Dog ate a nappy - what early signs would indicate something is wrong?

Kash

My youngest dog, Caoimhe, 10 years old, ate a (used) disposable nappy.
My husband left it within reach of the dogs, and while I was dropping the kids off at the creche, she found it and ate it.

She has a history of eating indigestible items, her preference being socks, and will normally throw them up 4-6 hours later. But socks don't have moisture absorbing chemicals that expand when wet in them, so i'm worried it will cause a blockage or something. Her behaviour is normal for now, but is there anything I should look out for?

irish_goat

Do you know did she rip it up or eat it whole?

Speedwell

Vomiting and/or straining as if to poop. But if the dog is showing signs of pain and distress already, it might be quite serious. Even a tampon can cause an obstruction in a big dog. Seriously, if she has not thrown it all up yet, I would see the vet, and I'm not just saying it "in case something is wrong"; something actually is wrong this time.

tk123

I'd go straight to the vet of it was one of mine - definitely not a wait and see thing. There was a burst nappy on the road near the park recently (scumbags - the bin is across the road! :mad:) and the volume of rain it absorbed was huge - like there was a huge pile of gel on the path from it.

Kash

She ripped it up. There is no sign of distress yet, but she hasn't thrown it up yet either. And I know the nappies can absorb huge amounts of liquid. I've called the vet and they've recommended x-rays

irish_goat

Ripped up isn't so bad. Would still look at getting her to the vet though. I think they can induce vomiting if it's been less than 2 hours since it was swallowed.

tk123

I assumed she ate it from the title - hopefully then it was just a game of shredding/ripping and she's ok.

Fingers crossed for her op!

maggiepip

I think she ripped it up and then ate it, as opposed to eating it whole? If thats the case I would not wait around to see, I'd go straight to the vet OP.