You might be playing with your pooch, and all of a sudden, a sudden random movement causes your earrings to fall off your ears.
In that case, your dog might pick the earring and swallow them, thinking that it’s a treat or part of the game you’re playing.
That’s one way your earrings might end up in your dog’s mouth, which leads you to worry that your dog ate an earring!
In today’s article, we’ll provide you with a brief guide that shows you what to do in such a situation and how to prevent this from happening again.
Let’s dive right in!
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Why Do Dogs Eat Earrings?
Dogs are more or less like children. Although they have a decent capacity for understanding, they don’t always have the ability to judge whether something is good or bad for them…
Earrings come in a variety of shapes and forms, and it may happen that some of them trick your dog into thinking that they’re perfectly edible…
This is especially true if the earrings are small and shaped like some of their favorite treats…
In addition to that, sometimes your dog might eat an earring by accident simply because he or she is curious or sees it as valuable and wants to hide or protect it…
Luckily, however, earrings aren’t considered a major risk in most situations, but there are some potential health problems that you need to be aware of.
Are Earrings Dangerous to Dogs?
In the majority of cases, earrings are treated just like most other random objects that dogs can swallow…
Sometimes these objects don’t create any issues, but problems can arise especially if an object is toxic, sharp, or large…
Here are some of the factors that you should consider when trying to determine the level of danger that your dog may be in after ingesting earrings:
The Materials of the Earrings…
Luckily, most metals that are used in making jewelry, such as gold and silver, are generally nontoxic and shouldn’t pose any poisoning risk to your dog…
That being said, cheap and fake jewelry may contain some materials that are quite toxic and will require that you seek immediate medical attention for your dog…
If you’re unsure about the materials that were used in the earrings, it’s better to be safe than sorry and you should contact a vet for professional guidance on how best to protect your pup…
The Size and Shape of the Earrings…
The size and shape of the earring that your dog ate is extremely important when it comes to the safety of your dog…
Some earrings are remarkably small with rounded edges or spherical shapes while others are a bit sharp with pointy edges, such as stud earrings and dangly models…
The earings that have pointy edges can cause problems like perforations in your dog’s throat, stomach, and intestines…
And the long or dangly styles of earrings can cause issues getting caught or tangled inside your dog’s digestive tract…
If the earring that your dog swallowed had either of these dangerous features, you should contact a veterinarian immediately…
Worried About Your Dog’s Health? Click Here To Get Answers From A Verified Vet In Minutes (24/7)!
What Should You Expect If a Dog Eats Earrings?
In most cases, dogs will only swallow a relatively small earring, which is usually not a big deal and should pass through your dog’s bowels and come out in his or her droppings…
You will want to check the stool every day to make sure that your dog pooped out the earring, and if that’s the case, you probably won’t have any issues…
That being said, if your dog doesn’t pass the earring or if you notice blood in your dog’s stool, vomiting or diarrhea, your dog might have a problem.
What Are the Risks of Dogs Swallowing Earrings?
While most dogs won’t suffer from any dangerous side effects after ingesting an earring, there are a few potential complications that may occur. These complications include…
Intestinal Obstruction…
With an intestinal obstruction, the earring passes through your dog’s esophagus but ends up trapped somewhere within the digestive tract (especially the intestines)…
This leads to blockage of the digestive tract, which is a life-threatening problem for your dog and will require surgery.
Choking…
In the case of choking, the earring is unable to pass through your dog’s airway (trachea), and this leads to difficulties in breathing…
Luckily, it’s much less likely to happen when your dog swallows very small foreign objects like earrings.
Perforating the Walls of the Digestive Tract…
This can happen when your dog swallows something that has sharp edges, and basically, the object is able to cause internal cuts in your dog’s throat, stomach, and intestines…
If your dog happens to throw up the object, more perforations could be caused as it makes its way up.
The Earring Getting Stuck in the Stomach…
Objects that are inedible such as balls, shoes, toys, and socks will sometimes get stuck in your dog’s stomach…
When these items (in this case an earring) get stuck in the stomach, it can things like chronic vomiting and pain or discomfort for your dog.
What Are the Signs of a Problem If Your Dogs Eats Earrings?
Here’s a quick list of the common symptoms that will indicate your dog is having a health problem after eating an earring…
Signs of Intestinal Obstruction…
- Lethargy and weakness
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain and swelling
- Diarrhea
- Streaks of blood in the stool due to tears in the digestive tract
- Loss of appetite
- Hunching and whining
- Excessive panting
- Behavioral changes
Signs of Choking…
- Noticeable retching, coughing, gagging
- Panting or noticeable breathing difficulties
- Excessive drooling and salivation
- Weird mouth spasms in an attempt to move the stuck earplug
- Pawing at the mouth and rubbing their head against the floor
Signs Of Perforations In The Digestive Tract…
- Vomiting
- Diarhea
- Blood in stool
- Loss of Appetite
- Lethargy
If you notice any of these symptoms or any other unusual behavior from your dog, be sure to contact a veterinarian immediately…
Worried About Your Dog’s Health? Click Here To Get Answers From A Verified Vet In Minutes (24/7)!
What to Do if Your Dog Eats an Earrings…
The first thing you’ll want to do is open your dog’s mouth and check if the earring is still there, especially if your pup has just eaten it…
If you’re able to reach the earring, try to remove it quickly…
In some cases, your dog might try to vomit in order to expel the earring, and that can be a good thing if the earring doesn’t have any sharp edges…
Simply take your dog to a safe area and allow him or her to vomit the earring back up…
If your dog doesn’t vomit but acts and eats normally, you should watch for the earring to come out with his or her droppings…
This may happen in a matter of hours or in a matter of days, depending on your dog’s typical bowel movements…
You can also try to speed up your dog’s bowel movement and protect the earring from tearing the walls of the digestive tract by feeding your dog slices of whole wheat bread…
In the case of choking, you should seek professional help immediately and try to perform Heimlich Maneuver…
Watch This Video To Learn How To Perform The Heimlich Maneuver On Your Dog…
And last, if you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above or if your dog seems to be acting strange in any way…
…you should contact a vet immediately due to the serious health problems that can occur.
How to Stop Your Dog from Eating Earrings in the Future…
Preventive measures remain the gold standard if you want to stop your dog from eating any kind of foreign object, especially if your dog is attracted to some specific items more than others…
For example, keeping your earrings out of reach and stored safely in a jewelry box or a drawer is the ideal way to avoid this problem in the first place…
In addition to that, for dogs that have limited control over their munching habits, you should train them to follow the “Leave it!” or “Drop it!” commands…
If you need help training your dog, there are a lot of great training programs out there, but the one I recommend is Brain Training For Dogs…
I like it because it’s easy to follow, it works quickly, and you can access the program from the comfort of your own home…
If you’d like to learn more about how Brain Training For Dogs can help you train your dog to be more obedient, click the link below…
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Wrap Up…
So to sum it all up, luckily, in most cases, if your dog eats an earring it shouldn’t be a big cause for concern and you shouldn’t panic about it…
That being said, you will want to monitor your dog closely, and if you notice anything out of the ordinary you should contact a veterinarian to get to the root of the problem as soon as possible.