Pet Poison Q & A: How "Glow" Can You Go?
Is glow jewelry hazardous to dogs?
―Kathy B.
Colorful, plastic glow-in-the-dark jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets and hand-held glow sticks, are not usually harmful, Kathy. While the luminescent liquid inside these products might look as though it could be poisonous, the relatively small quantity of fluid generally has a low potential for toxicity.
This oily, glowing substance is called dibutyl phthalate, and can be found in a wide variety of products, from plastics to insect repellents. Based on our experience, most animals who have chewed on glow jewelry have exhibited signs such as profuse drooling, hyperactivity, agitation and/or aggressive behavior. However, while these effects may seem serious and quite alarming to pet owners, they are typically transient, lasting only a few minutes, and are only a response to the liquid’s unpleasant taste. Generally, the only treatment needed is diluting the residue of taste by giving your pet a small amount of milk, tuna juice or soft pet food. If the residue is on the animal’s skin or hair coat, mild soap and water can be used to wash it off―and you’ll avoid the possibility of further ingestion when the animal grooms himself.
More new questions this week:
- Is crystal cat litter safe if ingested?
- Are the inserts you put in gloves to keep your hands warm harmful if dogs eat them?
―Kathy B.
Colorful, plastic glow-in-the-dark jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets and hand-held glow sticks, are not usually harmful, Kathy. While the luminescent liquid inside these products might look as though it could be poisonous, the relatively small quantity of fluid generally has a low potential for toxicity.
This oily, glowing substance is called dibutyl phthalate, and can be found in a wide variety of products, from plastics to insect repellents. Based on our experience, most animals who have chewed on glow jewelry have exhibited signs such as profuse drooling, hyperactivity, agitation and/or aggressive behavior. However, while these effects may seem serious and quite alarming to pet owners, they are typically transient, lasting only a few minutes, and are only a response to the liquid’s unpleasant taste. Generally, the only treatment needed is diluting the residue of taste by giving your pet a small amount of milk, tuna juice or soft pet food. If the residue is on the animal’s skin or hair coat, mild soap and water can be used to wash it off―and you’ll avoid the possibility of further ingestion when the animal grooms himself.
More new questions this week:
- Is crystal cat litter safe if ingested?
- Are the inserts you put in gloves to keep your hands warm harmful if dogs eat them?
posted by ASPCA at 10:08 AM PERMALINK
5 Comments:
My cat was playing on a glo stick and chewed it and it broke open in his mouth.
What you described happened for a few minutes then stopped.
this happened with our lil dog too freaked me out...stopped after a few minutes...gave him..milk...thank..goodness...for..google!!
Same thing happened to my cat a little while ago. He slobbered for a bit and didn't want to eat a treat, but after some milk mixed with a bit of water (I read online to do this), he's good as new. What did we do before the internet?!
Absolutley true, my poor cat/kitten got on the end of one, and it popped, he went nuts, drool everywhere, very alarming, but has calmed down and is into the milk.
What an extremely helpful site, still going to watch him though, but saves a trip to an emergency vet, poor lad.
My kitty and I love you! We're very close friends, and she got ahold of a glowstick leftover from a birthday party and of course her teeth punctured it and it popped in her mouth.
She made weird noises and ran around like mad for about 90 seconds...and instinct told me to get her a little milk to at least dilute it.
How thankful I was to see that I did the right thing! She's fine now..a little on the alert side, but fine :)
Thanks again so much, you put my mind at ease..I can sleep now!
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