My dog plays in sand. Are there risks if he lives in sand too?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some dogs will eat sand, and that can cause obstruction, so if you see that Fierce is eating the sand, or if her poop is very sandy, you might need to keep her away from it. If she isn't eating it then the sand shouldn't cause any issues. In terms of parvo, it is very hardy and can easily live for many years in a location, so make sure that you have Fierce vaccinated, that is the best way to protect her from parvo. Best of luck with Fierce!

Hi, thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. Chloe may have ingested enough sand to cause an intestinal problem. Not only can sand cause a large amount of irritation, but I have treated several dogs for obstruction caused by sand ingestion. We call it sand impaction in the small intestines and it can be very serious. The sand absorbs a large amount of water in the intestines and can a form cement-like obstruction. For Chloe, I would recommend that she is seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible if she is uncomfortable, vomiting, and/or has a decrease in appetite. Luckily sand will show up on Xray so the doctor can assess Chloe and may take an Xray to determine if her sand ingestion is causing a serious problem. Best of luck to you and Chloe.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can sometimes point out the possibility of a gastrointestinal condition and just like you pointed out it can be some lack of a nutrient or something in the diet. I think a good place to start would be changing his diet to something else to see if that makes a difference. If no difference is noted, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Otherwise, start by changing his diet to something like a Purina Pro Plan or Hill's Science Diet product that tend to be very complete diets. Also, try to avoid him eating the sand as that could result in gastrointestinal upset or obstruction. Good luck!

Sand can cause issues in the G.I. tract including information and potentially an obstruction/blockage. I recommend Tucker be examined by a veterinarian and likely an x-ray done. This is because if he does have an obstruction he will need surgery to remove the sand. If the x-ray looks good did it may be putting him on a bland diet and giving extra fluids will help him get better.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The type of worm and how it lives/breeds/life cycle will determine if the sand pit has anything to do with the parasite in Fig or not. I recommend asking your vet what parasite, and if the sand pit is related/part of the life cycle. The biggest concern is likely that cats like to poop in sand pits, and worms are carried in cat poop, so ask your vet if cat poop is part of the cycle. To prevent cats pooping in it, you can get a cover for the pit when it isn't in use. Best of luck with Fig!

Kinetic sand is non toxic. A small amount should pass uneventfully as you've seen. A larger amount ingested at once can pose a risk of gastric or intestinal obstruction. Monitor for lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian. Restrict access to the room it is in or place it out of her reach when she is around.

Unfortunately, rocks of certain sized can get stuck in the GI tract and cause an obstruction so just watch him closely. An obstruction will usually cause vomiting and a lack of appetite. I actually had to surgically remove a rock from my own personal dog. Silly dogs will eat anything. Since he has a tendency to eat rocks, I would consider putting him in a crate when you aren't able to supervise him outside for his safety. I understand this may not be possible, just understand that he could obstruct if he eats a rock that is too large. In the meantime, I would feed him a high fiber canned food for a couple of days to help him pass this rock. I hope this helps!