Major abdominal surgery

[Alishahug]

My chihuahua ate a pair of thongs. They were digested partially in the small intestines. They had to remove about 6 inches of his small intestines and now his small intestines are shut down. They are currently giving him some kind of medication to try to start making the small intestines contract again but it has been two days and its not working. What are your suggestions and also how long can he live without it working.

[Alishahug]

he is still currently in the hospital.....the vet has already done an exploratory surgery and his suture looked great its just the small intestines are not contracting and the meds are not helping.....i pray for a miracle he is still standing strong my little baby

[Terry Dew, D.V.M., M.S., DACVS]

I am so sorry to hear about your little dog. Removing a foreign body and 6 inches of intestine would not usually cause a difficult surgical recovery. I would be concerned that the amount of damage to the intestine was not readily apparent at the time of surgery. In my experience it is usually better to intervene early (re-explore the abdomen) than allow things to smolder along. Due to the limited time from the last surgery ultrasound or radiographs will be of limited use at this time. I would recommend contacting your veterinarian as soon as possible for a recheck appointment and possible exploratory surgery to make sure that everything is OK.

Best wishes to you and your dog.  Let us know the outcome.