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Help! My Dog Ate Aluminum Foil! Our Vet Explains What to Do Now

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By Dr. Emma Chandley

Rolls of aluminum foil on the counter

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Written by

Dr. Emma Chandley

BVetMed PGCertSAS MRCVS (Veterinarian)

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Rolls of aluminum foil on the counter

Aluminum foil may sound like a bizarre thing for dogs to eat, but it is surprisingly common. Usually, your dog will get their paws on aluminum foil when it is wrapped around some sort of food that they decide to steal or scavenge. Small amounts of chewed-up aluminum foil are unlikely to cause your dog any harm.

However, if your dog has eaten a large amount of aluminum foil, it can cause serious health issues and it is important for owners to be aware of the potential risks. If you think your dog has eaten aluminum foil, contact your vet immediately to get them checked out. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

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My Dog Ate Aluminum Foil, What Do I Do Now?

1. Ensure Your Dog Cannot Get Access to Any More

Move your dog away from the area where they have had access to the aluminum foil. This may be at a barbeque where there has been food wrapped up in the foil, or a countertop where something is cooling. Whatever the scenario, remove your dog from it so that they can’t get to any more foil and accidentally eat it.

Clean up any rubbish containing aluminum foil and ensure all the trash bags are stored somewhere dogs can’t get to them. Keep your dog with you and watch them closely.

Hungry border collie dog sitting on table kitchen
Image Credit: Julia Zavalishina, Shutterstock

2. Call Your Vet Immediately

Make sure someone is supervising your dog and get on the phone with your vet. Keep calm and be prepared to answer some questions from your vet. They need to obtain a detailed clinical history so that they can advise you on what action needs to be taken next. Questions your vet will ask may include:

  • How much aluminum foil has your dog eaten?
  • Was there any food attached to the foil?
  • When was the aluminum foil eaten?
  • Does your dog have any underlying health conditions?
  • Is your dog showing any signs of illness currently?

3. Do As Your Vet Tells You

Your vet will probably tell you to come straight down to the hospital so that they can examine your dog. Do not delay in getting them there. This may prevent them from receiving the correct treatment in time.

male Veterinarian and siberian husky dog in the clinic
Image Credit: VGstockstudio, Shutterstock

4. Do Not Attempt to Treat Your Dog at Home

It is not advised to try and treat your dog at home without veterinary instruction. Depending on how the foil was ingested, it may be able to cause significant damage to your dog’s gastrointestinal tract such as a perforation or a blockage.

Attempting to make your dog vomit at home is strongly advised against. At-home remedies for vomiting are unreliable and can often cause more damage than good. There is no guarantee that your dog will bring up the aluminum foil as this depends on how long ago it was eaten and the size of the pieces amongst other things. Depending on what was on the foil when it was eaten, making them vomit can cause more trauma.


5. Monitor Your Dog Closely

Make sure a responsible adult stays with your dog at all times. Your dog may suddenly become poorly or start to show signs of illness and need your help. They must not be left unattended while you prepare to leave for the vet. If they run off or escape, this will delay them receiving potentially life-saving treatment.

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Image Credit: AnnaStills, Shutterstock

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The Risks of Eating Aluminum Foil

The main risks of eating aluminum foil are that large pieces of foil can pose a choking hazard or become lodged somewhere along your dog’s digestive tract and cause a blockage. This is known as intestinal obstruction and is a medical emergency. Your dog is in danger of developing septic peritonitis and it can result in death if prompt treatment is not received.

Smaller dogs and puppies are at a higher risk of these sorts of issues as their throat and intestines will be a smaller diameter.

Another issue is that the aluminum foil may contain food products that are either toxic to dogs or could physically harm them. Onions and garlic are poisonous and may be included in seasoning or as part of a recipe. Chocolate, raisins, and grapes are toxic and products that contain the artificial sweetener xylitol are also poisonous to dogs. Foods that contain a high amount of salt can cause kidney problems. Foods that contain grease or a high amount of fat can cause pancreatitis. Bones may cause damage or perforation to the gastrointestinal tract or become lodged in your dog’s throat.

Even if the aluminum foil is passed out of your dog in their feces, it may still have caused a great deal of discomfort.

Light reflecting from aluminum foil
Image Credit: Vinicius “amnx” Amano, Unsplash

Clinical Signs Your Dog May Have Eaten Aluminum Foil

Even if you didn’t witness your dog eating aluminum foil, but you can see some is missing, there are some obvious clinical signs you can monitor for.

  • Lethargy
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Praying position (an indication of abdominal pain)
  • Behavioral changes
  • Diarrhea or constipation
  • Blood in feces
  • Signs of poisoning/toxicity

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How to Treat a Dog that has Eaten Aluminum Foil

When you arrive at the veterinary hospital, your vet will triage your dog and decide if they require emergency treatment.  If your dog is stable, they will be able to perform some less urgent diagnostic tests to give them more information about the health status of your dog such as blood tests, urinalysis, X-rays, and ultrasound scans.

Depending on the severity of the situation, options for treatment will include:

Monitoring your dog

Your vet can admit your dog for monitoring, or if they are happy, they can send your dog home to be monitored. This may be the case in large dogs that have only eaten a small amount of aluminum foil, and where it has been confirmed no toxic foods are involved.

Young happy veterinary nurse smiling while playing with a dog
Image Credit: David Herraez Calzada, Shutterstock

Endoscope

Your vet may be able to retrieve the foil using an endoscope tool. This is a long bendy tube with a camera on the end. It can be inserted into your dog’s mouth and used to examine the inside of their digestive tract. It enables your vet to visualize foreign bodies and allows for them to be removed as there is another probe with a grabbing tool that can be inserted alongside the camera.

Depending on the location of the aluminum foil, endoscopy may not be appropriate.

Surgical Retrieval

If the aluminum foil is causing a blockage, surgical retrieval under general anesthesia is required. If damage to the gastrointestinal tract has already occurred, then your vet may need to remove devitalized tissue and repair the guts. This is a major operation, and your dog will need to be hospitalized for many days.

ongoing cesarean surgery of a dog
Image Credit: Nadya Chetah, Shutterstock

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How to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Aluminum Foil

It is always better to try and prevent these things from happening if possible. There are a few simple steps you can take to keep your dog from having access to aluminum foil and eating it.

How to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Aluminum Foil

Dog in Kitchen
Featured Image Credit: fancycrave1, Pixabay

It is always better to try and prevent these things from happening if possible. There are a few simple steps you can take to keep your dog from having access to aluminum foil and eating it.

  • Keep a close eye on your dog at social gatherings such as parties or barbecues. This is where they are likely to have access to food wrapped in foil and if they are not being watched they may be able to steal something and sneak off to eat it. Advise any guests that your dog should not be fed off plates.
  • Dog-proof all your bins and ensure that your furry pal won’t be able to tip them over or remove the lid and scavenge from them.
  • Discard any aluminum foil that has been used to wrap up food immediately, do not leave it out on kitchen surfaces or countertops.
  • Do not feed your dog human food and discourage them from begging at the table.

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Dogs are very good at scavenging food. They have a keen sense of smell, and they are very good at sniffing out tasty morsels to eat. Aluminum foil is frequently used to wrap up food and dogs that scavenge can easily eat foil by mistake. In most circumstances small amounts of foil will pass through your dog uneventfully, however, larger pieces can cause a blockage or obstruction.

If the foil contains food products that are toxic to dogs or food that may physically harm your dog, this can cause some major health issues so it is always best to consult your vet if you think your dog may have eaten foil.

 

Featured Image Credit: JumpStory

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