My Dog Ate Vaseline: What Should I Do Now? (4 Tips)

Vaseline is an everyday product many people tend to use. Since it’s a non-toxic item, we usually leave it lying around the house. Thus, if you have a curious dog around, it’s not surprising to realize later on that it’s already in the stomach. 

So you may ask: my dog ate vaseline, what should I do now? Since vaseline isn’t a toxic item for dogs, you may not need to do anything. However, if your pet ate the whole product, you may need to contact the vet right away. Of course, it will all depend on how your pet will react after eating. Thus, observe your pet first and decide if your pet needs an immediate response.

A petroleum jelly such as vaseline is a safe product, but only as long as you use it externally. If eaten, it can cause severe symptoms. Eating such a product is only possible with our canine pets.

In this article, I made a rundown of frequently asked questions you may also wonder about this incident. Moreover, I included some tips and what you need to do if it happens. This way, you can be ready if your pet starts eating such a thing.

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

What happens if a dog eats vaseline?

It’s not likely that a dog would suffer too much if it eats vaseline as long as it’s only a few licks, and in small amounts, it won’t cause any issue. However, if it eats a handful, it can cause severe symptoms.

Vaseline is petroleum jelly, and it’s an everyday item used by all family members. For this reason, many households likely have one lying around.

Petroleum jelly is a mixture of mineral oils and natural waxes. The purpose of such a product is it acts as a moisturizer to dry skin and lips. Thus, if your pet sees you applying this product to the lips, it may seem like food.

Since such products usually have extra flavor, it makes them more attractive to pets.

Still, if eaten in a small amount, it shouldn’t cause any issue. If your pet swallows it whole, it can cause digestive problems. Among these are vomiting and an upset stomach.

Thus, to ensure your pet’s health and safety, it would be best to contact a vet right away.

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Can dogs die from eating vaseline?

As I said earlier, vaseline isn’t a toxic product for dogs. Thus, even though it’s not a product for consumption, your dog won’t die after eating vaseline.

It’s also important to note that vaseline products aren’t digestible for dogs. Thus, if your pet eats one, it’s likely that the product would pass through its gut without causing issues.

Moreover, due to its soft texture, it shouldn’t cause any blockage in your pet’s gut, which is the usual problem for other ingested items.

Of course, like all other items, it doesn’t mean vaseline won’t harm your pet at all.

In general, it can cause a gastrointestinal upset. It may lead your pet to suffer a stomach ache, vomiting, and even diarrhea.

Another thing to observe is signs of dehydration. If your pet eats a lot, it can also cause such complications. To avoid such, give your pet loads of water to drink.

How to recognize that your dog ate vaseline?

Our pet dogs can be quite the sneaky type. Thus, chances are you won’t catch your pet in action.

To recognize if your dog ate vaseline, you need to check them for signs of illness. In particular, you can look for symptoms of digestive issues and dehydration.

Here are the following symptoms this complication may include:

  • Vomiting
  • Stomach Ache
  • Diarrhea
  • Excessive thirst
  • Other signs of dehydration

If the following symptoms seem to worsen, contact your vet right away. This way, you can be confident your pet receives proper diagnosis and treatment.

It would be more necessary to call a vet if your baseline contains toxic ingredients for dogs.

What should I do if my dog ate vaseline?

As I said earlier, Vaseline is a product designed to moisturize our skin and lips.

For this reason, we can say that it is harmless to our pets. Still, it remains a product not meant for our dogs to eat.

While vaseline is harmless, it has ingredients that can be toxic in large amounts.

Of course, as pet owners, we want to ensure our pet’s safety, and that we need to ensure that nothing is wrong with them. Here are four simple tips you can do if your dog ate such an item.

Observe your dog.

You need to observe your dog and look for any signs of pain or reaction after eating this product.

Some symptoms would mean danger, and if such happens, you may need to call or take your pet to the nearest vet.

If your pet seems alright and doesn’t show any signs of severe symptoms, you may proceed with the next one.

Clean the area and remove the remnants.

The last thing you’ll want is for your pet to eat more of this product. Thus, you should remove any remnants from the area.

Dogs usually find such things in your bathrooms and bedrooms. More likely, they may find it lying around near a mirror or someplace where you apply it.

Wherever the product came from, ensure the area is secure and no more remnants.

Understand what happened.

Vaseline is harmless in small amounts. However, it can turn into quite a danger if ingested in large quantities.

For this reason, understanding the situation will give you an idea of how you should deal with it. It would be best to note every detail you can gather regarding the incident.

Here are a few questions that you need to answer and understand from the scene.

  • How much Vaseline did your pet eat? (Did it swallow the product whole?)
  • How long has it been since it happened? (the sooner you knew, the better)
  • Did your dog consume other items aside from the product? (perhaps your pet eats other products that can be way more toxic)

Getting such information would make you understand how worse the incident is. Moreover, it will help you report what happened if you visit the vet and ask about what happened.

vaseline

Take your pet to your vet.

Vaseline as a moisturizing product may not pose that much of a threat. However, nothing beats the assurance coming from your vet.

An immediate call to your vet upon learning about the situation would give you an expert’s advice on what to do.

As long as you give every piece of information you can gather, it will help diagnose your pet’s condition.

Moreover, your vet will give you some directions on what to do and what to observe with your dog.

Even if your dog shows no adverse reaction upon taking the product, a visit to the vet will help you ensure it is alright.

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Dog ate vaseline lip balm – what to do?

Like other vaseline products, the lip balm is likely the one that our dogs would eat. The reason is that they may see us applying this product to our lips and thought of it as food.

Since it’s a lip balm, it shouldn’t contain any toxic ingredients. If your pet ate this item, it should safely pass through the gut without any issues.

Of course, it would be best if you still observe your pet for a few days. This way, you can ensure your pet’s health is alright.

Why do dogs like vaseline?

Vaseline can be an exciting product for our dogs because it smells good and tastes good.

It usually contains additional fragrance and flavor if it’s a lip balm, making it more tempting for our pets.

The usual incident for this to happen is when your pet licks the skin part where you apply the product. If it’s just a few licks, it shouldn’t cause any issues.

If your dog ate the whole product, it could cause severe symptoms. It’s during such incidents that you need help from the vet.

How to prevent dogs from eating vaseline?

A dog eating vaseline incident isn’t new. Still, it should be a lesson to prevent it from happening again.

Here are some of the things you can do to prevent your pet from eating vaseline again.

Place the product somewhere unreachable.

The first thing you need is to secure the place where you store your vaseline. It would be ideal for putting it somewhere your dog can’t see and reach.

Another thing you can do is not to show your dog whenever you’re applying this product.

This way, you can be sure your pet won’t get its hands on such a product again. If your dog has access to your room, put your vaseline and other similar products in place it can’t reach.

Use vaseline that doesn’t contain toxic ingredients.

If your dog likes to lick your skin, don’t use vaseline if it contains toxic ingredients for your dog.

Moreover, it would be best to restrict your pet from licking you if you just applied the product. Allow it to sink into your skin first before allowing your dog to come and lick you.

Divert your dog’s attention.

Another thing you can do is to divert your dog’s attention away from the product. You can do this by giving your pet an interactive toy.

Moreover, allow your pet to play in areas without vaseline and other similar items. This way, you’ll avoid having your pet running around and eating this lip product again.

Introduce such toys with your guidance, and leave them with your pet only as long as you think it’s alright. It may take a few days or weeks, depending on your dog’s output.

What should you do if your dog ate a tea bag or a birth control? Check it out!

Summary

Our pets often give us something to worry about by eating the things they shouldn’t. One of these items is our regular vaseline or petroleum jelly.

The good thing is that vaseline isn’t a toxic item for our dogs. Thus, it shouldn’t cause any grave issues if your pet decides to munch on one.

If it caused any issues, a visit to the vet would be necessary to ensure your pet receives proper treatment. Nevertheless, it’s a small problem that wouldn’t need excessive treatment.

Still, it would be best to keep such products out of your pet’s reach. This way, you can prevent such incidents and keep your dog safe.

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Image credits – Canva

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