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Dogs eat what seems like the most random things, especially around the house. There are a number of household hazards that your pet may decide to ingest, including dryer sheets, which contain a number of toxic ingredients. Here’s what to know about the dangers of dogs eating dryer sheets and what to do if your dog ate a dryer sheet.
Why Do Some Dogs Want to Eat Dryer Sheets?
Why would a dryer sheet be attractive to a dog? “Dogs may be attracted to inedible products for a variety of reasons — smell, texture, boredom, or anxiety. They can all contribute to the attraction of dryer sheets to certain dogs,” says Dr. Jerry Klein, Chief Veterinarian for the AKC. “Puppies and younger dogs, like children, tend to be curious and can get into mischief and potentially dangerous situations, but all dogs may be vulnerable.”
My food-loving Lagotto Romagnolo is a perfect example. She figured out that the laundry basket may contain dog treats that I accidentally left in my pockets when I did the wash. She jumps right into the laundry basket, and I’m sure she wouldn’t hesitate to chew on a dryer sheet if it smelled like her favorite treats.
Are Dryer Sheets Dangerous for Dogs?
Dryer sheets are a danger for dogs, whether your dog licks them, chews and digests them, or swallows them whole. According to Dr. Klein, dryer sheets are considered cationic detergents. Common in fabric softeners, cationic detergents are highly toxic when ingested.
“Cationic detergents are corrosive, and chewing on an unused dryer sheet can burn or ulcerate the dog’s tender tissue, called the mucosa, or the deeper submucosa of the mouth, tongue, throat, all layers of the esophagus, and possibly the lining of the stomach,” he warns. The severity and location of corrosive damage depends on the type and amount of the chemical the dog ate.
All dryer sheets, including used ones, can cause an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract. Even if a dryer sheet contains natural or organic ingredients, ingesting them can still be dangerous for dogs.
Signs Your Dog Ate a Dryer Sheet
Signs of exposure to cationic agents include excessive salivation, gulping, drooling, vomiting (with or without blood), pain, and fever.
If your dog eats a dryer sheet, the consequences can be severe. Cationic detergents can cause a wide variety of dog health problems, ranging from minor skin irritation to widespread stress to the body’s various systems, a buildup of fluid in the dog’s lungs, and kidney failure.
What To Do if Your Dog Eats a Dryer Sheet
The first course of action Dr. Klein recommends is to contact your veterinarian, a veterinary emergency hospital, or a pet poison hotline or helpline. You can call the Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 or ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When you call them, it’s a good idea to know the name of the product your dog ingested. Make sure to follow the advice they give exactly.
You may be asked to try to give your dog milk or ice cream to dilute the toxins and help coat your dog’s stomach lining before going to your vet for further assessment and treatment. Should you try to induce vomiting? “You should never induce vomiting without first getting the advice of a veterinarian or certified Pet Poison Hotline representative,” says Dr. Klein. “Substances that are corrosive, like dryer sheets, can cause as much damage coming up as going down.”
Treatment if Your Dog Ate a Dryer Sheet
Your veterinarian will need some information to help determine the best treatment for your dog. Try to determine how many dryer sheets your dog ingested. You may need to check around the house or your dog’s favorite places to spend time. You can also look in the box the sheets came in, counting how many are missing in order to find out how many your dog has eaten. Take the dryer sheet container or a picture of the package and its ingredients with you to the vet’s office.
“The veterinarian will determine the appropriate treatment, depending on the dog’s history, time and amount of exposure, and clinical signs of the patient,” Dr. Klein explains. “Treatment of these ingested toxicants is directed toward diluting the toxins ingested with milk or water.”
Depending on how seriously the pharynx (also known as the throat) is injured, in severe cases a veterinarian may need to perform a tracheotomy. In a tracheotomy, the vet or specialist will make a hole in the thread and windpipe (also known as the trachea) to help your dog breathe more easily. Dr. Klein adds, “IV fluid therapy is required in most cases.” Some dogs might need an esophagostomy tube, which he defines as “a feeding tube surgically implanted in the esophagus temporarily,” to get nourishment for a time.
Should You Use Dryer Sheets to Remove Dander?
It’s not a good idea to use dryer sheets to remove loose hair and dander from your dog or the furniture they rest on. Dryer sheets reduce the static cling of hair and dander, but they do so by coating the items they touch with cationic ingredients, as well as fragrances and fabric softeners. These chemicals can be really dangerous for dogs to ingest.
“Dogs lick their fur and places where they rest, so using dryer sheets to repel dander may expose a dog to possible health risks,” reports Dr. Klein. “It’s much safer to control dander and excessive shedding by regular brushing using the proper grooming tools.” A lint brush, masking tape, or rubber squeegee can also remove hair and dander from furniture and clothing.
How to Prevent Your Dog from Eating Dryer Sheets
If you have pet dogs and cats, the safest option is to choose not to use dryer sheets at all. However, if you do choose to use them, here are some steps you should take to protect your pets:
- Store dryer sheets, as well as all dangerous or toxic products, in drawers or cabinets that are out of reach of pets. You may need to secure them with a child lock.
- After using dryer sheets, throw them away immediately into a dog-proof garbage can.
- Make sure you take all used dryer sheets out of your clean laundry, laundry basket, and dryer. They often cling to sheets or clothes, and your dog may be the one to find them there.
- Keep the door to your washer, clothes dryer, and laundry room closed.
- Teach your dog the “leave it” command in case they pick up a dryer sheet.
- Provide your dog with safe, edible chews.
The post What Should You Do if Your Dog Ate a Dryer Sheet? appeared first on American Kennel Club.
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