How Long Does It Take for Objects to Pass Through a Dog’s Digestive System?

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Dogs are wonderful, but they don’t always show the best judgment about what they should and shouldn’t eat. As such, sometimes they swallow things they shouldn’t, whether that’s a slice of pizza or an engagement ring. We all do what we can to protect our dogs, but there are no guarantees—even the best-trained dogs, with the most responsible owners, are at risk of swallowing things that should remain outside their bodies.

If this happens to your dog, you’ll probably have lots of questions: Should we go to the vet? Is my dog in pain? Will I ever see my great-grandmother’s ring again?

First: if your dog eats anything other than what you’re sure is a dog-safe food, the first thing to do is call your vet right away. They’ll let you know whether you need to bring them in for an examination or treatment.

That said: Here’s more information about how long it usually takes food and objects to pass through a dog’s digestive system, and tips on making sure your best friend stays happy and healthy if they do have the misfortune of swallowing something they shouldn’t.

How long does it take for food to pass through a dog’s digestive system?

A dog’s digestive tract functions similarly to a human’s. Food moves from the esophagus to the stomach to the small and then large intestines, breaking down along the way until waste exits the body. Researchers have found that the average healthy dog consumes food, digests it, and expels waste over the course of a day or two.

One 2010 paper published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research investigated the relationship between body weight and gastrointestinal transit time—the amount of time it takes for something to pass through the entire digestive tract, from consumption to expulsion. The authors fed a wireless capsule followed by a meal to 31 healthy adult dogs who had fasted the night before. The dogs—all owned by Louisiana State University students and staff—also wore vests that received and collected data on the capsule’s position over the course of digestion. Total transit time ranged from just over 21 hours to just over 57 hours.

Many factors affect this variability, from size and body weight to what the dog has consumed. A 2005 study of 50 dogs across 13 breeds, published in the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, examined the relationship between total transit time and size. The researchers found that larger dogs had longer transit times, even when fed the same meal after fasting. For example, one miniature poodle’s transit time was 22 hours, while a giant schnauzer’s was 59 hours.

Understanding what’s normal can help veterinarians and dog owners know what to expect when an anomaly enters the mix.

“Luckily, the dog digestive tract is very robust and can handle a lot of things that go into it,” said Dr. Alison Manchester, assistant professor of small animal medicine at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. “That probably goes back to their evolution,” since dogs living on their own needed to subsist on whatever they could scavenge. 

Even so, every dog is different. While some of them can handle the occasional dietary indiscretion without much incident, others have quite sensitive stomachs.

How long does it take for an object to pass through a dog’s digestive system?

Dr. Manchester has seen her share of unusual objects inside of dogs. She listed animal bones, chew toys, and cloth items like underwear and socks as frequent culprits.

She’s far from the only one. Dr. Calico Schmidt, an assistant teaching professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, is also familiar with the many “oddball things” dogs wolf down. “I pulled a mitten out of a dog once,” she said. This was during a surgical procedure, and shouldn’t be attempted at home. 

This great range of objects, from clothes to rocks, can impact transit time. But in general, if an object is small enough to be swallowed and poses no danger to the dog, it should make it out the other end in roughly the same amount of time it takes for anything else. One exception: if the dog swallowed a foreign item on a full stomach, it could take longer to pass.

If your dog has passed a linear foreign object—something like floss, a necklace chain, hair, or a piece of rope—Dr. Manchester urges you not to pull on it. “Those can be some of the most worrisome and dangerous foreign bodies,” she said, “because they tend to get tethered in one part of the gut.”  Pulling on one could damage the intestines, so call the vet instead.

Black dog lying on a couch looking off into the distance.

When should I take my dog to the vet after they swallow something?

Dr. Schmidt recommends calling the vet right away if you’re certain your dog ate a foreign object. Starting with a call could connect you with a nurse or veterinary technician who can guide you over the phone on whether it’s best to come in for a visit.

If you do go to the vet’s office, they may take an X-ray to locate and identify the object. Depending on what the object is and where it is in transit, they may advise letting it pass. Sometimes, an X-ray can illuminate foreign objects you never even knew your dog swallowed. “I remember specifically this one Irish setter who had had pieces of cloth kind of between his stomach and small intestine,” Dr. Manchester said, “and it was likely sitting there for months.” 

The vet may also recommend an endoscopy, which involves anesthetizing the dog and snaking a long scope with a camera and pincers on the end down into the stomach to find and retrieve an object. But if the object has already entered the small intestine, as Dr. Schmidt said was the case with the mitten, then the vet may have to make a surgical incision to fetch it.

Vets can also induce vomiting in cases where the object is still in the stomach. The stomach’s contents usually empty into the small intestine within 4 to 6 hours, so this is only an option if you act quickly. Dr. Manchester said that induced vomiting is best for dogs who have not already been vomiting. She added that dog owners shouldn’t try to induce vomiting without the assistance of a medical professional.

Both Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Manchester also advise keeping a keen eye out for unusual behavior in your dogs, especially if you know they’ve swallowed something. They list vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue as signs that something is amiss. If you’re ever unsure, the safest thing to do is call the vet.

In addition, Dr. Manchester suggested that, if you know your dog has swallowed something and you’re taking them in to the vet, you don’t feed them anything else. “It makes it a lot harder for us to find things when the stomach is full,” she said.

And, depending on what your dog has swallowed, passing a foreign object won’t necessarily be painful for them. Dr. Manchester said that dogs don’t have pain receptors lining their gut, but discomfort may arise from bloating. Dr. Schmidt said that the act of passing an object may be painful if your dog has eaten something with rough edges.

What if a dog can’t pass an object that they’ve eaten?

In some cases, a dog will swallow something they can’t safely pass. Corn cobs, usually coated with salt and butter, are indigestible items that often cause this problem.

When a dog swallows an item they cannot safely pass, the object can create a blockage. In the worst instances, this can be fatal. A blockage is a medical emergency, so call a vet right away if you suspect one. Signs of an intestinal blockage include a decreased appetite, lethargy, and a swollen stomach that’s painful to the touch.

Sharp objects like sewing needles, fish hooks, barbecue skewers, and even porcupine quills carry the added risk of potentially puncturing the bowel wall if passed through the stomach. These can migrate outside of the bowels, or cause an abdominal infection, which would also be an emergency. 

Though you should always call your vet right away if your dog eats something they shouldn’t, you don’t need to panic. Dr. Manchester said that dogs’ robust guts have evolved to process all sorts of fodder for nutrients, and many objects do pass without incident. “I keep that in mind when owners come in very scared because they think their dog just swallowed something,” she said. “Luckily enough, a lot of things are able to be digested and passed.”

As for your great-grandmother’s ring, once you’ve checked with a veterinarian to make sure your best friend is safe, you may find that the only thing left to do is wait 21 to 59 hours—and then get better acquainted with your dog’s poop than you ever hoped to.

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