My Dog Ate Lotion Will He Get Sick?

Does your dog like to lick lotion off your skin after you put it on? Does your fur baby have a penchant for getting at your lotion bottles? Then you’ve come to the right place. This is a common problem that many pet parents have with their dogs.

Is it safe for your dog to lick lotion off your skin? The answer is that it depends on the type of lotion he’s licking off.

Lotions & Dogs

Many dogs seem to enjoy the taste or smell of lotions. It could be some smell like food, so your dog likes to lick the lotion off in hopes of getting something yummy. Now, we don’t mean the lotion smells like steak or a roast turkey! Instead, your canine companion may be enticed by the fruity, flowery smells of some lotions, and may believe these must taste good if they smell so good!

But the problem is that some lotions, even those that smell good, can contain ingredients and substances that could be harmful to your dog.

Keep in mind that if your fur baby is licking off something like hand lotion, generally these won’t hurt him unless he happens to ingest a lot of the lotion. In that case, he may develop an upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. These will be short-lived, and your canine companion should be just fine in a day or so.

On other hand, lotions that are medicated can cause a problem. This applies to both OTC (over the counter) and prescribed medicated lotions. These types of lotions include:

• Antifungal creams: used for jock itch, nail fungus, athlete’s foot, yeast infections, and more.
• Steroid creams: which contain hydrocortisone, are often used to treat skin irritations, skin allergies, etc.
• Diaper rash ointments & creams: these often contain zinc oxide, which can cause damage to a dog’s intestinal tract.
• Triple antibiotic ointments: can cause upset stomach, so be sure to allow the ointment to absorb so your fur baby won’t ingest the medication.
• Muscle rubs: may contain salicylates or other substances, which can cause blooding vomit or stomach ulcers
• Sunscreens
• Antihistamine creams

The ingredients in these lotions and creams can cause nausea, vomiting, excessive drooling, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues.

For these reasons, it’s important to curb your dog’s lotion-licking habits. If your fur baby does happen to eat a lot of lotion (from the bottle) or licks a lot of lotion off your skin, then you may want to call the vet and get their advice on what you need to do.