What happens if my dog eats a few fertilizer pellets? Are they toxic?

If your dog eats some grass that had fertilizer applied to it, it rarely leads to serious poisoning; that said, more serious signs can be seen when the product is directly ingested (i.e., right out of the bag). If ingested directly from the bag, the results can include tremors and seizures. The most important thing is to make sure it’s not a fertilizer that has more dangerous products in it – some may contain iron, which can result in iron poisoning, and less common types may contain very dangerous insecticides such as carbamates or organophosphates. Thankfully, the EPA has limited the availability of these latter, more dangerous types of products. Carbamates and organophosphates can result in more serious, life-threatening clinical signs such as, drooling, vomiting, severe lethargy/collapse, diarrhea, excessive tearing, urination, abnormal heart rates, difficulty breathing (due to bronchoconstriction), tremors, seizures and death. If you suspect that your dog may have been exposed to something poisonous, contact your veterinarian or emergency veterinarian immediately. When in doubt, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. They may be able to instruct you on how to induce vomiting and whether or not there is a poisoning risk.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question! These litter pellets are made from paper so they are non-toxic if ingested. That being said, if they are ingested in a large quantity they can be harmful and cause an obstruction. Typically once they urinate/defecate on the pellets that should deter them from wanting to eat the pellets in the future but that is not a given. You will just have to monitor Dexter in the beginning to see how he reacts to them. Larger breed dogs will have less of an issue (with GI obstruction) than small breed dogs. I would have no issues trying it with my dogs. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you are referring to the fresh packets or silica gel or activated charcoal packets that come in shoe boxes, medications, etc then they are non toxic. Ones that contain iron are toxic. So I would check to see what kind it is. Silica gel are white. Activated charcoal is black but isn't magnetic. Iron is magnetic, black and he should see a Vet if he ate the iron. I hope this helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The toxic components in tulips is concentrated in the bulb but is also present (in less concentrated amounts) in the other parts of the plant as well. I think Rocky will be fine but symptoms you would see would be associated with irritation of the mouth and esophagus: drooling and maybe vomiting. If you didn't do so already, flush out his mouth really well. If vomiting occurs I would have him seen by a vet. I hope this helps and I wish Rocky the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Actually, most dogs that eat plants, grass or dirt do not do it because of a lack of minerals, vitamins or any other essential ingredients. With that in mind, while vitamins are not going to hurt, he may not really need them. In most cases, we never find out why they eat plants. I encourage avoiding this behavior as sometimes they do this because the grass or plant has been sprayed with chemicals that sometimes have a smell/taste to them which is a reason why they may do it. I would discourage this behavior as much as possible and if he is already eating a complete and balanced diet, there is no need to add vitamins or minerals of any sort. I would also avoid Blu from eating this plant as sometimes it can actually have a toxic effect causing gastrointestinal upset including vomiting and diarrhea and can even be more toxic when large amounts are ingested. Good luck and have a great day!

No this should not be toxic to the point of life-threatening illness if a little is swallowed. At most, you may see some stomach upset (vomiting, diarrhea) in which case a bland diet of boiled plain chicken OR lean ground turkey and rice can be given to help settle the stomach. Otherwise, Sooky should be fine moving forward. Take care : )

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Pip will be fine. There are not a lot of balls in those packs and it sounds like she didn’t ingest many. The concern would be if she ate multiple packets at a time. That can cause severe dehydration. Only one pack is safe. Kisses to Pip!