Help! My Dog Ate a Tampon : 5 Brutal Scenarios

Vets often get calls from dog owners whose canines have eaten tampons.

Usually, the dog owner will ask (in an understandably exasperated voice): my dog ate a tampon, what should I do? And the vet will do his best to reassure the dog owner. This he will do while also not belittling the seriousness of the problem.

Dogs do indeed have a tendency to eat tampons. That question (my dog ate a tampon, what should I do?) is therefore a very common one. Used tampons are particularly attractive to them. But dogs do also devour unused tampons.

Thus, person whose dog ate a tampon could be in either of two categories. He could be someone whose dog ate a tampon that was used. Or he could be someone whose dog ate a tampon that was unused. Either way, it is cause for worry.

Faced with this sort of situation you will probably have one key question in mind. The question is ‘will my dog be ok if he ate a tampon?’ If you are grappling with that sort of question, you are at the right place.

My Dog Ate A Tampon And Threw It Up

If your dog ate used tampon and threw it up after a sort while, you have reason to be relieved. The same applies, if your dog ate a tampon that was unused, and threw it up after a short while. What you need to do is go through the vomit carefully. This you do to see whether (or not) what the dog threw up is the whole tampon. If it is, then everything should be (nearly) alright.

But what if my dog ate a tampon and threw it up only partially? In this case, you have reason to be alarmed. You need to establish which part of the tampon is still inside the dog. A tampon typically has two major components: fiber and thread. Both are dangerous to dogs. The fiber could react with the dog’s saliva and stomach acid, and end up swelling inside the dog’s belly. The result could be terrible intestinal obstruction.

The thread, on the other end, could cause all manner of internal obstructions, resulting in major problems.

Ultimately, if your dog ate a tampon and threw up the whole of it, there should be no further problems. That is unless there are complications caused by thread laceration, which can only manifest later.

My Dog Ate A Tampon And Pooped It Out

If your dog ate a tampon and pooped it out, your also have reason to be relieved (excuse the pun). This applies whether the tampon was used or unused. The most important thing is to check through the poop carefully. You do this with the intention of seeing whether or not the whole tampon has been excreted.

If the entire tampon has been excreted, you can heave a sigh of relief. But if part of the tampon is still inside the dog’s belly, you have reason to be concerned. You can only be fully relieved when the entire tampon gets out – one way or the other.

But does it mean that if my dog ate a tampon and pooped it out, absolutely everything is alright? Not quite. There is a small room for worry. The whole tampon may have come out. But in the process of it going through the digestive system, the string attached to it may have caused lacerations. So you still have to watch out for signs of illness in the dog.

What if the dog has pooped the whole tampon out, and is not showing any signs of illness? In that case, you would probably be out of the woods.

So this answers a frequently asked question. It is the one on ‘will my dog be ok if he ate a tampon and pooped it out’?

Dog Ate Tampon How Long To Pass?

The amount of time it takes for a dog to pass a tampon it has eaten varies considerably. Sometimes, the dog will pass the tampon within hours. But more often than not, it takes days — as many as four. So that is how long it takes for the tampon to come out at the other end. And this is of course in the best case scenario: assuming the tampon doesn’t cause obstruction.

What Happens If A Dog Eats Tampon?

Several things may happen, if a dog eats a tampon.

Firstly, the dog may throw out the whole tampon, without any further complications.

Secondly, the dog may poop out the whole tampon, without any further complications.

Thirdly, the dog may poop (or throw) out the whole tampon, but by then, it may have caused internal lacerations.

Fourthly, the tampon may cause obstruction in the dog’s tummy, sometimes necessitating surgical treatment.

Fifthly, in the process of eating the tampon, the dog may choke.

So there are many possible outcomes. In most cases though, things just turn out to be fine. The worst outcomes are rare. Thus if my dog ate a tampon, I wouldn’t be inordinately worried. But I would be concerned.

Why do Dogs Eat Tampons?

Dogs eat tampons simply because they find them attractive.

For a normal dog tampons that are used are attractive mainly because of the scent of blood in them. Thus when the dog goes after the tampon, it is after the blood scent. The dog then ends up eating the tampon. In this endeavor, the dog may feel as if he is downing some sort of ‘small prey’. So this answers the common question: why do dogs eat used tampons? It should also answer the more personal question on ‘why does my dog eat used tampons’?

On the other hand, unused tampons are often attractive to dogs because of their design. They are bundles of fiber, with strings attached to them. They are the very sort of things that are very fascinating to dogs. Subsequently Fido may start playing with such unused tampons. At some point the tampons end up in the dog’s mouths. The dog finds the fiber nice to chew on. One thing leads to another. And before you know it, the dog is wolfing down the unused tampon: sometimes with disastrous results.

That should answer the question on why does my dog eat my tampons?

Of course, as a caring dog owner, if my dog ate a tampon, I would be worried about its nutrition. Is there something it is lacking, for it to turn to tampons? But (thankfully) the answer is no. Even the best cared-for dog would still find things like tampons attractive (especially used ones). It is simply the nature of dogs.

Is it Dangerous for Dogs to Eat Used Tampons?

The short answer is yes. As noted earlier, when a dog eats a tampon – used or unused – it could face intestinal obstructions. Furthermore, for a small dog tampon ingestion could cause choking. This would be where the dog chokes in the process of trying to eat the tampon. And there is also the risk of the tampon’s string causing lacerations internally.

This leads to the question on will my dog be ok if he ate a tampon that was used? Going by the above, the answer is not inspiring – seeing the sorts of risks associated with dogs eating tampons.

But we have to clarify that used tampons are not any more dangerous than unused tampons. In fact, I would be more at ease if my dog ate a used tampon. That is as opposed to if my dog ate an unused tampon. This is because of what happens if a dog eats a used tampon (as opposed to an unused tampon).

You see, a used tampon already has blood in it. The fibers in its have already soaked up blood, and become deflated (in a way of speaking). Such fibers are therefore less likely to interact with the dog’s saliva/body acid. They are unlikely to swell up once they are in the dog’s belly and cause severe obstruction.

The converse is true for unused tampons. The fibers in them are likely to react radically with the dog’s saliva and stomach acid. Then they could swell up in the dog’s belly and cause all manner of complications.

Of course, one may get disgusted in knowing that their dog ate bloody tampon. But health-wise (for the dog) that would be better than if the dog had eaten an unused (fresh) tampon.

Dog Ate Used Tampons – What to Do?

It is recommended for you to call a vet, when you discover that your dog ate used tampons. The same would apply even if the canine had ‘only’ eaten an unused tampon. The vet will then advise you on the right course of action.

Just tell the vet the truth about the incident. You could, for instance, explain to the vet that “my dog threw up a tampon”.  And the tampon was used. Or that I found my dog swallowing up a used tampon. Or simply that ‘my dog ate a tampon’…Just state it as it is.

You have to understand that the phenomenon of dog eating tampons is quite common. So don’t be too shy about it. It is probably something that your vet has probably dealt with numerous times. Just explain the situation to the vet, and you will get advice on how to proceed.

Some people may tell that if your dog ate tampon induce vomiting straightaway. But you really need your vet’s advice on how to go about inducing vomiting. You could cause a great deal of harm to your dog in a DIY attempt at inducing vomiting.

Thus if my dog ate a tampon, the first step would be to call the vet. It is better to err on the side of caution.

How to Stop Dog Eating Tampons?

The best you can do, to stop your dog from eating tampons is to keep them away.

This may be a question of investing a trashcan that the dog can never open.

It may also be a question of investing in a dog repellant. Then ensure that you spray the repellant wherever you store the tampons.

Another approach you can use is that of securely binding up the tampons, before putting them in the trash can.

Dog Eats Tampon Each Month – Is he Okay?

Well, as noted earlier, the habit of dogs eating tampons is not healthy. So if my dog eats tampons every month, I would have reason to be worried. Granted, the tampons may be coming out of the dog whole.

But it could also be that the strings in them are causing lacerations. Those may then lead to major complications one day later. Or it could be that the dog will end up choking on a tampon one day. Or it could be that the tampons will induce intestinal obstruction in the dog one day.

Whichever way you look at it, there is no way the habit of eating tampons each month can be alright.

Furthermore, if my dog ate a tampon each month, I would be concerned about how I am keeping them. Tampons shouldn’t be that easily accessible to a dog.

There is nothing wrong per se in the dog wanting to eat tampons each month. As noted earlier, the tampon is attractive to a dog at several levels. But it is the actual eating of tampons by the dog that is problematic.

Dog Ate Tampon: Best Case Outcome?

Best case outcome would be for the dog to poop or throw out the whole tampon, with no further complications.

Dog Ate Tampon: Worst Case Outcome?

The worst outcome would be for the tampon to cause intestinal obstruction in the dog, necessitating surgery. Another equally bad outcome would be for the dog to choke on the tampon. This can be especially bad if there is no one around when it is happening.

Final Verdict: Will My Dog be OK if He Ate a tampon?

Chances are that your dog will be OK, even if he ate a tampon. But it is very advisable to call your vet and inform her of the incident. Just call your vet, and ask her ‘will my dog be ok if he ate a tampon’? The vet will then give you professional advice suitable for your specific case.

The dog will probably end up vomiting or pooping out the whole tampon. This may happen with or without inducement. A vet may advise you on what to give your dog, to safely induce vomiting.

It is OK for you, as the dog owner, to be worried the first time it happens. I would be almost certainly experience some level of panic if my dog ate a tampon. But remember that going by the statistics, most cases of dogs eating tampons don’t cause major complications.

You nonetheless need to know that there is no guarantee on the dog’s wellness after eating a tampon. There could be complications. You therefore need to keep a keen eye on a dog that is known to have eaten a tampon. If you see signs of illness in such a dog, it is advisable to rush it to vet ER.

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! ❤️