Feathers

Question
Our dog eats feathers out of our pillows. We are now afraid one has gotten stuck somewhere... He keeps squirming around and looking at his behind. Could he have one stuck and if so what can we do to help?? He had been eating and drinking and normal bowel movements. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Sue,

Thank you for writing to me about your feather situation.  First I would like to address the issue of the feathers.  If your dog is eating feathers out of your pillows, you have some choices to keep him healthy and break this habit.  1-do not give him access to the area where there are pillows to get into trouble with.  2-purchase an alarm (they sell them in some pet catelogues and also motion detection alarms for windows and doors) and when he tries to move the pillow, the alarm will sound.  This should nip the habit in the bud! It is up to you to make sure that your dog is kept safe..and I always opt on the side of prevention!!!

As for his having ingested feathers that are causing an intestional issue...yes..it is definitely possibly.  I would try the following: Give him some olive oil and see if this will cause the feather to come out.  Speak to your vet about administering an enema (yuou can use the kind that are used for infants and children).  Speak to your vet about doing a rectal exam or x-ray to try to find out where the feather could be stuck.  This situation can be very serious if not addressed by a vet.  The tip of the feather can actually perferate the intestions and become a matter of life or death.  Please make an appt with your vet and work out a solution to this problem.

Your vet will give your dog an examination, determine if the problem is his anal glands that need to be expressed or a stuck feather.  In either case, something is bothering your dog and he needs to be seen by a professional.

Best of luck,
Shelley Davis

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