My dog ate painted styrofoam berries. Is lead or blockage a risk?

It can take up to a couple of days to see problems from a foreign body if one was going to occur, but given that Snowball ate a very small paint chip, I doubt that will happen. I'd also expect to see some GI upset by now. It's great that she is eating, drinking, and behaving normally, and I wouldn't be too worried about her. In all likelihood, she will be just fine. I hope this helps!

Poor girl. Styrofoam does have the potential to cause an obstruction, although smaller pieces have less of a tendency to do so. Monitor her for signs of an intestinal obstruction which includes excessive vomiting, lack of appetite, abdominal pain and weakness. Typically signs of an obstruction will occur within 24-48 hrs. If she seems fine beyond this then she's in the clear; however if you note these symptoms then take her to the vet immediately. In the meantime, feed her wet (canned) food to help bind it and then take her on 20-30 minute brisk walks twice a day to promote GI motility.

Hello. Fortunately, there is nothing toxic in this product. However, there is a very small chance that this could lead to an intestinal blockage, if he ate any at all. I would go ahead & take a slice of bread, & apply a good layer of Vaseline to it. Feed Hikaru a piece at a time, allowing him to eat as much as he likes up to the whole piece of bread. The Vaseline will not be actually absorbed, but will coat any possible pieces of the clay helping things to pass through smoothly. The clay will possibly soften with the moisture in the gut & the warmer body temperature, too. You should see a softer stool in about 12-18 hours & may last for a day or so, but there should be no abdominal discomfort or vomiting. If you do see more than 1 episode of vomiting, or you think there is any abdominal pain or bloating, please see your veterinarian immediately. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

While modern paints do not contain lead, chewing wood can still cause intestinal injury and even result in foreign bodies. Signs of this would include lethargy, vomiting, loss of appetite, and/or diarrhea. You should do your best to reprimand Louie if you see him chewing the wall or furniture, and can even try some Bitter Apple spray to deter the chewing. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Hi there. As long as your dog is eating and drinking normally, not vomiting, and having regular bowel movements, you shouldn't need to worry. If she stops eating, or begins to vomit, then I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam and possibly x-rays or ultrasound to see if she has an obstruction.

She will likely be unaffected, particularly if she chewed the wood into small pieces first. If she swallowed a large piece there would be potential for stomach upset or gastrointestinal obstruction. I would monitor her and call your vet if she vomits, develops diarrhea or has a decrease in appetite.

One additional thought to add to Dr. Melanie's excellent advice: lead-based paint fragments would show up on an x-ray, so if you are unable to verify the age and thus suspected lead-content of the paint that Thor ate, you could take him into your vet for a set of abdominal xrays, which should confirm the presence of lead, if it's there.