My Dog Ate A Stick Of Butter What Should I Do?

You’re taking inventory of the ingredients laid out on the kitchen table. Wait a minute – what happened to that stick of butter?

That when you notice your beloved pet licking his lips with a satisfied expression. The whole stick of buttery goodness has completely disappeared, and you can hazard a guess as to who is to blame. And it ain’t Paula Deen!

Eating certain foods can be very dangerous for your dog! Describe your dog’s status to a certified veterinarian right now! remember to be specific.

Is my dog at risk after consuming a stick of butter?

Many dogs cannot tolerate lactose, and since butter is a milk product, this may cause concern. If your dog ingested the butter wrapper as well, gastroenteritis may be an even bigger problem. And all that fat may cause acute pancreatitis.

What can happen to my Pup?

First, you should know that the butter itself is not toxic, and because of its greasy nature, it’s expected to cause loose stools for some time.

However, there are certain complications which may occur as a result of this foray into dietary indiscretion.

You should look for signals of gastroenteritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines. It may be marked by a variety of signals, starting, of course, with diarrhea and vomiting.

You surely already know what this feels like, as most human beings have gone through at least one bout of what may be commonly referred to as “stomach flu”.

Remember the painful cramps, and the uncontrollable urge to relieve yourself? Well, that is what your pooch may be going through.

one year old puppy

Pancreatitis is another concern.

The pancreas is an organ responsible for the manufacture of various digestive enzymes.

Most people can tell you that this the part of the body produces insulin, but that is only one of the hormones it produces and distributes.

The problem arises when it becomes inflamed due to unhealthy eating habits, because once it becomes inflamed, the digestive hormones it has produces are trapped within the organ itself.

Once this happens, unfortunately, they will continue to do the job for which they were designed, and that is to digest things.

Since they are trapped in the inflamed organ, they will start to break it down from the inside. This, of course, is not good.

Pancreatitis usually develops because of unhealthy eating habits, but acute cases can happen if your pooch consumes large quantity of fatty food on a single occasion.

What do I do if my dog Just ate the butter?

So, you’re looking at your canine buddy after he’s done the deed and you have no idea what to do now.

If the incident has just occurred, say within the last thirty minutes, you should attempt to induce vomiting.

How To Induce Vomiting?

You’ll need 1 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per pound of your pup’s weight.
Please make sure to read this guide on the proper way to do this.

But before you try this, get in touch with your veterinarian and explain the situation, The doctor will describe safe and effective ways to help your dog rid himself of the offending substance.

But in order to advise you, he must be made aware of your dog’s condition, when such incident occurred, and any diseases or disabilities he may have.

Once you have succeeded in your endeavor, it is important to seek veterinary assistance by visiting your vet’s office , so he can advise you on supportive follow-up care, and prescribe any medications if necessary.

He might advice you to fast the pup for the following hours and to feed a bland diet afterwards or to give some canned pumpkin to ease the situation.

How to Make a Bland Diet for Dogs

A bland diet for dogs is made up of foods that they have no problems digesting, are soothing to their digestive systems, and have ingredients that restore solid stools.

This generally involves lean meats like chicken and turkey and a starch like sweet potato.

You can prepare a bland diet by either using ready-ground meat or chopping whole meat up into small pieces. Cook the meat by boiling it and then drain it. Prepare the starch, such as a white rice, and combine it with the meat for a 50/50 mix of meat and starch.

Don’t add any seasonings or oils. Let it cool before giving it to your furry friend.

If you could not get your pup to vomit, it is still important that he sees a vet to assess his condition and avoid any complications which may arise.

Seems like an expensive price to pay at the end of the day, but better your pet is safer than you are sorry.

fine fido

Signs and symptoms To Watch For?

Although butter is a soft substance and won’t cause any damage to your dog internally, just like if your dog ate glass, you should still take this seriously.

There are a number of things you should look for once you have determined that your canine buddy has consumed something not really good for him.

As mentioned before, two of the major, and dangerous, conditions which may arise from the consumption of this greasy substance, wrapped or unwrapped, are gastroenteritis and pancreatitis.

Major symptoms of gastroenteritis include vomiting and diarrhea.

More signals include nausea, dehydration, a foamy bile present in the vomit, low grade fever, abdominal tenderness, lethargy, and loss of appetite.

While some people choose to feed peanut butter or something similar, if a pooch has eaten the paper and all, one good news is that the buttery fat will often lubricate the passage of such paper wrapping through his digestive system.

Unfortunately, this might not always be the case, and your animal could develop a dangerous blockage.

One more dangerous condition which may result from ingesting an excessive quantity of a greasy substance could be pancreatitis.

As described previously, this is an inflammation of the pancreas, the organ in charge of producing hormones which aid in various digestive processes.

If such organ becomes inflamed, all hormones it produces will not be delivered to the places they were destined for, such as the intestines, but be trapped inside, where they may begin to affect this organ itself.

This can cause permanent damage, not to mention an acute discomfort your beloved animal will experience. Not a pleasant thought.

This inflammation is usually a result of an unhealthy diet over a period of time, but acute cases can be caused by a single consumption of certain kinds of food.

Symptoms of such condition are nausea as well as vomiting, swollen abdomen, arching of the back, gagging, and lethargy or restlessness.

If any of such events occur, call a veterinarian. Your hound is suffering, and seeking veterinary assistance is his best chance for some relief.

Related Questions

Is Butter Harmful to Dogs?

Dogs might like to eat butter, but that doesn’t make it safe. In fact, it can cause a lot of complications. It isn’t toxic though, so no need to panic if they ate some.

It makes for a good treat too, at times. Just don’t overdo it though. Think of butter for dogs as being like junk food for humans; everything in moderation.

One problem with butter is that it is very fatty and dogs of all kinds have trouble processing fat.

Weight gain is a serious problem for all animals. With dogs, it makes them lethargic, which means they don’t have as much fun and aren’t as active, and can even become depressed.

Overweight dogs are also more likely to develop weight-related issues such as diabetes. It robs them of their health and can even lead to an early death if left untreated.

A hound could also be lactose intolerant. It affects them just as much as it affects humans. Even if not directly lactose intolerant, butter as well as other dairy products can be bad because they aren’t able to digest it too well.

Remember this doesn’t mean butter is inherently bad; just that it shouldn’t be given to dogs too much.

Is Peanut Butter Bad for Dogs?

Dogs love peanut butter and it makes for a fantastic treat, but is it safe? Well, an answer to that question is “yes and no”. In general, most brands of peanut butter are safe for dogs. What isn’t safe is a specific ingredient: xylitol.

Xylitol is a kind of artificial sweetener that can hurt pups. If you want to find a peanut butter your pup can enjoy, check ingredients for xylitol. If xylitol is present, the peanut butter in question is not to be consumed.

Is Cocoa Butter Dangerous for Dogs?

Chocolate – which is bad for dogs – comes from cacao trees. Beans from this tree are ground up into liquid chocolate, and cocoa butter is the fat extracted from that liquid.

Baking chocolate is rich in theobromine, which is similar to caffeine. Like any form of chocolate, cocoa butter is dangerous for dogs. This theobromine makes it more dangerous though, as it can cause abnormal heart rates, seizures, as well as death.

Conclusion

Whatever happens, just remember that this fatty substance is not toxic for dogs. If it were, we would probably all be dead.

However, your fido should not eat such an excessive quantity at one time asit could cause some problems. One should be prepared to deal with similar issues before your pooch pays too high a price for his gustatory curiosity.

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