On Tuesday evening I came home from the gym and was greeted (as usual) by my two pooches. But something was amiss.

Trash was strewn all over the floor, including remnants of chicken bones, meat packaging, a half rotten eggplant and other items. As I cleaned up the mess, I worried about just what my two dogs had eaten. I would soon find out.

That night, Daisy woke me up several times with loose bowels. OK, so I identified the culprit. However, the next day, she seemed back to normal. I was relieved.

During our evening walk on Wednesday I notice a piece of paper sticking out of Daisy’s poo. So, you ate paper, did you? Interesting…

Fast forward to 3 a.m. Thursday morning. I was awakened by the dreaded heaving sound that makes every pet owner’s skin crawl. Daisy was in the corner of my bedroom vomiting. Half asleep, I turned on the lights and got some cleaning supplies (luckily I have wood floors and not carpet). I saw something strange and I decided to put on my glasses to investigate. I was shocked to find that Daisy had vomited a ball of foil 2 inches in diameter along with a pretty large piece of what looked like a plastic bag.

First of all, it’s terrifying to think that my dog swallowed those things. It’s also beyond my comprehension how she vomited them back up. I wondered what was going through her mind when she decided to swallow these non-food items (she’s never done anything like this before). And I worried that there may be more non-food items that could cause an intestinal blockage for poor Daisy.

Back in bed at 4 a.m., I was tossing and turning, pondering these questions. I decided the foil was from one of my Godiva chocolate bars (don’t worry, the chocolate itself is somewhere safe in my belly). The plastic was probably from chicken packaging that I’d thrown out.

I have my fingers crossed that Daisy didn’t swallow any other strange items, but this is a great reminder that I need to do a better job of dog-proofing my house. In the past, I did not put much thought into it because my dogs never got into the trash. But this is proof that they can and will get into trouble if tempted.

With the holidays coming around, let’s all do a good job of keeping trash and table scraps inaccessible to our pooches. Dogs are pretty indiscriminate eaters, so it’s up to us to keep them safe and healthy. Check out the five best canine-proof trash cans.

If you suspect your dog has eaten something that it shouldn’t have, please keep an eye on them! Intestinal blockage can be caused by many non-food (and sometimes even food items). This condition can be deadly and requires an emergency procedure to correct.

Signs of Intestinal Blockage in Dogs

  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Abdominal pain
  • Difficulty defecating

If you suspect your dog is suffering from intestinal blockage, see a veterinarian immediately!