My Dog Ate A Pencil : 6 Brutal Symptoms To Look Out For

Dogs are man’s best friend who sticks to them through thick and thin and does not leave them even if they got any money at all or not. To pay off the loyalty, you need to take good care of them.

Everyone knows that they are curious about the new stuff and may eat them. So, if you have a condition where you have to search about My Dog Ate A Pencil, you are in the right place.

This article will discuss all these conditions where a dog has eaten a pencil and what a person should do.

We will briefly discuss the following topics:

• What Happens If A Dog Eats A Pencil
• Can Dogs Get Lead Poisoning From Eating A Pencil
• My Dog Ate A Pencil What Should I Do
• Is Graphite Poisonous To Dogs

So, you know that pencils were made out of carbon. It is very harmful to dogs. So, let’s start the article and see what you could do about it if your dog has consumed any lead pencil or simple pencil.

My Dog Ate A Pencil

My Dog Ate A Pencil, what should I do? If your dog has consumed carbon or lead pencil, you need to make a phone call to your doctor immediately.

This is because the sensitive digestive system for the carbon can aggressively respond, and the dog may face many troubles in this condition.

Myth – Pencils Are Not Made Of Lead

Ever since we grew up, we have listened to and called the pencils “Lead Pencils.” But, the exciting thing is they are not even composed of lead.

This is just a famous myth, and even if your dog ate a pencil, you don’t need to panic as there is no Lead, and Lead will not poison your dog.

Instead, there are other things you need to worry about as the wood present in the pencil may cause diarrhea, obstruction in stools, and may induce vomiting.

Thus, you don’t need to worry about the dog’s health

What is a Pencil made of?

Dog Ate Mechanical Pencil? Should I worry about it if My Dog Ate A Pencil? Let’s discuss are main elements that are used in making a pencil.

There are mainly two of the things which are used to make a pencil:

• Carbon, which is called graphite
• Wood

Three of these elements are used to make a pencil. Let us see that each of these is good or not if your dog has ingested it.

Is Graphite Toxic To Dogs?

Dog Ate Lead Pencil. If My Dog Ate A Pencil, is the graphite present in it harmful?

Graphite is the chemical compound that constitutes the edge. It is the part of a pencil that is used to write. Although, the graphite is harmful as such for the dogs.

But it should be confirmed that the dog has not taken in a large amount of carbon or graphite.

If you have placed your pencils in your room and your dog has seen them, it will always try to eat them out of curiosity because dogs have an evil nature in this regard. They will have an interest in new stuff and will not refrain from touching or eating the stuff.

Is Wood Toxic To Dogs?

The second thing is wood which constitutes most of the mass of pencil. If we discuss wood, it is non-toxic for dogs.

But, you see that wood is not favorable for the dogs. Dogs may have an excellent digestive system, but wood is not just made for dogs.

Difference Between Lead Pencils And Modern Pencils

Before giving any comments on is pencil lead toxic to dogs or My Dog Ate A Pencil, is pencil lead harmful to dogs? Let’s differentiate between the pencils.

The Traditional Lead Pencils

My Dog Ate A Pencil is an old lead-containing pencil; is it a thing to worry about? The old pencils that are still in the market are made up of carbon or lead.

This is a chemical compound of which diamond and coal are made. As you can easily distinguish, these old lead pencils, made from lead, are harmful to the dog’s health.

You may have read that a dog has a unique and robust digestive system. But, it is not valid for everything digested by the dog.

The carbon which is present in the lead pencils has terrible effects on the health of dogs. However, it has not lethal effects but may cause mild poisoning or intestinal infections.

So, you need to take care of your dog as nothing can stop it when it is curious about something, and it will reach out to that thing and eat it. So, a dog is susceptible to graphite pencils, and they require serious help from doctors.

Modern Pencils

Modern pencils have no terrible ingredients such as graphite or lead in them. They are entirely safe for the dogs. So, you do not need to worry about anything if a dog has engulfed environmentally friendly and modern pencils.

What Makes Pencils Bad For Dogs?

Dog ate pencil lead is a bad situation you may never want to land yourself into. If my Dog ate a pencil, what is the main thing which makes the pencil terrible for my dog.

The main thing which makes the pencil a terrible choice for your dog’s food is the wood.

Yes! Wood is the main constituent from which a pencil is made of. You see, wood is just there to get a grip on writing.

Why is Wood Bad for Dogs?

Wood is considered harmful for dogs as the dogs do not digest it.

As humans have a sensitive digestive system, you can see dogs have a minor complex digestive system than humans as they can digest several foods than humans, but this is not a fixed rule that they can digest anything.

Wood is Non-toxic but Indigestible

Although wood does not have any bad thing in it and is used in many medicines, even some of the medication for the dogs are made up of woods and tree barks and oil, but still, dogs, like all the animals, cannot digest the wood.

Why is Wood Not Digested in dogs?

It is not digested in the tract of dogs as wood contains cellulose. We see that for digesting this compound, a particular enzyme s required, which is named Cellulase.

This compound makes the cellulose present in the wood break down into small pieces, and thus wood is eventually digested.

But the dogs and all the animals lack this enzyme, and they cannot digest it and may have some medical condition.

Other Pencils and Their Effects

Most of the pencils available today are non-toxic and do not cause harm to dogs.

 It appears that certain types of pencils, such as charcoal pencils, graphite pencils, and colored pencils, also interact with the digestive system of dogs upon consumption and may cause a variety of conditions.

Let’s see if there are any dangerous and harmful effects.

Charcoal Pencils

 These pencils are made of charcoal.  From charred wines, they are extracted.  Although the health of the puppies is not affected, there are no negative results.

Yet, there is a risk that the wood present in pencils may cause critical problems in dogs.

Graphite Pencils

Graphite pencils do not induce any adverse effects in puppies, so you don’t have to worry about anything about them, even if the dogs have ingested them.

The wood may irritate the stomach.

Colored Pencils

Colored pencils pose no threat other than the dye used to color them.  The dye in pencils is too dangerous for puppies’ health.

For example, most color pencils fall into this category, as well as chyrons and glitters. If you have a dog, you should keep these colored pencils away from its reach because they can damage its digestive system.

My Dog Ate A Pencil: What are the Symptoms

If your dog ate a pencil, an eraser could also be consumed by it. You need to note all of these symptoms and report them to a vet in the first place.

Vomiting and Dehydration

This is a common symptom of anything eaten by your dog which is not edible or is not made for the dogs. If your dog ate a pencil, it might be throwing up may get dehydrated.

In this condition, go to a vet and tell him the situation.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea can also be a symptom for a dog that has eaten a lead pencil or crayons.

Pain in passing stools

The dog may have pain in pooping. T may be due to the GI obstruction as wood cannot be digested by the dogs, and the pencil may come out as a whole.

Blood in Stools

If there is an infection caused by the wood or early symptoms shown by the carbon, the blood is seen in a dog’s stools.

Stomach aches

This is the most basic and the expected impact of the infection or damage caused by the wood in pencil. Stomach aches may be persistent, and this may cause serious problems, and it needs to get treated as early as possible.

Restlessness

The last symptom is restlessness. The dog is not comfortable in any condition and may find it hard to sit in one place.

“My Dog Ate A Pencil” Solution

The only possible solution is that you go to a veterinarian. Call the vet first immediately and tell him/her the condition of your dog.

They may be able to give oral advice through phone or ask you to visit them immediately. Until that time, you need to keep your dog hydrated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can eating a pencil kill a dog?

My dog chewed pencil. Is it unhealthy? Yes! A dog that is chewing pencil is not a healthy thing. It may get poisoning due to the carbon present in the pencils. But, it is not so high that it could kill a dog unless your dog has eaten many lead pencils.

Can dogs digest wood?

My Dog Ate A Pencil. Can he digest the wood? No! a dog can never digest the wood; it is because the dog lacks the particular enzyme needed to digest the wood.

Final Verdict On My Dog Ate A Pencil

My Dog Ate A Pencil, what are the possible options that I can do? In this article, we have discussed the threats of dogs eating a lead pencil. We have seen that a lead pencil is not made up of lead as it is a common myth.

A pencil is made up of two components: carbon or graphite and wood. However, they may cause minor problems in dogs despite being non-toxic to them. 

Graphite, for example, is non-toxic to dogs, but it may induce vomiting or cause obstructions when the dog is passing out the stools. So, it is recommended that you keep the pencil out of reach of dogs.

 A pencil is also made from wood. Moreover, it is also non-toxic and does not harm the dogs long-term or short-term. 

As we can see, the wood has also been associated with quite a few problems in dogs, which include upset stomachs, digestive issues, and also inability to digest the wood since it lacks the enzyme cellulase.

When your dog eats pencils and shows vomiting and dehydration symptoms, you should immediately call a veterinarian if the condition is not good.

If the dog vomits, it will become dehydrated, and the water level in the body will decrease, so make sure that it is getting enough water.

That is why it is recommended that you keep your stuff out of the reach of your dog. Then, train your dog not to eat pencils in the future and not punish them.

Besides this, you also need to keep an eye on preventing your Dog Ate Eraser.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️