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Young (mean 2.5–4.5 years), medium to large‐breed dogs are most commonly reported to have GI foreign bodies [2, 4, 11, 21, 22], although this is not consistent in all studies [23]. Most reported cats are also young [2] with the mean age of 1.8–2.7 years [2, 13]. Clinical signs depend on the duration since ingestion and the type, extent, and location of obstruction. Animals with acute or complete obstruction often present with lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Dehydration may also be present due to a combination of vomiting and lack of water intake. Vomiting tends to be more common with upper GI obstructions and has been reported to be present for 0.04–60 hours before presentation [2]. Chronic or partial obstruction, particularly distal in the intestinal tract, may include the same signs in addition to weight loss and diarrhea; and hemorrhagic diarrhea has also been reported subsequent to ingestion of contaminated foreign bodies, such as used feminine hygiene products [2, 24, 25]. Animals may also present with seemingly unrelated clinical signs, such as respiratory distress subsequent to intrathoracic migration of a foreign body [26]. Animals presented immediately after witnessed ingestion of a foreign body or those with small or inconsequential foreign bodies frequently have no clinical signs [2, 4, 21, 24].

Foreign objects may or may not be identified on physical examination. Evans et al. reported that only 6% (2 of 32) of dogs with linear foreign bodies had the object visible under the tongue [11]. A second study showed that 3% of objects were visible in the oral cavity or at the anus, while 76% of the foreign bodies or the intestinal abnormalities resulting from such were palpable in either the awake (60%) or anesthetized patient [2]. Additional clinical signs such as fever, lethargy, abdominal pain, and abdominal distention may also be seen in patients with perforation and septic peritonitis, induced by a foreign body.