Can Toothpaste Kill Dogs? 3 Reasons for Danger
When I originally got my dog home, I had no idea that they will eat just about everything I put in front of them. Soap and tooth paste were supplied! The thought of what would happen worried me, so I conducted some research.
As a result, what exactly occurs when dogs consume dental floss or toothpaste?
Xylitol is the key ingredient. Xylitol is generally regarded safe for humans, however in dogs, it can induce dangerously low blood sugar levels. Within minutes, dogs can experience hypoglycemia, which can lead to the loss of liver cells, which can result in liver failure.
The good news is that there are several therapy choices. What are the symptoms of toothpaste poisoning in dogs? How are they diagnosed? And how are they treated? Keep reading to find out.
Why Is Human Toothpaste Bad For Dogs?
First and foremost, it all relies on what your dog has consumed. An annoying foreign item in the digestive tract may result from your dog swallowing the plastic tube or cap. If left untreated, this might lead to a bowel blockage and other serious effects. Vomiting, diarrhoea, and discomfort may result from the presence of foreign items.
It is also important to note that the amount of toothpaste that is recommended for use on the toothbrush is fairly little, therefore it is not recommended that individuals ingest any of it, even if they brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of toothpaste. I’ve yet to see a dog that has been trained to’spit,’ despite the fact that dogs are plainly smaller than people and may ingest far more than their human owners. Even while modern toothpaste is great for your teeth and comes highly recommended, using too much of it might be harmful to your overall health.
What Should I Do If My Dog Has Eaten Toothpaste?
Ensure that no more toothpaste is swallowed. If your dog continues to consume or try to eat more toothpaste or other materials, you need to keep them away and clean up the messes they’ve made!
The following information is helpful to keep in mind. You and your veterinarian will be able to make the best treatment option possible if you are both aware of these facts.
What’s your dog been eating? Tube, cap, or box: Which is better?
Your dog has eaten a lot of toothpaste. What is the overall length of the tube, including the handle?
Since when did your dog ingest it (as an approximate date and time)?
What’s in the toothpaste, exactly? Make a note of this information if you still have the packing or tube it came in.
Consult with your pet’s doctor. Your dog’s health and well-being depend on prompt veterinarian intervention. It’s best to phone the Pet Poison Helpline or an emergency service if your veterinarian is closed.
heed the advise of your veterinarian. A visit to the clinic for an evaluation and treatment is one option, but your veterinarian may be delighted to keep an eye on things from home if necessary.
What Exactly Is Dangerous For Dogs in Human Toothpaste?
Xylitol
Dog toothpaste may contain sweeteners as a means of making them more enjoyable for humans to use. Xylitol, a hazardous sweetener, is the most critical sweetener to watch out for with your dog. Sorbitol, for example, might induce stomach troubles when consumed in excessive amounts, but it is unlikely to cause any more serious issues.
Because it mimics sugar, xylitol fools your dog into thinking it has consumed a lot of it. Insulin, a hormone that normally controls blood sugar, is produced in abundance as a result of this. A large drop in blood sugar can cause weakness, tiredness, vomiting, ‘drunken’ walking, and even death if insulin levels are too high. Seizures and even death are possible outcomes.
A 70-pound Labrador must consume around 0.05 ounces of Xylitol to be poisonous, or about 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. You should be aware of the presence of Xylitol in products like toothpaste, sugar-free confections, and gum.
Fluoride
Fluoride (sodium fluoride or stannous/tin fluoride) is a harmless substance that is added to human drinking water and is highly useful to oral health in small, regular doses. For example, a little dog eating the entire bottle of toothpaste might be poisoned if ingested in such high volumes.
Even a hazardous dosage of 5mg per kilogram bodyweight in dogs may cause symptoms if it is exceeded by more than 1mg. Fluoride in a common 3.5-ounce tube of toothpaste, such as Sensodyne or Colgate, is harmful to dogs under 35 pounds.
The symptoms of fluoride poisoning in dogs include severe vomiting and diarrhea, excessive salivation, restlessness, sweating, lack of appetite, weakness and stiffness, as well as quick breathing and a rapid pulse. This is because the digestive system, liver, kidneys, and lungs have been harmed. Seizures and even death are possible outcomes.
Plastic
It is impossible for the stomach to break down the plastic tube and cap of the toothpaste, thus they must be reinserted intact. You may get nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite, and diarrhea if you consume them. If they become lodged in the intestines, they can induce a potentially fatal intestinal blockage. They may be able to get through, but not all dogs are that lucky and difficulties may occur at any point.
How Do We Treat Dogs That Have Eaten Toothpaste?
As soon as possible, contact your veterinarian to get competent guidance. Your veterinarian will be able to devise the best strategy for your dog based on the data you’ve gathered above.
Plastic
An injection to produce strong, dependable vomiting and return the plastic fragments back from the stomach may be recommended by your veterinarian if your dog has eaten the toothpaste cap or tube within the last four hours. Home treatments for inducing vomiting can be quite harmful, thus only a veterinarian should conduct this procedure!
It is possible that your veterinarian may advocate letting the plastic to pass through if it has been more than four hours after your dog ate it, but this choice should only be made by a trained specialist.
If your veterinarian is concerned about a bowel blockage based on your information and any symptoms your dog is experiencing, the next step is to capture pictures of the gut using X-rays or ultrasound. You may want to keep an eye on your dog after this to make sure the plastic doesn’t become caught again, or you may need surgery if it does.
Most dogs that accidentally consume toothpaste tubes will recover completely if they seek medical help as soon as possible.
Xylitol
If Xylitol in toothpaste is the primary cause of your dog’s symptoms, he or she should see a veterinarian very once. Xylitol is readily absorbed by the dog, making it difficult to get it to vomit it back up. Instead, intravenous fluids and sugar solution are used to maintain appropriate hydration and a healthy blood sugar level in a hospital setting.
The Xylitol normally needs to be flushed out of the dog’s system over the course of 24 to 72 hours in the hospital on a drip. It’s important to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels. Most dogs will recover from this if caught and treated right enough, but extremely large dosages or a delay in treatment might be deadly.
Fluoride
Because there is no cure for fluoride poisoning, the only method to help your dog’s body remove the fluoride is to keep him at a veterinary facility. Early detection of fluoride poisoning in dogs may allow them to get an injection that causes vomiting and flushes the fluoride from their bodies. When it comes to assessing organ damage, veterinarians may need to do blood tests. Dogs will require intravenous fluids, including calcium and magnesium, in order to sustain the body’s natural mineral balance. The likelihood of a positive outcome is solely dependent on the volume of food consumed and the speed with which assistance is sought.
Symptoms of Toothpaste Poisoning in Dogs
Using xylitol in your pet’s diet or dental care may be beneficial to you and your pet. However, this product should not be used around our canine family members because of the potential for harm. You may notice the following signs if your dog eats toothpaste:
Vomiting
Inability to maintain muscular control and coordination due to a lack of energy (ataxia)
- Weakness
- Malaise
- Seizure
- Collapse
- Stool with a black tarry appearance
A state of unconsciousness and, eventually, death
In other situations, dogs (and other typical house pets) did not display evident signs until liver failure occurred, which is crucial to keep in mind.
Causes of Toothpaste Poisoning in Dogs
In humans, xylitol is extremely poisonous, yet in dogs, it is almost non-existent. The sweetener can be ingested up to 130g/day by a human with just diarrhea as a side effect. Acute hypoglycemia can result in less than half an hour if a dog consumes more than 0.1 gram/kg of xylitol. Xylitol is promptly and almost fully absorbed by dogs, causing a reduction in blood glucose levels. Serious issues can also arise. When xylitol depletes adenosine triphosphate, which is required for proper cellular activity, it can induce the loss of liver tissue and ultimately lead to full liver failure.
Diagnosis of Toothpaste Poisoning in Dogs
While xylitol poisoning is apparent in many dogs almost away, liver damage may take weeks or months before symptoms appear.
Plan ahead of time so that you arrive to the veterinary hospital with all of your suspicions so that the doctor can address them. Is there any evidence that your pet has eaten sugar-free gum, baked goods, or toothpaste? Once your concerns have been verified, the veterinarian will begin by doing a blood profile. She will confirm the diagnosis of xylitol toxicity by finding absolute hypoglycemia. Due to the insulin’s movement of potassium into the cell, other test results may reveal hypokalemia (low potassium) and hypophosphatemia (phosphate deficiency).
This condition can cause hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia, and signs of gastrointestinal bleeding in the bloodstream, all of which are symptoms of hepatic necrosis.
Treatment of Toothpaste Poisoning in Dogs
To determine if vomiting will be instigated, consider the amount of xylitol consumed and how long it has been since the intake occurred. Vomiting is likely to be provoked if your dog is asymptomatic. Your dog will be hospitalized regardless of whether or not there are evident signs of illness.
There will be a 24-hour assessment every day for at least three days of phosphorous, liver enzymes, blood coagulation, and bilirubin concentration. Your pet’s liver function will be closely monitored during their stay in the hospital. It will take a total of twelve hours for the veterinarian or vet technician to correct the blood glucose level, during which time the level must be checked by the veterinarian or vet technician every hour (or every two hours).
Vitamin E, antioxidants, and liver protectors may be given. Coagulation disorders may necessitate plasma and/or blood transfusions.
Recovery of Toothpaste Poisoning in Dogs
Veterinarians may wish to repeat blood testing in 2 to 3 days following your dog’s release from the hospital to check liver function, depending on the quantity of xylitol taken by your dog. As long as the dog’s hypoglycemia is treated quickly, the condition can be reversed within a few days. Liver failure or necrosis reduces one’s chances of survival. In light of the rising number of goods containing the sugar substitute xylitol in everyday home food and personal care products, cautious label reading and safe product storage are essential.
Can Toothpaste Kill a Dog?
Especially if you don’t seek immediate medical care and your dog is little and takes a significant amount of human toothpaste, the implications might be lethal.
How much toothpaste will kill a dog?
Even a hazardous dosage of 5mg per kilogram bodyweight in dogs may cause symptoms if it is exceeded by more than 1mg. Fluoride in a common 3.5-ounce tube of toothpaste, such as Sensodyne or Colgate, is harmful to dogs under 35 pounds.
How toxic is human toothpaste to dogs?
It’s critical to avoid using human toothpaste on your dog’s teeth when cleaning his teeth. Why is this so? Xylitol, an artificial sweetener included in many human toothpastes, is poisonous to dogs. When consumed by dogs, xylitol can induce blood sugar reductions and liver damage.
Conclusion
Tubes, closures, and even the toothpaste itself can be harmful to dogs if swallowed. Make an appointment with your veterinarian immediately if you have any doubts about what is wrong with your pet. If you want to brush your dog’s teeth, by all means do so, but be sure to use a canine toothpaste and not a human one.
I have been working in animal shelter for the past six years and I have been raising the puppies of different breeds. I have had experience in training the puppies in obedience, agility, and other dog sports.
My main objective is to train the puppies to become good family pets. They should be well-behaved and trained to be loving, loyal, and obedient.
Contact me:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (912) 634-3631
Address: 102 Village Way Crk Saint Simons Island, Georgia(GA), 31522
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