I didn’t take a chance since string-swallowing is supposed to be treated as a medical emergency. So I took Indra to the vet’s.
I also took along a sample of the string in about the same length as the one she swallowed so that the vet would know the material and the length. The vet said based on the length, it is not likely that Indra would be able to pass it out. It’s too long.
One way is to do an endoscopy to take out the string.
So, two X-rays were done. Unfortunately, before I discovered the string was missing, Indra had eaten a lot of breakfast this morning. Sigh, normally she doesn’t eat, but she did today, and since she was eating so heartily, I gave her more until she had her fill.
Now, the X-ray shows that the food is all in the first part of the stomach and therefore “blocking” the endoscope so the endoscopy cannot be done. The food would only block the camera.
If only I had known she had swallowed the string, I wouldn’t have fed her breakfast. Then, the food would not be blocking the string and the endoscopy can be done today. But I didn’t know the string was missing this morning until after everyone had had breakfast. If only…
If you take a look above, the food is all blocking the clumped up string, so the endoscope (probe with camera) will not be able to go through as the food will block the camera. So the only option now is to hospitalise Indra, put her on drip and fast her. It would take one day for the food to be digested and hopefully, seeps through the string. Once the food blockage is cleared, only then can be endoscopy be done.
If the endoscopy fails, only then will the vet opened her up to take out the string.
So, Indra is hospitalised now. Poor thing.
Inducing vomiting is not an option because it might cause the clumped up string to be lodge in the esophagus and impede breathing.
This seems to be the best option for now, unless by sheer luck, she can pass out the string but the vet doubts that can happen as the string is simply too long.
It doesn’t rain, it pours.