What to Do When Your Dog Eats Something They Shouldn’t
Curious pups love to explore and put their noses in things that they probably shouldn’t… There are a few things you should know if your pup decides to use your clothes, food, or furniture as their next meal. The most important thing to do is to call your vet!
If your pup has just chewed up your shoelaces, dental floss, or anything stringy, it is important that you do not try and take it out of their mouth. If this linear foreign body is going through your dog’s system, it is collecting things as it reaches into their stomach, which might form a blockage in their gastrointestinal tract. If you did start pulling the item out and you noticed that it was balling up, this is a big problem, and you should contact your vet immediately.
Who ya gonna call? THE VET
Call your vet or take them to the ER immediately. Imagine if it was your child or cousin that had started chewing floss and had a part of it sticking out of their mouth while the other end is in their stomach. You would probably take them to the ER right away. Just as you would take your child to the ER, you should take your pup to the ER as well. There are also some pet poison health lines that you can call to get more information. ASPCA has one. ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center: (888) 426–4435. You can call this number to ask questions if your dog has just consumed something questionable. In addition to this, if your dog has a microchip, some of them offer free poison control benefits that you can use.
How to prevent this from happening
Sometimes these situations are inevitable — you’re walking on the beach and your dog gets to something inedible before you can pull them away or someone accidentally leaves something on the ground in your house.
To try and limit these occurrences, here are a few tips. When you bring in any packages or groceries, make sure to not leave them on the ground or in an area that your dog can go sniffing around in. This limits the amount of objects they are subjected to investigating and potentially sampling.
Research which items may be potentially dangerous for your pet, like certain plants or essential oils before you bring them into your home and garden.
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