beag ate my belt

[R&R's mom]

My 1 yr old beagle got a hold of my belt last week and chewed it to pieces and a couple of days ago he vomited several times and I could see some of the belt in his vomit. Later that day, he twitched around and had trouble laying down comfortably, and was crying. I took him to the vet and they did an xray and saw a long piece of the belt in his stomach and told me if he continues to vomit, they will have to perform surgery. This seems a bit extreme to me considering beagles are known for eating anything. Is there anything I can do to help me while he still suffers an upset stomach? I took him for a walk today and he seems better?! Would appreciate vet comments please, I'm so worried!

[Boomer]

Dogs can get away with eating amazing things - I've seen some poop out pieces of aluminum coke cans - but they can't necessarily handle everything! Things like belts and socks are among the more dangerous items they can ingest because of how they can entangle themselves in a dog's intestinal tract.

The belt pieces may pass-thru your dog's digestive tract or be vomitted back-up, but they also could be lodged easily and require surgery for removal. Intestinal blockage is a serious health condition.

I don't think you can do anything but try to keep him comfortable and get him to the vet at the first sign of trouble. You may want to do a follow-up x-ray to see how things have progressed.

My male once ate a tough plastic food bowl (almost ceramic) that we had removed immediately before any potential problems arose. He didn't show any signs of discomfort prior to the surgery (which amazed the vet, especially when he saw the x-ray).