What to Do if Your Dog Ate Aluminum Foil?

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Dogs love eating human food, and they will gladly get their muzzles stuffed with anything they can get their paws on. In many cases, not even a wrapper will stop them from getting to something tasty. Sometimes, that wrapper can be aluminum foil, and if your dog ingests some, you have every right to get worried. However, what will happen if your dog ate aluminum foil? Here is what you should know.

Dangers of aluminum foil

The good news is that aluminum foil is a reasonably safe material. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t wrap our food with it. However, just because something is relatively safe doesn’t mean your dog should eat it. Here are some of the worst things that can happen if your dog eats aluminum foil;

Coated with toxic things

The aluminum foil is mainly used to wrap our food, and that food can contain things that can potentially be toxic to dogs. If your dog ate aluminum foil, you should first determine what that aluminum foil was wrapped around. If it was wrapped around chocolate, raisins, onions, garlic, or something toxic to dogs, you should immediately call your vet. The foil itself shouldn’t pose much danger, but toxic things might.

Gastrointestinal issues

One thing that can happen is - your dog might start choking if they ate aluminum foil. Small dogs need only a tiny bit of aluminum foil, and they can choke, while larger dogs need to eat a lot of aluminum foil to start choking. The second potential problem is that aluminum foil can cause your dog to become blocked and constipated. If you noticed your dog wasn’t able to poop for more than 24 hours after eating aluminum foil, you should call your vet and let them know what’s going on.

Aluminum is poison

First, we need to understand that aluminum foil and aluminum, the chemical, are slightly different. There is a chance your dog might get sick if they ingest aluminum foil, but it is more likely they will pass it without a problem. However, you must keep a close eye on your dog if your dog ate aluminum foil.

What should I do if my dog ate aluminum foil?

There are a few things you should do if your dog ate aluminum foil, but the most important thing is not to panic. 99% of cases of dogs eating aluminum foil end up without any problems. However, if that does happen, just follow these three steps;

1. Assess your dog

The first thing you should do if your dog ate aluminum foil is to assess them. Check their behavior and make sure they are not exhibiting any pain symptoms, discomfort, or disorientation. If your dog is behaving like they usually do, there is usually no reason for panic. Make sure you keep an eye on them and if you notice anything weird, take your dog to the vet.

2. Analyze the scene

Look for signs of the exact amount of aluminum foil your dog ate, but the most important thing is - what was the foil containing? If your dog ate only aluminum foil, they might have a disorder called pica. However, if there was food in that foil, you have to make sure they didn’t eat anything toxic to them. Things like raisins or chocolate can cause a lot of harm to dogs, so make sure your dog hasn’t eaten any of that.

3. Monitor your dog and their poop

The most important (and disgusting) thing you will have to do is monitor your dog and their poop. You have to make sure your dog is behaving as usual in the next few days. The second part of this step is to analyze and monitor your dog’s poop for signs of aluminum foil. If it passes through them, generally, there is no reason to worry.

World Dog Finder team