If your dog begins to ingest the plastic from the bottle it is important to seek assistance immediately to stop the behavior. Ingesting plastic can cause intestinal blockage that is painful and expensive. Some plastic could also become toxic to your pet’s digestive system.

Can Dogs Pass Plastic On Their Own? Yes, some dogs will pass plastic on their own without any complications. This is most common in dogs that consume soft pieces of plastic, small pieces of plastic, or are large breed dogs that have bigger intestines.

Plastic can cause your dog to choke if it gets stuck in his mouth or throat. Plastic can cause an intestinal blockage, thereby preventing food and water from passing through his system. Plastic pieces may cut or injure your dog’s mouth, throat, stomach, intestines or rectum.

How long does it take for a dog to pass plastic? The transit time through a dog’s gut usually takes 8-12 hours. For items such as pieces of plastic, they may take longer to pass through the gut – up to several days. Some larger plastic items may be too large to leave the stomach at all.

If your dog has eaten plastic or something else they shouldn’t have, feeding a bulky meal to try to pad out any sharp edges and help it to pass can be a good option. Asparagus is often used for this.

Symptoms of a Bowel Obstruction

• Vomiting, especially when repetitive.
• Weakness.
• Diarrhea.
• Loss of appetite.
• Dehydration due to inability to hold any water down.
• Bloating.
• Abdominal pain.
• Hunching or whining.

Depending on the type of plastic that your dog ate, the situation may be relatively non-urgent. Or it may turn urgent in a matter of time. Small plastic objects, such as plastic candy wrappers or soda bottle caps without sharp edges, may pass through a dog’s digestive system with little or no stomach irritation.

You may not know that your dog ate plastic until he passes a small object in his stool, is unable to eat, and/or starts throwing up. This often indicates an intestinal blockage. Depending on the size and type of plastic object that your dog ate, the situation may or may not be urgent.

When you do take your dog to the vet to be examined, it is helpful to know just how much plastic they consumed. For example, if your dog tore up their favorite toy, you should bring the rest of the toy that is still intact, along with any chewed up pieces.

On the other hand, if your 12-pound wiener dog chewed up a DVD case, you may need to bring your pup in. The hard plastic may damage his esophagus, stomach, or intestines, and because he’s a small pup, he is more likely to suffer from an obstruction and be unable to eliminate the plastic he consumed.