Ask Dr Claire

My dog is in pain while trying to pass some of my undies that she ate. I have given her liquid paraffin to help as per advice from her vet today. They are closed now. I have Meloxicam 0.5 for cats; is it safe to give her? (the dog)

Meloxicam is a pain reliever that is used in both cats and dogs but at very, very different concentration. The incorrect dose is not helpful and can be dangerous to both cats and dogs.

Meloxicam should not be used even at normal doses in cases of intestinal ulceration, kidney and liver disease.

My main concern with the undies is that she will not be able to pass them at all. If the undies become lodged she will need your vet to perform surgery to remove them, the longer they are lodged the more dangerous the procedure and the sicker she will become.

She needs to be monitored very closely but my advice would be to take her to your local vet or emergency centre for a repeat examination and possibly imaging (radiographs or ultrasound) to see where the undies are, and see if they are moving through. If the undies become lodged, paraffin won’t help to remove them, and there is also the risk of her getting some of the paraffin into her lung.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire