Dogs love to eat anything and everything, including those things they shouldn’t! One of our most popular article is about dogs eating cat toys!
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Gum is one those items that dogs sometimes do chew and swallow. In fact, it’s a bit challenging to get gum out of your fur baby’s mouth, unless he’s working on a large wad (and hopefully he isn’t)!
So, what should you do if your dog eats gum? Let’s take a look!
What You Need to Do if Your Dog Ate Gum
1). What type of gum did your canine companion eat? Was it gum sweetened with sugar, artificial sweeteners (sorbitol, etc.), or xylitol?
a). If it was gum with sugar: your pup may develop an upset stomach. The thing to watch for is signs of intestinal blockage, which can include:
- Lip smacking
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Painful abdomen
- Drooling
- Difficulty passing stool
- Lethargy
If your dog is showing any of these signs, it could be an emergency—you should get him to the vet as soon as possible. An intestinal blockage can be fatal.
b). If the gum was sugar-free: but made with sorbitol, aspartame or mannitol, eh should be OK. Just watch for signs of digestive issues, as noted above.
c). If the gum was made with xylitol: and your fur baby has eaten the gum in the last 30 minutes, then it’s time to call the vet. The reason is that xylitol is toxic for dogs. Just one piece of gum can poison a dog. The vet may instruct you to induce vomiting, while you’re at home, using a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. If this doesn’t work or you’re worried about your pup, then quickly get him to the vet.
Symptoms of Xylitol Poisoning
Here are the signs and symptoms to watch for in case your dog’s swallowed gum with xylitol:
- Vomiting
- Weakness
- Tremors
- Lethargy
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures
- Dark red blood spots on gums
- Pale gums
- Shock
- Collapse
Note: your dog may or may not show symptoms right after swallowing the gum. It can sometimes take up to 72 hours before symptoms become apparent.
If your dog has swallowed, don’t panic, just check the gum’s ingredients and get immediate help if your dog has ingested xylitol or appears to have symptoms of an intestinal blockage. To avoid such situation moving forward check out our article on what to give a puppy to chew on.
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Julie
Julie is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she studied Animal science. Though contrary to the opinion of her parents she was meant to study pharmacy, but she was in love with animals especially cats. Julie currently works in an animal research institute (NGO) in California and loves spending quality time with her little cat. She has the passion for making research about animals, how they survive, their way of life among others and publishes it. Julie is also happily married with two kids.
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