Consumption of a dirty diaper

Question
Hello,
I have a year old Cairn Terrier. Today around 11:30am he found a dirty diaper and was eating it. I don't know how much of the diaper he actually ate but since then he has thrown up 5 times. He has not eaten since this morning. Until an hour ago he wasn't able to keep down water. He is definitely not himself and I'm concernced for him.
How soon can you tell if he has an obstructed bowel? He doesn't have diarrhea.  He's pretty lethargic. I'm just not sure if I need to run to the emergency vet just yet.

Answer
If you did not go to the emergency veterinarian and he is still not eating and feeling sick, do go to your regular veterinarian as soon as possible.

There is no particular time frame to know if a bowel is obstructed as the diaper material may move forward and backward, sometimes staying in the stomach and sometimes obstructing the intestine. Monitoring his attitude and appetite are the best keys to knowing if he needs more treatment. Some diapers have chemicals in them that could be making him ill as well.

Some IV luids and waiting may resolve the problem but an Xray and probably a Barium Xray will help tell what is happening.

Hope all "came out" fine for your puppy.
Dr. chambreau