Homemade play dough is not for pets. While it’s fun for kids to play with, if ingested by our furry friends it can be lethal. Play dough contains a large amount of salt, sometimes as much as 1/2 a cup or more depending on the recipe! Dogs may like the salty taste, but the damage the sodium causes can be terrible.
What happens is called “salt toxicity”. When ingested by the pet, the salt in the play dough makes its way throughout the dog’s body, including the brain and central nervous system. The sodium absorbs any water, and causes the dog to become thirsty and drink more water. In order to keep the balance they need to urinate more, but if there are high levels of sodium, the dog’s body can’t process it fast enough. The water level in the body increases and the muscles begin swell. The brain swells from the sodium and water and if the pressure builds enough, it can cause neurological disorders, seizures, coma and even death. Sadly, there is no antidote for salt toxicity, only preventative measures to keep our pets happy and healthy.
If only a little bit of the play dough or salt is ingested, the dog may survive, but if a large amount of sodium enters the dog’s system, it is fatal. Some symptoms of salt toxicity are: vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, and seizures. If you think your dog may have ingested play dough or large quantities of salt, give us a call and get them seen as soon as possible! (Remember, we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!!)
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