Are mothball fumes harmful to my dog's breathing or health?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Avery. It is concerning she smells like mothballs, as mothballs are toxic to dogs. The toxicity occurs when the dog ingests them. It can take several days for mothball toxicity symptoms to appear because they dissolve slowly in the stomach, and by the time the symptoms show, the dog is very sick. To be safe, I'd take her into a vet immediately to have vomiting induced to see if she has eaten mothballs and to receive supportive treatment. I hope this helps!

I'm glad we can be here for you to help you and Whisky! I'm sorry he ate a mothball. There are two type of mothballs, naphthalene mothballs and PDB mothballs. It's important to know which type he ingested because PDB mothballs are the less toxic type. Ingestion of naphthalene mothballs can cause vomiting, lethargy, anemia, and sometimes damage to the kidneys or liver. PDB mothball ingestion can cause vomiting, nausea, shaking, tremors, and possible kidney and liver damage. You should know that just a little as one mothball can cause toxicity in dogs, and it is especially concerning that a puppy ingested one because he's so young. I would recommend having Whisky seen by a vet immediately. Signs of toxicity can take a couple of days to show up because the mothballs dissolve slowly, so it's best he's seen by a vet now to prevent any toxicity from occurring. Take him into a vet now. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Similar to humans, fumes can be irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract. If the ventilation was appropriate enough that you were comfortable then likely your dog was too. If you were wearing a mask then your dog probably should not be in that area. Watch for any coughing or difficulty breathing. If this occurs then I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she does well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not likely going to cause any permanent damage and it is more likely to just cause a transient local irritation. However, if she seems uncomfortable, I recommend you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If she only ate a small piece of the wrapper, I would not be concerned as long as she did not ingest a mothball. I would recommend just monitoring Shelby and if you notice any symptoms developing (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, etc.) I would bring her in to be examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Most air fresheners aren’t toxic to dogs and I wouldn’t have any worries unless Bentley has chronic bronchitis, collapsing trachea or another airway disease. In this case you should avoid all air fresheners. Watch for coughing.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Leela. No, it's not toxic for her to inhale but it will be quite irritating to her nasal passages. I would not use it around her. I hope this helps!