Dog anatomy question

[jesstat]

Little backstory before my actual question. Diego just turned a year and is still very much in puppy mode. His favorite thing to eat lately is underwear. I've tried to be very careful, but he's gotten a couple pairs as he's figured out how to get into my laundry basket. The first time, I saw him eat them and made him throw them up almost immediately because I did not want them to get tangled in his intestines. Last Sunday, we went out to a movie and came back to find that another pair of underwear was missing from my laundry. We had been out for a few hours, so I don't know when he actually ate them. I made him throw up just in case, but nothing came out but kibble.

So then we waited. I was freaked out because I have heard such horror stories of dogs dying because things are twisted up in their intestines. Our vet told me that as long as he was eating and pooping normally, not to worry. Sometimes these things will pass on through. Diego was acting perfectly normal, eating his food, doing his business. No underwear.

Then this morning, 6 days later, he vomited it up. Just the underwear, no kibbles or anything with it. So weird. So I guess my question is, how does this happen? Is this a common thing? How does other food just go around a foreign object while the object does not pass into the intestines? And how did he manage to just throw up the underwear but nothing else? Is there something about a dog's stomach that is very different from a human's?

[lindamarie]

WOW!!
IMO, you and Diego were very lucky!!
Perhaps someone with more knowledge of anatomy than me could explain this, but the fact that the underwear sat in the stomach that long is amazing to me!
In all reality, the underwear should have caused some sort of blockage and via peristalsis, should have lodged in the intestines and either have stayed there OR eventually been evacuated at the opposite end.
One of our trainers told us a story ~ to this with a sock. Unfortunately, by the time the beagle had a high fever and was very ill, the sock had become so twisted and contorted in the intestine, that the poor dog died.

Methinks your waiting saved you from a huge surgical bill. I am so happy it all "came out" as this isn't normally the case. I don't believe that a dog's stomach is different than a humans and I have no idea how kibbles just did their natural routine around this foreign object....amazing.

Just a little note of precaution for everyone. Diego lucked out! Not all dogs do. Diego was playing and eating etc., and didn't have a fever. All this is unusual.
Should we suspect that our dog has ingested any foreign object......it may not be necessary to go to an ER immediately, but when the vet opens in the morning.....be there.
Also, we should all know our doodles normal temperature. Each dog, like humans, is different. Have that digital thermometer marked DOG on it handy.
Generally, a dogs temp is around 102. It's important to know what your dog's norm is. If you suspect a foreign object has been ingested, watch the dogs behavior and take the temperature.
So glad this story has a HAPPY ending!