My puppy ate a pen. What if she swallowed plastic or ink?

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!

Hi, I think if the pieces of plastic are quite small, they are likely to pass through his tummy without causing any issues. At this point in time, you can keep an eye for any signs relating to gastro-intestinal problems. Is Cashew eating well and passing normal faeces ? Is any sickness occurring ? If you haven't noticed any abnormal signs, you just ned to keep an eye on his faeces over the next few days, and make sure he is not straining nor in any pain. Hopefully Cashew is like my dog and destroys things without swallowing them ! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach !

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 :-)

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!

If Mary ate these items within the past 2 hours, then you should take her to a pet ER right away, where she can receive an injection to make her vomit. that way the plastic does not enter the intestines and cause an obstruction. Please take her to a pet ER now.

A tiny piece of plastic like this is unlikely to cause any problems with Ella. You can monitor her for signs of GI obstruction which would include vomiting, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, and lethargy. If these occur, then she should see her vet right away, but I don't expect that to occur with the small amounts she may have ingested, they will likely just pass through her GI tract. You can feed her something high in fiber to help the passing, such as a piece of whole wheat bread or a teaspoon or two of canned pumpkin.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The ink or color in these markers now is usually non toxic. The main concern is the possibility of an intestinal obstruction. If she swallowed the marker whole then the main concern would a possible obstruction that may require therapy via endoscopy or most likely surgery. If this is the case, I recommend that you have her evaluated by your local emergency clinic tonight for further assessment and possible treatment. It is possible that this could pass but seems less likely given its size even if she is a larger dog. Best of luck!