My Dog Ate A Thumbtack

Mo Rita is a mom, a teacher, a pet owner, and a self-proclaimed artist. She enjoys washing dishes.

How To Prevent Your Dog From Eating a Thumbtack Again?

Of course, the best way to deal with such a situation is to make sure that it never happens again. There are a few things that you can do to make sure that your dog never eats a thumbtack or pushpin again:

This includes keeping sharp and dangerous objects like pushpins out of your dog’s reach.

You can keep these things at a height that your dog cannot reach, such as on shelves or in cupboards. Also, you should keep an eye out for which objects are on the ground and easily available for your dog to play with or chew on.

Ensure Your Dog’s Safety

The first thing that you should do is prevent your dog from eating more thumbtacks.

Keep your dog away from the area where they ate the thumbtacks because they might be tempted to eat more. Next, try to determine the severity of the situation.

Keep the rest of the thumbtacks away from your dog and try to determine how many of them your dog ate. Moreover, if you can, keep a thumbtack with you to show the veterinarian. This way, your vet will have an idea of how serious the damage might be.

What Happens If a Dog Eats a Thumbtack?

Ingesting a thumbtack should not have any severe consequences in most cases.

However, it is possible that the sharp end of the thumbtack might puncture your dog’s organs like the esophagus, mouth, stomach, and intestines. In such a situation, your dog will have severe symptoms like internal bleeding, excessive panting, vomiting blood, etc.

If your dog seems to exhibit any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian. They will suggest a radiography, endoscopy, and emergency surgery if required.

However, this is the worst-case scenario. The severity of symptoms and consequences depends on a few factors – how many thumbtacks your dog ate, the size of your dog, the number of thumbtacks, and your dog’s age and nutrition levels.

A grown and healthy dog will easily be able to pass out a thumbtack. The smaller your dog is, the more trouble they might have. Needless to say, the fewer the number of thumbtacks your dog ingested, the lesser trouble they will go through.

FAQ

What happens if your dog eats a thumbtack?

The worst-case scenario is that it punctures his intestines and causes very serious problems. Since it’s metal (or at least partially metal) a thumbtack will show up on x-ray and you can see where it is (and verify that he did eat it, if there’s any doubt).

What should I do if my dog ate a push pin?

The pin can do a lot of damage as it travels through her digestive tract. Please consider if any family members or friends could help with vet bills. Many vets will offer payment plans, and there’s CareCredit as well. If there is any way you can manage it, please get her to a vet as soon as possible.

What happens if a dog eats something sharp?

If you know your dog swallowed an object, call your veterinarian immediately and take your dog to the vet’s office as soon as possible. The doctor may be able to induce vomiting or retrieve the object from the stomach before serious problems set in.

Does bread help dogs pass objects?

Bread binds or pads swallowed foreign objects like sharp bits of bone – or indigestible objects – enabling them to pass through the digestive tract. This is not true for all foreign objects or shards of bone, but bread can help your dog digest small pieces.