Dangerous Objects To Keep Away From Your Chihuahua!

Most dogs will chew and swallow something they shouldn’t at some point in their life. How do you know if what your Chihuahua swallowed will pass or if they need to go to the veterinarian? Is the object swallowed a dangerous object? That’s a very good question! Here are a few things to be sure that your Chihuahua can not get access to.

In case you didn’t already know, — Chihuahuas in many ways are not like other dogs. Most dogs will chew and swallow almost anything. Of course, no two Chihuahuas are alike. They each have their own little personalities.

Some Chis will chew or tear up most anything, but not swallow it. Some will chew and swallow anything, and others are particular about what they will chew and swallow.

My Chico at 16 is not interested in chewing anything except his food and occasionally a treat. Pebbles is the same although she is only 13. Then there is my wild child. Remedy Jane is very adventurous and will chew and swallow anything she gets her mouth on.

Because puppies investigate their world and everything in it with their mouths, it is generally younger dogs that get into trouble by swallowing things they shouldn’t, however, older dogs do it too. A dog does not learn from experience in this particular little habit and will do it over and over again.

As most of you know, I work in a veterinarian hospital and nearly everyday a dog is brought in that has swallowed something dangerous. Here is a list of dangerous and very dangerous things to be sure to keep away from your dog whether or not he is in the habit of swallowing things. Both require a trip to the veterinarian office, but sometimes it just requires monitoring to make sure the dog can pass the object. More dangerous objects require surgery to remove.

Dangerous Objects

• Cloth Items. Dogs like the scent of their owners, so it should be no surprise that they will mouth and swallow dirty laundry. Socks, underwear, pantyhose are common cloth items that a dog may swallow. These can cause obstructions in the intestinal tract. Keep your Chi away from dirty laundry. Mine likes to roll in the laundry. 🙂
• Plastic Meat Wrap. Dogs have been known to fish things out of the trash. Most Chis can’t reach the trash unless it’s small bathroom trash. There they will find sanitary napkins (a favorite of a lot of dogs), among other nasty things like kleenexes, this is a very common thing we see at the veterinary hospital) I know….yuck! However, they could get a hold of plastic, meat wrap or other plastic. Keep your Chi away from all trash. Keep it covered or get a trash can with a lid.

• Misc. Objects. There is a long list of objects like corn cob (these are toxic to dogs), baby bottle nipples, stone pits from some fruit, like peaches (these too are toxic to dogs), squeaky toys (the squeakers), wads of fabric, etc. If they are small enough, they will probably pass on their own, but even small objects could get stuck in the intestines.

Very Dangerous Objects

• String-Like Items. Veterinarians call these “linear foreign bodies”. These can literally saw through your Chis intestines and cause a perforation.
• Wood Glue. White-colored wood glue can swell in the stomach as it hardens forming a ball that cannot pass through the stomach to the intestines. Most of the time, surgery is the only option.
• Pennies made after 1982. Beginning in 1982 the federal government began making pennies from a combination of copper and zinc. Zinc corrodes in the stomach acid. This is very toxic to a dog. In some cases, this can lead to kidney failure. Even though pennies are small, they often float to the bottom of the stomach, a little like floating to the bottom of a pool. Then it will stay there and can’t move any further along the digestive tract. This will need surgery to remove.
• Small Magnets. Magnet dest ornaments that can be stacked into different shapes are shiny and a curious dog will swallow them. Also, children’s toys that have magnets. If more than one is swallowed, they will attract another even across multiple intestinal wall sections. This causes a pinching of pieces of intestines that will cause a perforation of the intestinal wall.

Sticks. It’s not just the stick itself, but when a dog chews on a stick it breaks off into splinters and one or more of them can pass through the lining of the mouth and migrate to the head or face causing a serious infection that can require surgery. The surgery is not to remove the splinter (they will often dissolve on their own), but to drain an abscess left by the infection.

Teriyaki Sticks. Those long wooden pointed sticks that are used to make kabobs are very dangerous. Dogs are attracted to the smell of meat left on them and will often swallow them whole or they may break in two and he will swallow both pieces. This then can become wedged inside the stomach and possibly poke through the stomach wall and mass into the abdomen or chest and require surgery to remove.