Boubou has eaten sanitary towels...

Sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you with the news, but I’ve got so much on my plate right now and I’m starting to feel a bit down, especially as my little monster isn't getting any better.

It turns out it might be something other than a blockage in his tummy; they couldn't see anything alarming in his stomach. It was an "abnormally shaped but not opaque mass," if I remember rightly. Basically, the scan showed a lump about 1cm wide, but it wasn't solid, not a "hello, I'm a foreign body causing an obstruction" type of thing. We did another ultrasound this morning while he was fasted, just to make sure the lump wasn't just food, and there was nothing there. The vet thinks it was just some food swirling around in his tummy that happened to look like a lump. We’re doing another scan tomorrow just to be absolutely certain there’s nothing just sitting in his belly.

However, the scan did show that his intestine was "spotted," which is a sign of inflammation.

He’s already had two bouts of "stomach flu" in two years, so the vet is considering chronic inflammatory bowel syndrome. We’re starting the antibiotics now, as they’ve helped him in the past.

The vet thinks that the towel he chewed on might have helped throw his whole digestive system out of whack.

The internal medicine specialist agrees, which is a relief.

We’ll see how the diarrhoea goes, and once he’s feeling a bit better, I’ll take him back for another check-up. Then we’ll look into this whole "chronic inflammatory syndrome" business.

The clinic is lovely and they’re doing what they can to keep the costs down, which is a big help because the bill is starting to get pretty steep!

We started the antibiotics this morning, so we’ll have to wait and see if it makes him feel any better...

Oh dear! Is the surgery looking like it’s going to be unavoidable? That really is rotten luck.

Best of luck to you both.

Blimey!!!! All that over a 'towel', what a nightmare 🥷

I really hope you don't end up needing surgery for them.

Best of luck.

Laxatives are just the same for pets as they are for us – fine every now and then, but not long-term, and especially not if it isn't actually solving the problem! It helps them pass food as soft stools, but it won't shift the "blockage"!

I’m not quite as worried as I would be otherwise, because basically, as soon as she’s had the laxatives, she’s back to being 200% her usual self! So at least we’ve got something to give her some relief for now. But yeah, we can't let it drag on any longer...

After @Misanthrope, quite a lot of it was passed naturally. If it wasn't for these digestive issues, I might have thought it was all out. Even though there was a fair amount, I have to admit I still didn't think it was enough.

Depending on what they say, I’ll definitely get a second opinion elsewhere tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. I don't want to put him through major surgery if there's any other way. But either way, we need to find a solution fast!