Dead animals make good dog food. To eat, as a dog. Basically, a dog’s diet consists of scraps from the garbage can. You may have forgotten one of the most common household items that could be dangerous to your pet: soap.
As a result of the fact that we humans like to perfume our soaps, your dog may mistake them for food. Worrying thoughts may cross your mind if your dog ingested soap. Do you think they’ll get sick? To what extent does soap pose a health risk?
You should be worried if your dog ingested a bar of soap or licked liquid soap, but there’s no need to freak out.
Read on to find out the truth about what soap is made of, how it can affect your dog’s health, and when you should take your dog to the vet.
What’s in Soap?
There are a wide variety of ingredients that go into making liquid soaps, from sodium lauryl sulfate and parabens to triclosan and cocamidopropyl betaine. However, the most common ingredients found in liquid soaps are water, oils (typically cocamide DEA, monoethanolamine, and/or glycerin), fragrances, and dyes.
The ingredients in both bar soap and “natural” soap are very similar. Essential oils and dried herbs are sometimes included in soaps as well.
Your Dog Ate Soap: Should You Be Worried?
Soaps contain chemicals that can be dangerous to humans if ingested. It’s not always easy to tell how seriously soap consumption can harm a dog.
Essential oil soaps are particularly dangerous for a dog’s health. Pine oil, a common ingredient in disinfectants and cleaning products, can have very negative effects on dogs, as explained by Pet Poison Helpline.
Pine oil in soap can be harmful to the kidneys and liver, and it can also make a person sick, irritate their skin, make them drool, make them weak, and make it so they lose control of their muscles.
Chemical burns to your dog’s mouth, esophagus, and stomach are another risk when using soap. In addition, if your pet swallows a sizable piece of soap, it could cause an obstruction.
Can Eating Soap Kill My Dog?
Dogs will not perish if they consume bar soaps; don’t worry about that. Thankfully, our furry little idiots tend to be tougher than they look.
The dog’s stomach will be upset for a while as the soap works its way through the dog’s system. Even worse cases may result in vomiting and/or purging as the dog’s body attempts to eliminate the substance from its system.
The dog should be fine if this doesn’t last more than 24 hours.
However, if symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea continue for more than a day, you should schedule an appointment with your vet.
If your dog has swallowed any significant amounts of soap, it could potentially cause an intestinal blockage. Don’t fret too much over something so improbable.
Will Eating Soap Hurt My Dog?
‘Hurt’ may be too strong a word, but it’s possible that your dog won’t feel great for a while. However, the soap you and I use is not the same as the soap that is safe for dogs.
To begin with, if a dog were to swallow soap, it would experience some mild burning in the back of its throat and abdomen. In addition, if your dog eats soap, it could lead to depression, lethargy, and even anorexia.
It’s important to keep an eye on your dog, but you shouldn’t freak out just yet; these are all common signs that your dog has ingested soap.
Let’s say that, a day after the dog ate the bar of soap, these symptoms persist. In that case, if you haven’t already, you should take the dog to your regular vet for an examination.
Is A Bar Of Soap Toxic?
Toxic for dogs? Not usually; most bars of soap are perfectly safe for canine consumption. What exactly does a bar of soap consist of? They typically contain lye-reactive oils and fats.
The fats themselves may come from either an animal source (such as lard or rendered beef fat) or a plant source (such as coconut or palm oil). But these aren’t the only ingredients that could be bothersome to your dog.
Chemicals like fragrances, preservatives, and other additives are now commonplace in modern soaps. If your dog eats a bar of soap, they will experience severe gastrointestinal distress.
The dog’s internal discomfort usually manifests as a sore throat or stomach. Your dog will likely experience a burning sensation that starts in their throat and travels to their stomach and beyond.
In addition, as the soap travels through your dog’s system, it produces a lot of bubbles. That’s just going to make your dog even more uncomfortable during this whole ordeal.
The soap may make it difficult for your dog to maintain its appetite, and you may notice that it stops eating for a while after being bathed.
Examine what goes into your bar of soap. It’s possible that the corrosive ingredients in some specialty soaps could harm your dog’s digestive system.
These details should be shared with your vet when you report that your dog ingested a bar of soap.
Signs to Watch For
As soon as you realize your dog may have ingested soap, you should remove it from their reach, have them spit it out, and then call your vet.
They might recommend keeping an eye on them for the next few hours, or getting them into the clinic ASAP if they start acting strangely.
Here are some warning signs to keep an eye out for, courtesy of Wag!
- Drooling
- extra-heavy licking behavior
- Constant choking
- Scratching the face
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
What To Do When A Dog Eats Soap
The first thing to remember if you find your dog eating a bar of soap is to keep your cool. As a concerned dog parent, your initial reaction, of panic, is understandable.
I’m sure I’d go crazy if I found out my dog had eaten a bar of soap. Even so, relax and focus on your breathing.
Then you should get the rest of the soap and hide it from the dog. Toss it out or crush it up and flush it down the toilet.
Keep in mind that canines, like people, can be quite clumsy at times.
Also, lock up any other bars of soap you may have lying around so they can’t get to the one they’ve been chewing on.
Those, too, must be kept out of their hands.
Next, use nothing but water to thoroughly rinse your dog’s mouth. Do not use soap for this purpose.
It may seem obvious as you read this article, but in a state of panic, some readers may make a rash decision. So, remember that!
The objective here is to eliminate any trace of soap from the dog’s mouth. If you want to make sure there are no soap shards stuck in the dog’s mouth, take a closer look and check in between its teeth.
Ignore your fear of asking for assistance and have someone hold the dog for you while you get a flashlight.
This may seem daunting because it is. Although, on the bright side, your dog’s breath will be pleasantly fragrant!
After you’ve finished cleaning up, it’s a good idea to let your vet know that your dog accidentally ingested a bar of soap. They may feel guilty that they allowed this to happen to their dog.
Try not to fret! Your veterinarian has probably heard this story many times before.
They will be able to direct you in the right direction more effectively. You may be advised to bring your dog in for an examination right away.
They may tell you to keep an eye on your dog for a few hours if it’s after hours and the clinic is closed. If that’s the case, keep Fido close by and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
There will be some noticeable changes in your dog’s behavior. However, it’s still important to be on the lookout for potentially life-threatening symptoms like a rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, blood in the vomit, or blood in the stool.
How Do I Stop My Dog From Eating Soap Again?
If your dog is smart, it won’t repeat the mistake of eating soap. In any other case, you’ll need to use your imagination.
You should hide soaps from your dog the same way you’d hide cookies from a child.
For instance, you could install a hanging soap holder in your bathroom, allowing you to keep your bar of soap out of the reach of anyone else while you lather up in the shower. You could also try using liquid soaps instead of bar soaps.
Liquid soap in a container may deter dogs from trying to eat it. The likelihood of them actually swallowing the soap is much lower than it would be if it were left out on the side of the tub.
Keep in mind that caring for a dog is a lot like caring for a young child; often, the dog doesn’t know any better. As such, we owe it to our canine family members to take every precaution to ensure their safety in the home.
We should “baby-proof” our homes for our pets in the same way that some people do for their children, making sure that cleaners and other potentially harmful items are out of reach.
What to Expect at the Vet
The veterinarian will examine your dog thoroughly if you take him or her in for treatment. If you have the soap’s packaging or a list of its ingredients, bring it with you to the vet; this will help them determine the best course of treatment for your dog.
In order to get a complete picture of your dog’s condition, they may need to perform an endoscopy or take an X-ray. Your veterinarian may also suggest keeping your dog in the hospital for observation.
Your dog’s treatment may also be affected by how long ago you saw them ingest the soap.
You shouldn’t freak out if your dog accidentally ingests a bar of soap. If your vet suggests taking them in, remove any remaining soap and get them in as soon as possible.
Keep all soaps and other cleaning supplies high and dry, away from your pet’s curious paws. In this way, you can control the extent to which the