Gift ribbon
Also called: ribbon · ribbons · curling ribbon · satin ribbon · wrapping ribbon · bow · gift bow
Dog
Dangerous
Described signs
Repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, belly pain, diarrhea, dehydration and low energy; sometimes the ribbon can be seen showing at the anus, and it must not be pulled. Swallowed ribbon is a linear foreign body, and in dogs string and ribbon are the ones that do the most damage: they can open holes in the gut, and through those holes gut contents leak into the abdomen and cause inflammation and severe infection. A bow off a parcel and curling ribbon count just the same. The smaller the dog, the less ribbon it takes to block it.
Cat
Dangerous
Described signs
Repeated vomiting, refusing to eat, dehydration, low energy, belly pain or hiding more than usual; sometimes the ribbon is caught under the tongue or shows at the anus, and it must never be pulled. Cats are the species at risk: they like playing with ribbons and bows, especially shiny or moving ones, and once swallowed these become a linear foreign body, the kind most common in cats. One end anchors, the rest keeps travelling down and the gut pleats up along the ribbon until the ribbon cuts into it. A bow off a parcel and the curling ribbon on a bouquet count just the same, and in a small cat it takes less.
This is a compendium of public veterinary sources, not a diagnosis. The weight of your pet changes what a dose means.
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