My dog ate a tube of hydrocortisone ointment. What should I do?

No, I would not be concerned. This is a weak steroid medication, and you might see some increased urination and thirst from it, but that may not occur if the tube still feels pretty full. There also may be a possibility of stomach upset, but if she did not ingest a lot, it's not likely. She should be ok.

I recommend that Sammy go to the vet immediately. This is a very large steroid ingestion and potential complications include vomiting, diarrhea, pain, and bleeding stomach ulcers. She likely needs treatment including stomach protectants.

Overall it’s not toxic but it can cause some minor gastrointestinal upset depending on how much she actually ingested. This means she could have some mild vomiting and/or diarrhea. If you notice any of that then she should be examined by your vet.

I'd be concerned in that if Cody ate parts of the tube, it could cause GI obstruction. In addition, the anti-fungal cream could cause some vomiting and diarrhea if there was some left in the tube. I'd monitor him for now, and if you do see any vomiting or diarrhea, withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If he continues to have vomiting and diarrhea while withholding food or on the bland diet, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, I would have him seen by a vet. Hopefully though, he didn't eat any of the tube or ingest any remaining cream, and he will be just fine :-)

This is unlikely to cause a problem. She may make have some drooling, bu otherwise it shouldn’t be an issue. If she has a reaction to the medication for some reason, she may have some vomiting or develop hives or facial swelling. If these things occur, take her in, but it’s reasonable to just keep an eye on her at home. If she swallowed the tube or big pieces of the tube, an intestinal obstruction is possible (though not necessarily likely). If she develops vomiting or isn’t wanting to eat or seems painful in the belly, take her in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

As there are hundreds of different types of antibiotics, you should try to tell us which ones where inside the tube or alternatively take Peanut straight to your veterinarian for a check up and symptomatic treatment to avoid intoxication. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Oh no, that's not good that Carl ate the hemorrhoid cream! Thank you for providing a picture of the tube, it helps with my answer. I see it contains Phenylephrine HCL 0.25%, which is a decongestant which may cause hyperactivity. I'm not sure about the other ingredients in it, and while typically topical steroid creams and ointments have a wide margin of safety, without knowing all the ingredients in the cream, I can't say for certain he will be ok. In addition, eating the tube can lead to an obstruction from the plastic, and it does look like he ate a bunch of the tube. To be safe, I would advise taking him in. Bring in the tube with you, and the vet can treated as needed. In my opine, it's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck with him, I hope this helps!