My Dog Ate Paint What Should I Do?
My Dog Ate Paint What Should I Do?
Are you working on a home DIY project such as painting the rooms in your home? Or are you an artist who uses acrylic or oil paints? If so, then your fur baby could accidentally swallow or eat some paint.
You’d be surprised at how often dogs and paints mix; however, the issue is that they shouldn’t mix. Accidents do happen, however, so it’s important to know what to do if your canine companion eats paint.
Paints May Be Poisonous
Paints used for homes, art, etc. can be dangerous to dogs if ingested. Some paints are water-based, such as latex, tempera, and paints used for posters, while other paints are solvent-based or oil-based. And if you live in an older building, it’s possible that the paint could include lead.
What Type of Paint Did Your Dog Eat?
This is an important question, as paint ingredients do vary, as noted in the last section. Let’s take a look:
- Paints without lead: these tend to be safer and a little bit may cause your fur baby to have an upset tummy accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting. However, paints with a low concentration of glycols can be very dangerous if swallowed.
- Water-based paints: may irritate your canine companion’s skin or mucous membranes (such as in his mouth or throat), but they’re not usually toxic. Even so, if your pup swallows a large amount of paint, he could develop nausea and vomiting.
- Latex paints: most of these are non-toxic, however, if your fur baby eats a large amount of this type of paint if it contains glycol. In this case, the paint could cause trouble breathing, acidosis (too much acid), and crystals in your pup’s urine. Your fur baby could suffer kidney failure if he doesn’t receive treatment.
- Oil-based paints: these may contain solvents that can cause lung issues if inhaled. If swallowed, they may cause diarrhea. If the paint contains heavy metals (lead, cadmium, etc.) your dog could become poisoned.
My Dog Ate Paint – What to Do?
First, do not induce vomiting or give anything to your fur baby, unless advised to do so by the vet. This could make things worse.
Next, see what type of paint your dog has eaten, and then call your vet or a pet poison hotline as soon as possible. They’ll give you guidance on what to do and if treatment is necessary.
Symptoms of paint poisoning may include:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Difficult walking/standing
- Depression
- Lethargy
- Tremors
- Difficulty breathing
If you notice any of these signs, then call the vet as soon as possible. Quick treatment could save your fur baby’s life!
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My dog licked an oil-based paint when we were redecorating and he started choking. We were quick to rush him to the hospital on time and got the vet to attend to him. If we had wasted few more minutes before getting there, we sure would have lost him. The thing is, as soon as there’s any swallow accident with your dog, get help immediately to avoid issues you won’t be comfortable with.
Ohh nice. I was almost going into panic mode. My dog ate a paint without lead and we’ve been running around trying to see how we can get to the vet. Since it’s safer and we should only be looking out for an upset tummy, diarrhea, and vomiting, then I guess we are good.
Well, I won’t really advise you just fold your hands and wait for your dog to start having an upset stomach or something, I’ll advise you get to the vet first. My neighbor’s dog once swallowed a little paint that has no lead but he had something worse than diarrhea. I think it all depends on the system of the dog. Not all can withstand it so I think it’s better to see the vet to be sure your pet is safe.
My dog ingested some water color paint some hours ago, at first, I was frightened and waiting to see some of the scary symptoms I thought he would have but thankfully he hasn’t exhibited any yet. Can I give him some milk to ease the effect of the paint on him?