Help! My Dog Ate Chapstick!
Whether Your Dog Nibbled Your Chapstick, Or Ate It Wrapper And All, We’ll Take A Look At What You Need To Do Next.
Chapstick and dogs do not go together – or at least they are not supposed to!
But where we look at a tube of pricey and delicately moisturizing chapstick and think “Let me put some on to moisturize my lips,” the family canine often seems to regard that same slim tube or tub or jar as a tasty snack just asking to be sampled.
Whether you are a seasoned canine handler or a brand-new dog owner, this is one of those questions where it pays to know what to do before your dog eats chapstick!
And remember, if you are worried about your dog the best thing to do is to call your vet.
To ease your mind, the short answer to the question “Is chapstick toxic for dogs” is “not usually.”
For example, if your dog ate chapstick tubing and packaging as well as the contents (the chapstick itself), you may have more than one health concern to deal with.
If you can say with confidence that my dog ate chapstick contents only, the next step is to look at a few factors.
This include the amount she ate versus her size and body weight, the chapstick ingredients list, and how she is responding post-chapstick snack.
You should also ALWAYS call your veterinarian just to be sure there is nothing to worry about, and definitely bring your dog to the vet if you are concerned.
However, if your dog ate both the chapstick contents and the container/packaging, this can be more serious.
This is because the plastic and/or cardboard is foreign matter that can cause obstructions or punctures.
In this case, it is the wise choice to call your veterinarian immediately and follow their guidance for how to help make sure your dog is safe.
The short reason is because chapstick isn’t meant to be eaten. By people or by dogs!
The long reason is because even chapstick claiming to contain only pure, organic, natural ingredients can have health effects on your individual dog.
Just like some chapstick brands might irritate your own lips, but don’t have any effect on your friend’s lips.
Regular or medicated chapstick is even more likely to contain difficult-to-pronounce, ingredients that could be toxic or harmful to your dog.
My dog ate Burt’s Bees chapstick
Burt’s bees pride themselves on creating products that are all natural. You might be led to believe this makes them more likely to be safe, but this is not true. A product being derived from natural sources doesn’t really mean anything meaningful about safety.
It’s important that we recognize this for what it is — marketing. In fact many naturally occurring plants within walking distance of your home could harm your dog if he were inclined to eat them. As such, there are a few ingredients in Burt’s Bees chapstick that might be cause for concern for your pooch. One of these concerns is peppermint oil.
My dog ate chapstick with peppermint oil
Peppermint oil contains chemicals like limonene and menthol that can cause gastrointestinal distress, and at higher doses toxicity. It’s worth pointing out that, while a dog with an upset stomach is usually just inconvenient, severe upset can cause dehydration and, in severe cases, death.
Bee byproducts are one of the main hallmarks of Burt’s Bees’ products. Most of the time these ingredients are harmless to dogs. With this being said it’s unlikely your dog will have been exposed to the unique proteins in these substances before, so an allergy may have gone unnoticed. Severe allergic reactions can be life threatening and come on suddenly.
All in all, while there are certainly worse things your dog could eat, Burts Bees chapstick still poses it’s own risk to dog. As with any other remedy meant for humans, accidental ingestion by a dog should be taken seriously. Take your dog to the vet if he eats this chapstick to avoid the worst case scenario. So, what should I do if my dog ate my EOS chapstick?
Along with vomiting and distress, look for symptoms like itchy skin, a loss of appetite, excessive thirst, and diarrhea. Fortunately, if your dog has a hardy digestive system and didnt eat much of the lip balm and packaging, mild symptoms should subside within 24 hours. As always, its a good idea to get your vets opinion immediately, so you can ensure your dog heals swiftly.
If any sized dog ate more than one lip balm with the plastic, then he can become ill and youll need to take him into the vet for treatment. Signs of illness include vomiting repeatedly, loses of appetite, or not acting normally. Note that if your dog cant even hold down water, thats an immediate cause for concern.
However, if your dog is a toy or small breed, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as you suspect your dog ingested any packing or part of the tube. Small dogs are more vulnerable to obstruction.
Yes, ingestion of lip balm can be serious. First, youll need to investigate to determine if your dog simply ate the Chapstick or lip balm specifically, or if he also ingested the plastic packaging and/or the tube it came in. If your dog ate small quantities of plastic from the lip balm tube, then that might not be serious and should come out when he goes to the bathroom. He might also throw it up.
Lip balms, whether medicated or not, natural or synthetic, all contain ingredients that could potentially harm your dog. Chapstick, for example, is made of many ingredients that could harm your dog, including isopropyl myristate, lanolin, propylparaben, D&C Red #6, and Arachidyl propionate. Another popular brand, Burts Bees Lip Balm, is made with peppermint oil, which can cause your dog to have gastrointestinal distress. If its eaten in large quantities, it could become toxic to your dog.