My name is Rufus and I am 6 months old.  My Mom brought me in to see Dr. Gati because I wasn’t eating, was acting lethargic and vomiting.  Dr. Gati asked my Mom some questions and found out that I was a very mischievous puppy and would eat a lot of foreign objects.  After examining me Dr. Gati thought I had a bowel obstruction so she took some x-rays of my belly to confirm it.  She took me into surgery and found out that I had eaten my sister’s toy. 

The doctors at AECWH told my Mom that I was very lucky that she brought me in when she did because foreign body obstruction is extremely dangerous and can quickly become life threatening.  If the toy had stayed in my intestines for too long my intestines could have ruptured causing me to get infection in my blood stream and making me very sick.  Dr. Gati also told my Mom that sometimes when an animal is obstructed their intestines can die and a portion of them have to be removed.  I was lucky that my intestines were still alive, although they were inflamed and sick.  I have since made a full recovery but my Mom has to watch me very closely because I still love to eat things that I am not supposed to.