What if My Dog Swallowed a Plastic Bottle Cap?

A dog may find a piece of plastic quite intriguing and decide to nibble it. Other times, it may swallow plastic unintentionally when trying to get its teeth on something delicious. Either way, this might not be grave as relatively small plastic pieces will often pass right through your dog’s digestive system.

However, your dog might develop a serious health problem if it swallows a sizable piece of plastic. On some occasions, and without intervention, it could lead to their death.

Read on to find out what you should do if your dog swallowed a bottle cap and why dogs eat plastic.

Before reading this guide, “What if My Dog Swallowed a Plastic Bottle Cap,” check out: My Dog Swallowed a Ribbon: What Should I Do? (2023) and My Dog Swallowed a Bully Stick. What Should I Do? (2023).

My Dog Ate a Water Bottle Cap

Don’t panic if your dog swallows a foreign object, such as a plastic bottle cap. Although it is inappropriate, the cap may not cause serious health problems. However, your major concern should be the possibility of the water bottle cap getting stuck in your dog’s pup’s digestive system and causing an obstruction.

If your dog behaves normally after eating a water bottle cap and doesn’t seem to be in pain, it’ll probably be fine. All you need is to watch over it closely for any notable signs of tummy trouble or discomfort.

If your dog begins to have diarrhea or vomit, don’t hesitate to call your vet.

Why Would a Dog Eat a Plastic Bottle Cap?

If your puppy ate a bottle cap, you might wonder about some of the reasons behind it. Well, dogs munch on plastic for several reasons. By understanding these reasons, you’ll likely take steps to prevent the problem from recurring.

The common reasons dogs chew or swallow pieces of plastic include the following:

• Pica
• Hunger
• Separation anxiety
• Teething
• Boredom

Pica

Pica is a medical condition in which a dog eats an inedible item. While some dogs with Pica eat fabrics, others eat rocks. Others find plastic items, including bottle caps, irresistible. Your dog’s behavior is considered compulsive Pica if it eats plastic without a medical reason.

Your dog cannot outgrow compulsive Pica easily. It will require a dog trainer’s intervention.

Pica can be quite challenging to treat. Be sure to work closely with an animal behaviorist or vet to address the issue as early as possible.

Hunger

Some dogs have an endless appetite. They go looking for food everywhere. If you leave empty food containers and plastic bottles on the table, your hungry puppy will help itself with them. An overly hungry dog may chew and swallow a plastic bottle cap inadvertently while trying to access the delicious food contents it has.

Separation Anxiety

Your canine friend might suffer severe separation anxiety if you often leave it at home alone. The dog might do several things in such a situation, including chewing a plastic bottle cap, to help soothe its frazzled nervousness. Often, a dog that’s distressed about its owner’s departure may opt to chew something that smells like its owner.

Teething

Puppy teething might be the most obvious reason for chewing inedible objects. A teething puppy will often chew anything it can find. Whereas some dogs will find couch cushions, sticks, or shoes their perfect teething ring, others may find great enjoyment in household plastics.

To prevent your teething puppy from chewing and potentially swallowing a plastic bottle cap or other pieces, ensure it has a safe teething chew toy.

Boredom

Your dog might become bored if it doesn’t enjoy sufficient mental stimulation. As a result, it may develop various destructive habits including ingesting or chewing anything it can get its paws on.

To prevent this habit, ensure your puppy gets enough daily attention and stimulation.

Can a Plastic Bottle Cap Harm My Dog if Swallowed?

It’s never pleasant to learn that your puppy has swallowed a strange object. If you put the situation into perspective, it seems to be quite painful, and most likely, it is — especially if the plastic bottle cap has some broken pieces and bits or sharp edges.

The uneven plastic bottle cap may get stuck in your dog’s throat, causing great discomfort for an extended duration. Apart from causing pain, the stuck bottle cap also makes your puppy prone to infectious agents. Moreover, it may be difficult for the bottle cap to pass through the dog’s entire alimentary canal.

Even if your puppy could excrete the bottle cap successfully, it would still undergo considerable pain due to the cap rubbing along its whole digestive mucosa. Additionally, the foreign object may cause great discomfort in your puppy’s tummy leading to forced vomit.

What Happens if My Dog Swallows a Plastic Bottle Cap?

If your puppy swallows a plastic bottle cap, you’ll need to understand all the tracks the strange object will likely pass through.

First, the bottle cap will pass through the mouth, which may cause significant damage to your canine’s oral mucosa. It might cause bleeding, wounds, or scratches, making your pet more prone to infection.

Secondly, the plastic cap’s movement through the stomach and intestines may greatly disturb such organs. If the foreign object causes intestinal obstruction, the dog may accumulate water and food.

The magnitude of the complication will depend on the size of the cap and how your puppy’s intestinal tract handles it.

Symptoms That Should Concern You if Your Dog Swallowed a Plastic Bottle Cap

If you notice any of the following signs in your dog after it swallows a plastic bottle cap, you should head to a veterinarian straight away:

• Failure to produce stool at all
• Diarrhea, especially if it contains blood and occurs repeatedly
• Incessant whining or crying
• An indication of panicked behavior
• Strange body postures
• Abdominal bloating
• Lethargy
• Vomiting, especially if it occurs repeatedly

Precautions to Take When Your Dog Swallows a Plastic Bottle Cap

It all depends on the size and nature of the plastic bottle cap that your dog ingests, the symptoms, and how much time has elapsed since it happened. Below is a general guide on what to do next.

1. If you’ve noticed your puppy has swallowed a plastic bottle cap and it shows one or more of the worrying symptoms indicated above, contact your veterinarian immediately and take your pup to the vet as soon as possible.
2. If you can see the plastic bottle cap, you can try removing it if it’s possible to do so without causing injury to yourself.
3. If you can’t move the cap with your fingers, contact the pet emergency clinic or call your vet immediately.
4. If your pup is choking and you can’t see the object in the mouth, yet the dog has become unconscious, turn to the Heimlich maneuver instructions immediately.
5. If the swallowed plastic bottle cap has sharp ends, avoid any attempt to remove it by yourself.
6. If you notice any form of cord hanging from the cap in the dog’s mouth, don’t cut or pull it, as doing so will injure the dog’s esophagus or throat.
7. Avoid inducing vomiting by yourself before speaking to the veterinarian, as the object might be quite dangerous to vomit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about dogs that swallowed a plastic bottle cap.

Conclusion for “What if My Dog Swallowed a Plastic Bottle Cap”

Puppies and adult dogs like to chew plastic as part of an innate urge to sharpen their teeth. They also love plastic caps for their crunching noise. Although swallowing small-sized plastic bottle caps may not endanger your dog, ingesting larger caps might be detrimental.

As part of good dog training manners, teach your dog what is and what isn’t appropriate to chew. Never leave your dog unattended for long. If your dog swallowed a plastic bottle cap and the cap causes them some alarming symptoms, reach out to your vet immediately.

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