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Can guinea pig swallow a spring hook?

It seems one of my guinea pigs has swallowed a spring hook, which was attached to a chain with snacks.. :-(
I’ve just noticed that it’s missing, and poor Hooch doesn’t seem ok.. he is eating and drinking - but not running around.. just lays near the food.. is it an emergency? Or could I wait till morning before taking him to the vet?
 
I'd be surprised if he has swallowed something so big (but I guess not impossible)

Have you checked the bedding to see if it's fallen off in there?

Maybe still attached to the cage & the rest of the nibbles fallen off?
Have a thorough search to try & find it.

If he's still eating, pooping & peeing they're all good signs :tu:

If you can't find the clip, If he's acting lethargic or hunched, probably facing a corner, hair sticking out/puffed up, acting unusually or stops eating,drinking, pooing, peeing then take him to a vets ASAP he'll probably need an xray to check he's not swallowed it!

Just a little whiff of gas may be necessary to keep him still enough to do an xray. But it should show up easily even if he's just popped in a cardboard shoe box or similar. It's rather large & metallic so the image should be really clear!
If it's a plastic clip it should still show up, but not as clear or white/dense in the image.

Can you get to an out of ours vet sooner rather than later? If it causes a blockage it could be serious.

Can you check his mouth/teeth to check it's not caught around it /them or caused any damage to either?

Good luck & fingers crossed you find it. Let us know how you get on xx

Ps... Even if you do find it & he's still lethargic keep a close eye on him & get him checked over for other possible illnesses. Xx
 
I think it's a co-incidence that you can't find the hook and he's looking poorly. I really do not think it would be possible for him to swallow it, as their throat is very narrow. However, a vet visit would be a good idea, as he clearly is very unwell.
 
Try find a good magnet and run it through the hay, not near the pig though, else 🤔. I don't know what metal it's made from though
 
I wouldn't think that they could possibly swallow that, but if you can't find it and want to be sure, it would definitely show up really clear on a quick x-ray from the vet!
 
Any updates? Did you find it? I had a panic once and thought one had eaten the water bottle mini bungee strap... but after a proper search I located it under the fleece - phew...
 
Could it possible have fallen off the cage and gotten buried in their bedding?
 
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