My Dog Ate Slime Made With Detergent

My dog ate slime made with detergent this week and it was truly a horrifying moment in our lives. We were in a state of panic for the entire night and I felt like I had to write this post up in case you have pets in your life AND children that are into the slime craze.

Dogs are fast – faster than you think and when something drops, they are lightening speed. Keep reading so you can equip yourself with the right knowledge ahead of time JUST IN CASE.

I have a teenage daughter that loves to make slime. She uses random ingredients I have around the house. We do not have borax.

The slime is usually made with contact solution, liquid detergent, hand soap, glue – things like that. While standing at the kitchen counter playing with her little concoction, a small portion of her slime dropped to the floor.

My Dog Ate Slime Made With Detergent

Within a matter of seconds, our 8-month-old rescue jetted to her side and ate it. I have to reiterate that this happened in an absolute flash. She couldn’t have stopped him – even being so very close. I saw the whole thing. He was a viper. We all completely froze.

As parents, we understand how very important it is to practice good laundry safety habits. For 14 years, I have stayed on top of my children like a hawk. But with a blink of an eye, something happened under my watch and I felt completely helpless. We immediately pulled open the computer and did a quick search for clues.

What To Do If Your Dog Eats Slime

If your dog eats a large amount of slime, your best bet would be to call your vet immediately. I am not a doctor and it would be best to get advice from your caregiver. Since our puppy only ingested a small amount, we took to the Internet during the first few minutes to do a bit more research before we made our call.

Upon research, we learned that the following symptoms are high risk. These are what you should look out for to let you know that your dog is in danger and needs attention:

Vomiting
Diarrhea
Body shaking
Trouble breathing
Burns of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach
Excessive Drooling
Lethargy

You need to watch your dog for several hours. This isn’t something you will check for and then forget about. Digestion takes time. Dogs are like our children. Treat them as you would a little one. We watched our Tucker for 24 hours to make sure he didn’t present any unusual signs.

Again, I want to preface that Natalie saw what dropped and it was less than a dime. If it was more than that, we would have called the vet. But since it happened, it took us down this educational path and now we know!

Should I Try To Make My Dog Vomit?

No. No! This can cause more harm than anything else. Do not try to force anything down your dog’s throat to make him/her vomit.

What Should We Do Then?

Give them lots of water to drink. You want to dilute whatever they swallowed just in case it is starting to affect the lining of their throat. We filled Tucker’s bowl up two times and he has a very big bowl. He was in his glory! If at any point you get nervous, please call your vet. In fact, if you feel throughout this post that you aren’t doing enough or you need more advice, call your vet!! Your vet will give you all the information you need.

I read online that having a dog walk through laundry detergent and then lick his paw was enough to cause an issue. So, a small amount can still lead to problems. Since my dog ate slime, I knew it was a combination of hand soap and Elmer’s glue.

It wasn’t true detergent. And the amount that he consumed was tiny. My situation might not be the same as yours. I strongly advise you to trust your gut. If your heart is telling you to call your vet, then please call your vet.

I Don’t Have A Vet?

You can always reach out to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control helpline for more information. If you do a quick search online, you will also find local 24-hour emergency animal hospitals. We have used these on more than one occasion – especially during the night.

How Can We Prevent This From Happening?

Slime, dish detergent, laundry detergent – all need to be put away and kept up high and out of reach. With the slime, it was an accident, but one that has truly taught us a lesson.

Natalie is no longer allowed to play with her slime in the kitchen while Tucker is in the room. She can only do it when he is closed off in another room. Dogs are quick! Quicker than children.

As far as your laundry and kitchen supplies, cleaning goods should always be locked away. Treat your dogs as you would babies. Lock your cabinets and keep everything else way up and out of reach. Curiosity can do terrible things to an animal.

Large amounts of laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, and slime can be very toxic to animals.

Has this ever happened to you? What did you end up doing? I hope this information helps animal owners in some way. We were terrified during those first moments and as a dog mom, I knew that I wanted to sum up my experience to try to spread the word about symptoms, contact info, and suggestions should you find yourself in the same boat.

In the end, Tucker was fine. He presented no symptoms and luckily came out on the other side of the next morning unharmed. We were the ones that were affected the most.

Lesson learned – the hard way!! Hugs to you if you are going through this tonight. My thoughts are with you. Remember to call your vet if you feel like you need more information.