My dog swallowed an Expo marker. Is it dangerous? What should I do?

Hello, and thanks for your question about Willow. From your picture, it looks like she probably ingested very little if at all. She will most likely do just fine. Small pieces of plastic will typically pass without incident. If she's acting totally normal, you can monitor her for symptoms of GI upset (vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, lethargy) - or to be on the safe side have her seen by your vet to get abdominal x-rays and make sure everything looks ok. Of course, if you're already seeing symptoms then send her in to be examined. But if she's acting fine, I suspect she'll be fine. :-) Hope this helps!

Ink in a pen is generally non-toxic, and she would have needed to consume a lot of it for medical attention to be required. The amount of ink contained in this pen is unlikely to cause her any problems, and if she didn't eat any part of the pen itself, she should be fine. I hope this helps!

Silly Kobe! It’s always amazing what dogs will chew on. It doesn’t look like he likely ingested much of the marker, and if he DID swallow any of it he probably chewed it up pretty good. I would monitor him for now, and check his poop to make sure anything he did eat is padding (may take 24-48h). If you notice Kobe starting to become lethargic, if he’s off his food, or start to vomit then please take him to your vet for evaluation. The vet will likely need some X-rays to check for intestinal obstruction. If Kobe has evidence of an obstruction he may need surgery to remove it. I hope Kobe does ok. Monitor him carefully, and supervise him carefully (even lock him in a kennel if you aren’t home) to help prevent accidental infections in the future.

Writing ink is generally not toxic, and must be consumed in large quantities before medical attention is needed. The amount of ink contained in a pen is unlikely to cause toxicity in Pancho, but I would be more concerned if he ate the pen portion itself. If he hasn't, gently flush out his mouth with warm water, and clean any ink in his mouth. You can monitor him for signs of ink toxicity (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, mouth irritation), and if you see any of those signs, take him into the vet right away. Otherwise, I think he will be ok :-)

Hello, I am sorry to hear about Dave. Ink can be toxic to dogs when a large quantity is ingested on an empty stomach. The toxic compound in many inks is ethanol. Based on the photo that you have attached I think it is unlikely that Dave could have ingested enough to cause toxicity. However, please monitor him for any symptoms such as lethargy, leaking urine/feces, shallow breathing, etc. If you notice any of the above symptoms or Dave acts clinically ill I would recommend having him evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

These little pieces of plastic should pass without problem, but they may cause some damage to the GI tract if they are sharp. If you see blood in the poop, diarrhea, or a loss of appetite, have Nila seen by a vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There is a good chance that she will pass it. However, it is important to watch closely for clinical signs consistent with an intestinal obstruction such as vomiting, abdominal pain and decreased appetite. If any of the above are observed, she should be evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!