My puppy swallowed something, then threw up. What should I watch for now?

Unfortunately even one cigarette butt is poisonous enough to cause serious toxicity in a small puppy. If you have not inspected the vomitus of your puppy and found the butt in it then it did not come out and you need to take your puppy to a pet ER or a vet for an exam. Signs of nicotine poisoning occur within an hour of ingestion and include tremors, drooling, hallucinations, constricted pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, increased heart rate and high blood pressure.

Good on you for reaching out for help and information! The toxic level of nicotine in dogs is 5 milligrams of nicotine per pound of body weight. In dogs, 10 mg/kg is potentially lethal. One cigarette contains 15 to 25 milligrams of nicotine depending on the brand. So two cigarettes would contain 30-50mg of nicotine. That means if your dog weighs 30kg (66lbs), she would have potentially consumed 1mg/kg to 1.67mg/kg. If she weighs 5kg (11lbs), she would have potentially consumed 6mg/kg-10mg/kg (potentially lethal dose). I'm not sure how much your dog weighs, but if she is a larger dog (over 50lbs), she likely did not consume enough to be toxic. The signs of toxicity are dose-dependent and generally begin within one hour of ingestion. Many dogs will vomit naturally after ingestion. I would monitor her for now. Watch out for tremors, weakness, stumbling, lethargy, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, or difficulty breathing. If you see any of these signs, get Kai into your vet right away.

Hello, sorry to hear about Nala. It is common for dogs to vomit after chewing cigarettes containing nicotine. Typically, decontamination of nicotine, the toxicant, occurs during the vomiting episode and dogs do not experience other symptoms of toxicity. However if ingestion of nicotine does occur, dogs can experience other symptoms such as abnormal heart rates and rhythms, abnormalities in blood pressures and even seizures or tremors. After ingestion of nicotine containing products, it is recommended that patients get evaluated by a veterinarian to monitor their heart rate, blood pressure, and neurologic status. If you are concerned that Nala may have ingested the cigarette, then you should have her evaluated by a veterinarian. Otherwise, monitor for more vomiting, lethargy, weakness, and episodes of collapse, or trembling and seizing. If you note any, contact your veterinarian immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

If you are worried she ingested an object, like a sock or shoe then you would watch for signs of gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain, lethargy, or straining to defecate. If you are worried about a toxin ingestion these signs can vary widely and can include GI upset, rapid breathing or heart rate, excessive drooling, trembling, seizures, drunken appearance/gait, dilated pupils, pale gums, lethargy. If any of these signs occur seek veterinary care right away.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Scotia. Oh no, that's not good. You did the right thing by taking her into a vet right away. Keep an eye out for more vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and a loss of appetite. If you see any of those signs, take her back into a vet right away. I hope this helps!

If your pups are doing great today, yes, you should be in the clear. Symptoms of nicotine usually show up quite quickly (within the first couple hours), and if the pet is doing well 12 hours later typically we've got a really good prognosis. Here's some helpful info on nicotine toxicity in dogs if you're interested in some more reading: https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/nicotine-toxicity/ Hope this helps!

Watch for vomiting, retching, diarrhea, lethargy and any other signs that could indicate that your puppy is not feeling well. If any of this occurs, then you need to take her to a vet as she could have a blocked intestine. Since she only ingested this an hour ago there is a possibility that you can have a vet make her regurgitate what she ate, if you are very worried. Look around the floor where she picked this up whether there is more of the substance.