Your dog will need to be taken to the veterinarian right away for a complete diagnostic work up, which includes a physical examination. The physical examination will consist of an abdominal palpation, weight, body temperature, reflexes, heart rate, breath sounds, blood pressure, respirations, oxygen level, and an oral examination to look for visible signs of tinsel trapped in the teeth or around the tongue. The veterinarian will ask you for all the information you can remember and symptoms you have seen. You will also be expected to provide your dog’s medical history, vaccination records, any illnesses or injuries you have noticed in the last few months, and changes in appetite or behavior.
Once the physical examination is done, the veterinarian will perform some laboratory tests which will include a urine analysis, blood chemical profile, complete blood count (CBC), fecal examination, and possibly a barium swallow test. The barium test is actually a group of radiographs (x-rays) or CT scan images taken over several hours after your dog has been fed a food or liquid with barium in it. Barium is a metallic liquid that coats your dog’s intestines and stomach so the veterinarian can see each part of the intestines as the barium moves through. The veterinarian may give your dog several doses of barium and take several rounds of images to be absolutely positive there is no intestinal blockage. If there is a blockage, the barium will stop at the site of the blockage so your veterinarian will know where it is and if more tests are needed. If these tests are inconclusive, your veterinarian may decide to do an ultrasound or MRI to get a better look at the intestinal area. A gastric endoscopy may be done with an endoscope, which is a long thin tube with a lighted camera at one end to let your veterinarian see down into your dog’s stomach and the small intestines. There are tools on the endoscope that can be used to remove a small blockage if possible, or it will show the veterinarian where the tinsel is trapped so it can be removed with surgery.