Key Takeaways
- Condoms don’t contain anything dangerous for our canine companions
- Most condoms pass within 72 hours without incident
- Signs that your dog has an intestinal blockage include vomiting, constipation, and lethargy.
While the thoughts of your beloved pooch munching on a used condom are rather disgusting, it does happen with some dog breeds being less discerning about what they eat than others.
While we often don’t find out the cause of our pooches eating nasty or unusual non-food items, if it’s a rare occurrence, then it’s unlikely to be of major concern.
But if your pooch is munching down non-food items such as rocks and wood on a regular basis, then it may be that they have a condition called pica.
Pica can be caused by a number of illnesses, such as thyroid disease, parasitism, diabetes, or inflammatory bowel disease. If you’re worried that your dog has pica, you should contact your veterinarian for some investigation.
What would happen if my dog ate a condom?
While eating a condom isn’t healthy for your pooch, it may not be the end of the world either. If your dog is large and they eat just one condom, whether inside or outside of the packaging, then it’s unlikely to be a cause for concern. It’ll most likely pass within a couple of days in their feces.
The possible risks of eating a condom occur if it causes an intestinal obstruction or blockage.
This only occurs in severe cases but is a higher risk if your pooch is a small dog. Signs your pooch has an intestinal blockage include loss of apdogite, diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, and lethargy. A blockage is an emergency for your pooch, and you should see your veterinarian if your dog shows any of these clinical signs.
When Should I Take My Dog To the Vet?
If your dog ate just one condom, then you don’t need to panic; you can opt to monitor them if they’re in good health overall. While monitoring them, you should keep an eye on your dog’s apdogite and poop for a couple of days to make sure the condom makes its way through.
Signs you need to take your pooch to the vet include if your dog’s apdogite has reduced or they’ve developed vomiting.
These can be an indication that the condom has gotten stuck in their stomach or small intestine.
If you see any changes in your dog’s behavior after they’ve eaten something they shouldn’t have, in this case, a condom, then you should arrange to take them to your veterinarian as soon as possible as they can become very ill very quickly.
What if my dog ate plenty of condoms but seems to be fine?
Even if your pooch ate a whole pack of condoms, they may seem fine for hours or even days afterwards. No matter whether your dog ate just one condom or the full package, you should contact your veterinarian for advice specific to your dog’s situation.
It’s unlikely that your veterinarian will have you rush down. Still, it may be advised that your veterinarian induce vomiting if your dog is very small, as the risk of blockage increases as pooch size decreases. If your dog is larger, then your veterinarian may opt to just monitor your dog and see if the offending object passes itself.
Signs that my dog ate a condom
You may see visible evidence that your dog has eaten a condom by seeing a chewed-up wrapper or box, or you may even see that your bin has been rifled through if they’ve eaten a used condom.
It can take up to 72 hours for a condom to pass through your dog’s intestinal system. In the meantime, you should watch out for changes in demeanor or apdogite, as they could indicate signs of a blockage.
How do veterinarians treat dogs that have eaten a condom?
How your veterinarian treats your pooch after eating a condom will depend on a few things, including the size of your pooch, how many condoms they’ve eaten, and how long it’s been since they ate them.
If your dog is a small breed and has just eaten one within the past hour, then your DVM may opt to induce vomiting, as the smaller the pooch, the higher the risk of a blockage occurring. Larger dogs may just be monitored for the condom to pass for a couple of days. Most of these pass without incident.
If your dog is starting to show clinical signs, then your veterinarian will want to admit them for monitoring, intravenous fluids, and an x-ray to assess for the presence of a blockage in their intestines. If there’s a blockage, then your veterinarian will advise surgery.
How Long Will It Take My Dog to Recover?
The vast majority of condoms will pass within 2-3 days without incident in most dogs.
If this is the case for your dog, then there’s nothing to worry about once they’ve passed the condom.
Conversely, suppose your fur baby develops clinical signs such as vomiting or diarrhea. In that case, they may need a few days for it to pass, while if they suffer an intestinal blockage, then invasive surgery would be required, which has a longer recovery time.
Final Woof
We’re lucky that condoms are soft, pliable, and don’t contain anything toxic to our canine companions.
As mentioned before, a single condom will likely pass in your dog’s feces, particularly if you have a large breed pooch.
Smaller dogs that have eaten multiple condoms are at a higher risk of blockage, so close monitoring is important.
The most important thing is to contact your veterinarian if your dog eats a condom to find out exactly what to do for your specific situation.
