an emergency surgery.
Buddy's veterinarian made him vomit and the tampon came up. He is doing great now and his mom keeps her bathroom trash out of reach. Buddy avoided a major surgery that not all dogs survive. Buddy's mom avoided seeing her best four-legged friend go under the knife and she avoided spending a large sum of money on vet bills. This particular surgery is not cheap. Intestinal surgeries can cost $2000.00 or more depending on where your live. .
