If you have a baby and a dog in the house, there is always the chance that they will end up eating a diaper.
While this might seem fairly harmless, it can cause serious health complications. It is important that you are aware of the possible consequences.
Are Diapers Dangerous for Dogs?
The main danger that is associated with a dog eating a diaper is digestive issues. Because diapers are made of highly absorbent material, they can expand inside your dog’s stomach. This can cause a number of very serious problems. While the material itself is probably not toxic to your pet, there are lots of potential problems that come with this.
Health Concerns
As we mentioned above, there are numerous health concerns associated with your dog eating a diaper that you should be aware of.
1. Intestinal Obstruction
One of the most serious consequences of your dog eating a diaper is intestinal obstruction. This can be fatal if it is not treated right away, so you’ll need to keep that in mind. It could take up to a few hours before you start noticing the signs.
2. Choking
There is also the possibility that your dog could choke on the diaper, especially if it tries to swallow it at once without chewing first. The fact is that most dogs cannot swallow a whole diaper without choking, so this is a real concern.
Why Dogs Sometimes Eat Diapers
There are actually a number of reasons that a dog might try to eat a diaper, and some of them are downright interesting.
1. They Are Curious About the Scent
It is possible that your dog ate one of your baby’s diapers because it was curious about the scent coming from it. Dogs have a very powerful sense of smell, so this is actually a fairly reasonable explanation.
2. They Are Teething
If you have a puppy that is less than six months old, they might have eaten a diaper because they are teething. Dogs that are going through this phase will try to eat just about anything.
3. They Are Jealous
As ridiculous as it might sound, it is also possible that your dog ate the diaper because it is jealous of the new addition to the household. Some dogs become very insecure when a new person or animal comes into their home.
This could be your dog’s way of expressing its dislike for this change. There is, however, a good chance that they will eventually get used to your baby and stop acting out. This might just be a phase that you have to wait out.
What to Do After Your Dog Eats a Diaper
If you notice your dog eating a diaper, there are a number of steps that you’ll want to follow.
1. Check Their Mouth
The first thing you’ll want to do is to check your dog’s mouth to see if there are any of the diapers it hasn’t swallowed. If so, you’ll want to snatch it out of their mouth right away. This could help to minimize the potential health problems your dog might experience.
2. Determine How Much They Ate
If your dog ate an entire diaper, you’ll want to get them to the vet right away. There is a good chance that it will cause an intestinal obstruction, which is very serious. The sooner you get them to the vet, the better off your pet will be.
The veterinarian will likely do an X-RAY and/or endoscopy to determine the location of the diaper inside of your dog. This will give them a better idea as to which course of action they should take.
3. Monitor Their Condition
If it doesn’t seem like your dog that much of a diaper, you’ll want to keep a close eye on them for the next 24 hours. It is important that you monitor their condition so you can keep track of how they are doing.
Some of the things you should look for in your dog include:
- Persistent vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Gagging sounds
- Bloating of the stomach
- Lethargic behavior
- Lack of appetite
All of these things are a good reason to go see your veterinarian, as they indicate a potentially serious issue. You’ll also want to check your dog’s droppings to see if there is any change in their appearance. This can also be a sign that you should take your dog to the vet to get looked at.
Prevention
There are a few key things that you can do to keep your dog from eating any diapers in the future.
1. Store Your Diaper Up High
It is important that you keep your baby’s unused diapers somewhere up high where your dog cannot get to them. This is one of the simplest and easiest way to prevent this issue.
2. Put Used Diapers In a Pet-proof Wastebasket
If you don’t already have a pet-proof wastebasket, you’ll want to consider investing in one. This will keep your dog from eating your baby’s used diapers.
3. Keep a Close Eye On Them
If you put diapers on your dog because it is incontinent, keep a close eye on them. You want to make sure they don’t tug the diaper of their body and eat it.
Conclusion
- The main danger that diapers pose to dogs when eaten is an intestinal obstruction, which can be fatal.
- There is also the chance that your dog could choke on the diaper when trying to eat it.
- Diapers are made of absorbent material, so they can expand in your dog’s stomach, causing all sorts of damage.
- There is a chance that your dog ate a diaper because it was attracted by the scent.
- If you have a puppy, it might have eaten the diaper because it is teething.
- Some dogs become jealous of a new baby and act out in various ways, such as eating diapers and other mischievous behavior.
- If your dog eats a diaper, check its mouth to see if there is any in their mouth they haven’t swallowed yet.
- Keep a close eye on your dog and watch for signs of illness, including persistent vomiting and lethargic behavior.
- If they swallow an entire diaper at once, get them to the vet right away.
