My dog ate Exlax. Should I rush her to the emergency vet clinic?

Poor pup! Depending on how big your dog is, it's hard to say whether toxicity from the chocolate in the medication will be a problem. As far as the laxative itself, this will probably cause diarrhea but would not be expected to cause any serious toxicity issues. The safest bet would be to have your dog seen by a vet right away, but if this isn't possible, you will need to monitor her closely for the next 24-48 hours. If you see symptoms such as tremors, seizures, or repeated episodes of vomiting, then this would be an emergency and there would be no other option except getting her to a vet immediately.

Ex-lax contains sennosides which cause water to stay in the intestinal tract which can help with constipation. They can cause diarrhea if too many are ingested, and sometimes abdominal cramping and discomfort as well. I agree that the amount of cocoa present is probably negligible, and I would guess that only 4 laxatives are unlikely to have much of an effect although it could take several hours for diarrhea to appear. I am a little concerned about the cause of Hercules' constipation however - it is rare for dogs to become constipated unless they have an underlying problem like kidney disease, high calcium levels, or bones or a foreign object causing a blockage in the colon. If the constipation continues or if you notice significant diarrhea you should see a vet.

I assume you are asking about the chocolate pieces of ex-lax and are concerned about chocolate toxicity. Fortunately, the amount of chocolate in one piece is not enough to cause toxicity, so there would be no need to induce vomiting. There are no other ingredients in ex-lax that are of concern, but it will cause the laxative effects, so be prepared for that. Make sure that she has plenty of water available and she should be fine. If you happen to notice any excessive agitation, vomiting or tremors, then it would be best to take Jinga to a vet as soon as possible for treatment. I hope that helps and all is well with Jinga.

This probably won’t cause any issues. You should monitor for diarrhea and contact your vet if it is severe. It can take several hours to see the effects, but at this low dose I doubt Milo will be affected.

Bisacodyl (Dulcolax) is often used as a laxative for dogs, so there should be no problem other than soft stool, maybe some loose stool. Side effects such as cramps, nausea and diarrhea are common, especially if your dog takes other medications. However these should pass relatively quickly. If those side effects appear severe, have your veterinarian examine your dog and make sure there is not another problem lurking.

If Lola got into medications or a bunch of laxatives she may get pretty ill and have a large volume of diarrhea, so I would keep her somewhere easy to clean. If the diarrhea doesn't resolve after a day or so, she is extremely ill/lethargic, or she got into more than just a laxative, it would be best to seek veterinary care immediately. If you're having trouble affording veterinary care, this site can help give you some options to that Lola can be seen: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/having-trouble-affording-veterinary-care

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Layla. You are right that it can take a while for symptoms to occur, sometimes up to 24 hours after ingestion. How worried you should be depends on the amount of chocolate she ate and the type of chocolate. If she ate dark chocolate, your MIL should rush her into a vet immediately as it doesn’t take a lot to cause toxic symptoms. Milk chocolate will require more to cause symptoms. If she ate milk chocolate, I wouldn’t rush home just yet. Have your MIL watch her for vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and muscle tremors. If she sees any of those signs, the dog will need to see a vet immediately. I hope this helps!