This is a lot to digest. We have a 15-year-old dog that has been on meds …

This is a lot to digest. We have a 15-year-old dog that has been on meds for congestive heart failure. He was doing fine until…the other day he apparently got into the trash and ingested a paper towel with meat gravy. For the past 24 hours he has been vomiting up food he ate after the ingestion so we obviously have not fed him further. He has been drinking water regularly throughout the day and night but vomiting it up at times as well. I have discontinued giving him water so the vomiting doesn’t dehydrate him. He did vomit up part of the paper towel but now we believe there may be a piece in his digestive tract too. He is resting now but has been very lethargic as one might expect. Not interested in eating, vomit is a combination of yellow and clear. One earlier vomit was very brown and “pudding” consistency. Since then mostly watery. Our vet is in surgery and is unavailable for the entire day, The main question is how dangerous is the paper towel if in fact it is lodged in the digestive tract? Will it degrade fast enough to allow water first and then food to pass. Our vet said the dog’s age and heart condition preclude any surgery. We are at a loss as to what, if any steps are available to us. He is not in immediate distress but is clearly in need of something.

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Krista Magnifico
20 days ago

Hello,
I think that you need to get in contact with your vet asap. Otherwise the ER is your next best option.