Definitely don't give your boxer rope toys! We, too, learned this lesson the hard way. Our 9-month old Boxer ate some rope from a toy and chewed on a towel that was in his kennel, and unknown to us, he became severely obstructed. We spent New Year's Eve at the animal ER because he refused to eat all day, and he kept walking around the house listlessly and was extremely restless. When we finally went to bed and he refused to get on the bed to cuddle with my husband and me, I knew something was severely wrong. Sure enough, after a few x-rays, they found something obstructing his intestines. We elected to have it removed surgically versus trying other less invasive methods first, and they actually removed three cups full of string, etc. He spent the night at the ER clinic, and late the next night, just when we thought he was on the road to recovery, we got a call from the Doc telling us he was throwing up something horrible continuously that night, and that they believed he was having complications from the surgery. They said the only way to know forsure if there was a complication would be to go back in and do exploratory surgery. My heart broke into a million pieces that night knowing he would have to be cut open a second time in 24 hours. We gave the go ahead to the Doc to go back in, and thanfully they found no complications. They were initially thinking they would have to remove part of his bowel because the surgery is so invasive and disruptive to the intestines that sometimes they don't fully recover. Luckily no further actions were needed, and after 4 long days, we were finally able to bring him home. He came home on 4 different medications and a severely restricted water and food diet for the next 7-10 days. He lost 6 pounds and looked like a bag of bones. I am happy to report, however, that he is now back to normal. We were longing for the days when his kidney bean dance, chasing the cats, and jumping on us when we walked through the door would come back. Our prayers were answered this time, and our precious pup was saved. I only hope to spare someone else the emotional agony of a situation like this in the future.
