Being a fur parent is definitely nothing easy. Saying no to your dog while he is there wagging his fluffy tail and has a cute little face on with puppy eyes, it’s always difficult.
But once they ingest something their not supposed to eat, we’re sure you’re worried sick.
You’re here because your dog ate a popsicle stick. All you need to do is stay calm. Making decisions while you’re panicking are never good decisions. Stay positive because we are going to give you all the necessary information you need.
Even after you have fed your dog enough food he will still want to munch on something else. Dogs don’t know what is right or wrong for them to eat. A dog eating a popsicle stick is nothing new; since popsicle sticks are just another variety non-edible food items that your dog may tend to chew on.
What are the Risks if Your Dog Eats a Popsicle Stick?
The risks of a dog eating a popsicle stick are completely dependent on the size of the stick as well as how much stick has been eaten. These are the two main factors to start with. If your dog has chewed the popsicle stick properly then there it may not have any issues going through your dog’s esophagus. Your dog may get harmed if he has swallowed the entire popsicle all at once or even if the popsicle has a sharp edge that may cause cuts inside the body of your dog.
Earlier we told you about the size of the popsicle stick that matters now it’s the size of your dog that matters as well. If you have a small dog that has chewed on a popsicle stick, there can be some problems on its way soon. Since small dogs have small throats and small dishes give tracts it is difficult for them to deal with wood fragments.
Poisonous Wood
There are types of wood sticks. There are some like applewood which is absolutely toxic for the consumption of dogs. Most of the time and also generally popsicle sticks are known to be treated so they don’t usually turn out to be poisonous.
We’d tell you to identify which type of stick your dog has eaten, but knowing which type of stick your dog has eaten is difficult to identify. All you need to do is keep a close eye on your dog and note down any unusual behaviour or any type of discomfort shown by your dog.
Piercing Sticks
There might be sharp edges that the popsicle has and that may lead to harming the internal organs inside the body of your dog. If your dog does not tend to properly and correctly chew the popsicle then the sharp edges of it may harm your dog causing internal bleeding.
You need to keep a check on the vomit or feces of your dog, they might contain amounts of blood in them. You need to be aware of that.
Immediately call your vet so that nothing worse happens. Blood is an indication of infection, so before the infection gets worse call up your vet. Let them know the entire situation, take their advice and then go ahead.
My Dog Ate a Popsicle Stick – What do I do?
When it comes to the health of your pet there is no one better than your vet to know what is wrong and right for them to consume on a daily basis. It is always important in situations like these to consult your vet before anything since the vet knows your dog better than anyone. Your vet is aware of what your dog’s mind and body requires to function at its best. So always seek advice from your vet first and then everyone else.
These are the things what we think is right for you to do in a situation such as this:
- Identify if your dog ate a popsicle stick or another random wood object
- Contact your vet
- Observe your dog and notice any unusual behaviours or discomfort shown by your dog
- Check for symptoms such as if your dog is lethargic, cannot walk properly or is puking
- Notice the feces of your dog. What we mean by checking the feces of your dog is literally wearing gloves and thoroughly looking out for any wood fragments or blood in the feces of your dog.
What are the symptoms like?
It is important to consult your vet the moment you see any symptoms mentioned below. At such times your vet may suggest feeding your dog bread. The symptoms are:
- Puking
- Weak posture
- Bloody feces
- Diarrhoea
- Lethargy
- Abdominal pain
- And other abnormal or discomfort signs
What do I do to stop my dog eating popsicle sticks again?
The main step you need to take is to keep all the harmful or non edible foods miles away from your dog! Since they do not possess the ability to identify what is right and wrong for them to eat they want to munch on anything and everything around them. The things you should do to stop a dog from eating a popsicle stick are as follows:
- If you decide to give your dog a taste of the popsicle make sure to keep a close eye on the dog. The second you turn and look back at your dog again the popsicle May disappear. It’s that easy for your dog to just gulp down the popsicle.
- TRAINING!!!!! Train your dog well at the start itself. It is really important.
- Give your furry friend enough time so they do not feel depressed or lonely which will make them want to play and eat unwanted food items.
- Provide your dog with a healthy balanced diet wherein your dog’s nutritional needs are considered as well as fulfilled. How does this step help? It does help a lot since it will lessen the thirst or curiosity of your dog to eat unwanted things.
- Teaching your dog to not steal food from the dinner table or anywhere else is a must. This step again counts training.
- And the last but also the main step is to hide all non edible items from your dog and store them somewhere safe out of your dogs reach.
Why do Dogs Eat Sticks?
It is completely natural to watch your dogs wanting to chew and eat random stuff around them. They’re just being themselves. They have a playful nature. Sometimes the curiosity in them also leads to chewing on things they shouldn’t be.
But if your dog begins to chew on sticks out of nowhere on a daily basis it definitely means that there is something going on with your dog. The following are some reasons to why your dog wants to eat sticks:
- Your dog is hungry. We know this may sound strange to you, because you feed your dog food and they still behave like this. That is because you probably must not like the food you serve them. There can be a chance of other pets in your house running away with the food when you are not around.
- Your dog must be having a toothache. Your dog may be chewing on sticks to relieve the pain they are going through because of their dental discomfort. But again they have no idea what is wrong or right for them.
- Your dog may have anemia. Pica is a condition that comes from anemia. Anemia means they have low red blood cells count or low iron. Pics is a condition that leads your dog to crave for non-food items.
Conclusion
Dogs wanting to eat things they are not supposed to eat is a natural thing. And it’s not really possible to keep an eye on them 24/7, so don’t blame yourself. The best you can do is immediately call your vet and seek advice from them to know what to do next since no one else knows the medical history of your dog better.
But most of all to avoid letting your dog eat a popsicle stick, ensure that you don’t have these objects lying around waiting to be fumbled or chewed on by them.