My Dog Ate a Diaper What Should I Do?
My Dog Ate a Diaper What Should I Do?
Has your dog ever gone for baby diapers? By this, we mean eating baby diapers. If so, you’re not alone. This is a common issue in homes where dogs gain access to clean or dirty baby diapers.
Why Would a Dog Eat a Baby Diaper?
For one thing, dogs tend to use their mouths and noses to explore the world around them. And if you’ve been a pet parent for any length of time, you’ll know your fur baby may have an attraction to strong, offending odors. A dirty baby diaper may present this type of attraction.
Keep in mind that dogs are wont to eat cloth or disposable diapers. Both of which can be dangerous to your fur baby.
Why are Diapers Dangerous for Dogs?
Disposable diapers are made of non-toxic ingredients; however, the problem arises from the absorbent material in the diaper. When this material comes in contact with liquids in the digestive system, it expands.
In addition, disposable diapers have a waterproof outer layer and an inner layer that’s meant to keep wetness away from the skin. These layers can also cause problems for dogs if ingested.
Another problem are the adhesive tabs on the outside of the diaper, which can become stuck in a dog’s digestive tract.
One more issue—if the diaper (cloth or disposable) is dirty, then it’s filled with bacteria, which can make your dog sick.
The most serious issues come from the absorbent material in the disposable diapers. The material will swell, which can lead to a bowel obstruction. A bowel obstruction that partially or completely blocks your fur baby’s intestines, which can lead to death.
What to Do if Your Dog Ate a Diaper
First, don’t panic. Quickly gather information the vet will need such as what type of diaper did your canine companion eat (cloth or disposable) and the size, then figure out if he ate the entire diaper or just a part. And try to work out when your pup ate the diaper. Note any symptoms your dog may be displaying.
Now, you’re ready to call the vet. One word of warning—never induce vomiting without your vet’s instructions. In many instances, this can cause worse problems. So, only induce vomiting if instructed to do so by the vet.
The vet will more than likely want to see your dog and conduct an exam. They will look to see if your fur baby has pain and swelling of the abdomen. They may also order blood work and x-rays. The images will show where the diaper is in your dog’s digestive tract. The vet may also conduct an endoscopic exam to locate the diaper.
Depending on where the diaper is in the intestinal tract, the vet may induce vomiting. Or the vet may give your fur baby a laxative or enema if the diaper is near the end of the digestive tract. This will help your dog poop the diaper out.
In other instances, it may be necessary to remove the diaper by inserting a flexible scope into your dog’s throat or rectum, which allows the vet to manually remove the diaper.
If the diaper is causing a bowel obstruction, your dog will need emergency surgery to remove the diaper.
With early and fast treatment, your fur baby has an excellent chance at a full recovery.
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To think that my dog almost ate a diaper some days ago is really frightening. I am not sure I would have handled it well. Reading this, I now know to do better with disposing of my baby’s diapers to completely avoid a dangerous situation for my dog.
I see the way my dog’s eyes follow dirty diapers straight to the bin, looks like he might just go ahead and explore someday. To avoid any hazards in the future, I’ll just pack dirty diapers into black plastic bags before disposing of them in the trash. I think such a situation would be totally avoided then.
When my dog swallowed a diaper, I was really panicking. In fact, I was at a loss what to do and it was my neighbor that helped me get him to the hospital. The vet had to remove the diaper with a flexible scope. He put it into my dog’s throat to manually remove the diaper. It was a horror to watch. I do not wish anyone’s dog to go through that.
My dog had a similar experience. Mine was even worse. The diaper was already causing bowel obstruction and they had to perform surgery to remove the diaper. I couldn’t sleep for days thinking about the procedure. One just has to be careful with dogs to avoid accidents like this.
That adhesive tabs on the outside of a diaper is usually what causes problem for many dogs that swallow diapers. This can become stuck in a dog’s digestive tract and once it gets stuck, bringing it out is usually going to be through surgery.