Can dogs poop out rubber? Get Your Pet Thinking

How Frequent and How Serious is the Problem of Dogs Swallowing Rubber Bands?

Dogs like to explore with their noses and their mouths. Often, the things they are exploring are the very things they should not have in their mouths. There are many household objects that dogs frequently swallow, and each one presents its own unique risk to your dog.

Some are toxic, presenting poisoning hazards. Others present internal puncturing risks. Other items, like rubber bands, present a choking hazard and risk of intestinal blockage.

Rubberbands are ubiquitous and are easily dropped on floors or left in places that our dogs can easily access.

Many are in the form of hair ties (a.k.a. ponytail holders) that are dropped on the floor or left within a dog’s reach on nightstands, vanities, etc.

Dogs find colorful rubber bands as parts of some children’s toys.

There are often plain rubber bands of all sizes that come on mailed packages or around bundles of mail envelopes received.

Rubber bands are also commonly used in home offices and for various household utility purposes in kitchens, garages, and storage spaces.

Veterinarian Dr. Greg Cunningham of Detroit Dover Animal Hospital has this to say regarding pets choking on rubber bands, “The material gets stuck in the intestine, and the intestine works upon it. The term’s called plication, and it can lead to a rupture of the intestine track.”

Why Do Dogs Swallow Rubber Bands and Other Dangerous Objects?

Dogs and other animals don’t necessarily recognize the dangers of swallowing objects. If an item is fun to play with or looks interesting to them, it doesn’t occur to them not to eat it. Rubber bands are just one of the countless types of dangerous common household objects that dogs swallow.

Others include plastic toys, bones, jewelry, string, Christmas decorations, household décor items, yarn, clothing, feminine products, batteries, sticks, coins, rocks, rawhide, golf balls, and on and on. Swallowing such things frequently causes dangerous obstructions in the digestive tracts of dogs and other pet animals.

So home pet safety inspections should go beyond rubber bands to include safe placement of all such hazards. Any object that is small enough to fit inside your dog’s mouth but big enough to become stuck in its mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, or intestines presents a danger.

Symptoms of Swallowed Objects

Diagnosis can be based on seeing the puppy swallow something or based on symptoms. It’s confirmed by X-rays or other diagnostics like an endoscope to determine the exact location and size of the blockage, and sometimes to identify the object itself. Specific signs depend on where the blockage is located and the type of object. Any of the following signs mean that your pet needs to go to the vet promptly: vomiting, diarrhea, decreased energy or interest in getting up, decreased appetite, inability to keep food or water down, retching, distended stomach, hunching, or seemingly painful.

An object caught in the stomach or intestines causes vomiting, lethargy, and dehydration which needs medical attention from your veterinarian. Sometimes it may come and go for days or weeks if the blockage is not complete and food can pass around it but if any signs are seen a visit to a vet is needed to help your pet.

A complete blockage is a medical emergency that results in a bloated, painful stomach often with vomiting. The dog refuses food and immediately throws up anything he or she drinks. These are often life-threatening.

Signs of zinc toxicity (from coins) include pale gums, bloody urine, jaundice—a yellow tinge to the whites of the eyes or inside the ears—along with vomiting, diarrhea, and refusal to eat.

Lead poisoning from batteries can also cause teeth grinding, seizures and hyperactivity, loss of appetite, and vomiting.

Copper poisoning has similar signs plus a swollen tummy.

String-type articles may be caught between the teeth in the mouth, with the rest swallowed.

Intestines propel food using muscle contractions called peristalsis that move through the entire length of the intestine (kind of like an earthworm) to help push the contents through. But when a foreign object like a string is caught at one end, the intestine literally “gathers” itself like fabric on a thread, resulting in a kind of accordion formation. The result is sudden severe vomiting and diarrhea, and rapid dehydration. Your veterinarian should evaluate any blockage situation to determine the best course of treatment. Surgery is often necessary to remove the obstruction.

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Puppies explore their world by mouthing, tasting, and chewing and as a result, they swallow foreign objects that can potentially make them sick. Puppies may gulp some things accidentally when a piece of a toy breaks off or something falls onto the ground without the owners knowledge. Other dangerous objects prove too tempting—used tampons, and even grease-smeared foil proves irresistible to puppies who troll the wastebaskets for scraps. Foreign body obstruction in puppies can be a medical emergency that can cost you money and your puppys life if not immediate attention is received.