My Dog Ate Diapers: What Should I Do Now? (4 Tips)

Who eats diapers anyway? Oh, right, dogs do. They are playful pets, and they can touch and eat anything, even with the items we never imagine they would. Of course, it doesn’t mean it’s alright for them to do so. In fact, you should worry about your pet.

So, you may ask: my dog ate diapers. What should I do now? Diapers can put your pet in grave danger if it eats such. Thus, the first thing you need to do is respond immediately by calling a vet. Moreover, you need every piece of information you can get from the incident. This way, you’ll handle the situation and keep your dog safe.

While it may sound gross, dogs eat diapers from time to time, and they can do it if they have access to a diaper lying around.

Now, it doesn’t mean you won’t do anything for your pet if you find out what it did. Diapers can be a significant risk for your pet if eaten. Thus, you need to respond quickly to avoid making things worse.

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

What should I do if my dog ate a diaper?

It’s quite unimaginable for our beloved pets to eat diapers. It’s gross, and obviously, it’s toxic. Thus, it can be worrisome to see your dog eating such. As playful and curious pets, these animals can do such from time to time.

Despite all these, such incidents still require immediate response and attention. If left unchecked, it can cause more significant complications to your dog’s health.

For this reason, you’ll need to do something about it as soon as possible.

The thing about a diaper is that it is good at absorbing liquid. Thus, aside from its toxic components, it can absorb the gastric acids present in a dog’s body.

It’s quite dangerous for your pet, meaning they need immediate attention.

Of course, as pet owners, we want to ensure our pet’s safety, and that we need to ensure that nothing is wrong with them. Here are four simple tips you can do if your dog ate such an item.

Observe your dog.

You need to observe your dog and look for any signs of pain or reaction after eating a diaper.

Some symptoms would mean danger, and if such happens, you may need to call or take your pet to the nearest vet.

If your pet seems alright and doesn’t show any signs of severe symptoms, you may proceed with the next one.

Clean the area and remove the remnants.

The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to eat more diapers. Thus, you should remove any remnants from the area.

Dogs usually find such things in the trash bins of your bathroom and other trash bins around.

Thus, if your pet is diving into a trash can and continues to dig in, take it away from the site and put it somewhere secure. Afterward, clean up the mess and prevent your pet from re-accessing it.

You May Also Read – My Dog Ate Maxi Pad: What Should I Do Now?

Understand what happened.

Understanding the situation helps you identify how worse it is and how you should deal with it.

For this reason, it would be best to take note of every detail you can gather regarding the incident.

Here are a few questions that you need to answer and understand from the scene.

• How much of the diaper remains? (it will make you assess how much your dog ate)
• How long has it been since it happened? (the sooner you knew, the better)
• Did your dog consume other items aside from the diaper?

Getting such information would make you understand how worse the incident is.

Moreover, it will help you report what happened if you visit the vet and ask about what happened.

Take your pet to your vet.

Out of all the things in your house, a diaper or other similar items gives out quite a lot of risk for your pet. Thus, such an incident needs consultation with the vet.

It would be best to give your vet a call and state every piece of information about the incident. He or she will surely ask that you bring your pet to have it checked.

Your vet will ask you for all the necessary information. That’s the reason why you need to know everything about the incident.

Take note. Even if your dog seems fair, as long as you’re sure it consumed a diaper, a visit to the vet is necessary.

How to recognize if your dog ate a diaper?

You’re quite lucky if you caught your pet in the act as it eats a diaper. However, chances are you’ll find out about it afterward.

To recognize if your dog ate a diaper, you need to check them for signs of illness. In particular, you can look for symptoms of intestinal blockage.

Hence, the following symptoms this complication may include:

• Loss of appetite
• Constipation
• Lethargy
• Vomiting
• Pain in the abdomen

When it comes to such incidents, a visit to the vet is always necessary. This way, you can be confident your pet receives proper diagnosis and treatment.

Are diapers toxic to dogs?

Diapers are toxic to dogs, and these things can put your pet at many risks if eaten.

The thing about diapers is that they are attractive to a dog’s senses. While it may smell gross (with poop) for us, it’s the opposite for our pets.

Diapers in themselves may pass through a dog’s gut. However, it’s the quality of these things that make them dangerous.

Diapers, like other sanitary pads and even tampons, can absorb any kind of liquid. What makes it worse is that they expand while absorbing.

Such an expansion can cause an intestinal blockage to a dog. Thus, it would be best to keep any of these things out of your pet’s reach.

Is gel in diapers toxic to dogs?

The gel in diapers is usually non-toxic and harmful, but that’s not the case for dogs.

Crystals and gel are materials you can usually find in a diaper. Such items are super-absorbent, and they can expand upon taking in liquids of any kind.

Usually, dogs that ingest these things pass the materials and release them as poop. Thus, it’s not the scary part.

The danger is the possible expansion of those gels inside a dog’s body and blocking the intestines. Moreover, it would rob gastric fluids that are essential in a dog.

Will eating a diaper kill my dog?

It’s not likely to happen that a diaper can kill a dog. However, it’s still an obvious fact that eating such a thing puts any kind of pet at risk of many things.

First, diapers have materials that are toxic to all pets if ingested. Among these are those gel and crystals you can see, especially if it already absorbed a liquid. Thus, it can be a cause of poisoning.

Such poisoning isn’t likely to happen, though. Since dogs eat many kinds of things, their body may not digest them. Instead, it would only let the diaper pass through.

Now, what’s worse is that it can cause an intestinal blockage. While the diaper may pass through, it can block the intestine of your dog.

Moreover, it can rob your pet of vital fluids, increasing in size as it continues to do so.

It can also cause a blockage in your pet’s intestine, which is a significant threat. If left unchecked, it can cause death for your pet.

For this reason, it’s always best for your pet to get checked by your vet to receive proper treatment.

You May Also Read – My Dog Ate Tampon: What Should I Do Now?

Are diapers digestible for dogs?

Like other similar items, diapers aren’t digestible for dogs. However, it doesn’t mean such things can’t pass through their gut. If your pet eats a diaper, it will likely pass through in a day or two.

Worse things can happen, as well. If your pet is a small one, it may cause an intestinal blockage.

For this reason, it would be best to take your pet to your vet if you see it playing with a tampon and parts of it went missing.

If you’re confident your pet ate a diaper, you need to have it checked. Do so, even if your pet doesn’t show any signs of complications.

Why do dogs eat diapers?

Dogs eat diapers simply because they get attracted to their smell (poop smell).

Their thoughts state that whatever smells good is edible. Thus, it’s likely that after smelling the diaper, your pet will start digging on it.

Although it’s disgusting for us, a diaper with poop smells attractive for our canine pets. In fact, they may even love other poop, such as the ones from cats and horses.

While they enjoy such, it doesn’t mean you’ll allow your pet. Remember, it’s not safe for these dogs and can even put their lives at risk.

Why is my dog eating poopy diapers?

As I said earlier, it’s the poop in the diapers that attracts our dogs the most. To these animals, a poopy diaper has an interesting smell.

As curious beings, they would have an urge to investigate it through their mouth. If it’s good enough for their smelling sense, it would be edible, and therefore needs to get eaten.

Although it’s quite disgusting for us, it can be a wholesome treat for our pets.

For this reason, don’t let your dog have access to any diapers with poop.

How to stop dogs from eating diapers?

Dogs have that instinctive attraction towards the scent of poop in a diaper. Thus, they would tend to go to the trash bin and take out the item.

Such an instinct can be hard to take away. Thus, the best way to stop your dog from eating diapers is by keeping them out of their reach.

Try to replace your trash bins with secured ones. You can use heavy ones that would be difficult for your pet to take down.

Moreover, you can use a secure lid so your pet can’t take out its contents.

You can also put the trash bins with diapers in a room where your pet can’t access them.

As always, preventing your pet from taking such things is the best way to avoid these incidents.

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Summary

Diapers, especially the poopy ones, are items that seem gross for us, but it’s the opposite for our dogs. While they may like to play with it and even eat them, it’s dangerous for their health.

The thing about diapers isn’t about the poop, but the item itself. Such things have that absorbent material that can take the vital fluids inside a dog’s body. As it does, it expands, which can cause a blockage.

For this reason, a visit to the vet is essential even if your pet shows no symptoms. As long as you’re confident that your pet ate a tampon, be sure to take it to the vet so it receives proper treatment.

Resources

Image credits – Canva

[1] PetMD’s take on intestinal blockage in dogs

[2] IronHorse Vetcare on signs of intestinal blockage