We’ve all wondered why our dogs consume unusual and uncommon foods. Dogs appear to enjoy eating things that we find strange, avoidable, or absolutely unpleasant, whether it’s grass, dirt, or dung. Dogs are curious and playful creatures, so they can play with and eat whatever they can reach. To your pet, even your most personal belongings are nothing more than toys (or even food). That’s how they are, despite how sick and creepy it appears.
When you first bring your new dog home, you must be highly cautious about what you leave lying around. To a puppy, everything is new. just like human babies, they have no idea what they are putting in their mouths.
So, you might wonder, why do dogs like eating period pads? Why does my dog eat a maxi pad? What am I supposed to do now?? Because the odor attracts your dog, he would eat your bloody pad. As dogs have a strong sense of smell, the scent of your blood in your pad attracts them. An attraction like this comes from instinct, and it’s nearly impossible to break. It happens, and it’s quite harmful, despite the fact that it appears disgusting. If your pet has eaten your maxi pad, contact your vet immediately. Furthermore, if you notice something wrong with your pet while eating, take it to the clinic right away.
What makes it worse is that such products absorb liquid. As a result, if consumed, it may cause harm to your pet.
In this article, we’ll go through what can happen to your pet if it eats a period pad and what you can do to address the problem. So Without any further ado, let’s get started!
Why does my dog eat period pads?
I understand people’s frustration when they walk into their bathrooms and see a whole mess where the trashcan usually resides. I can only picture the shock of seeing a discarded object contaminated by human waste be it a diaper, or sanitary napkin hanging between a dog’s teeth, or detected in a dog’s stool. Unfortunately, there is no definitive reason why dogs eat non-food items other than boredom, lack of exercise, or nutritional deficiencies.
When it comes to diapers, if the ingested object is a maxi pad or a period pad, the explanation is most likely instinctual rather than nutritional or behavioral.
The nose and tongue are the two sensory organs that a dog may use from birth. The senses of smell and taste in dogs are quite powerful. To thoroughly inspect an unfamiliar thing, humans may touch it or bring it closer to their eyes. Sniffing, licking, and tasting provide dogs with deep knowledge. Most domestic dogs retain an instinctual desire to track a new scent and consume any available sample, which they learned from their forefathers.
Dogs are natural hunters as well as skilled scavengers. The unpleasant aromas associated with decomposition and excretions lure them to the latter job. When the aroma of bodily fluids of any kind enters the nose, trust a dog to track it down to its cause and evaluate its utility as a play or food source. These are some of the main reasons why dogs like eating period pads.
What happens when a dog eats a period pad?
Dogs are notorious for eating things they shouldn’t. Unlike feces, red dirt, or random tufts of grass, tampons, maxi pads, sanitary napkins, condoms, disposable diapers, and other personal hygiene items found in our restrooms offer serious health risks to dogs.
If an item is advertised as having super-absorbency, the same properties that make it a good personal hygiene product might create mayhem inside a dog. The larger the surface area of a period pad in a dog’s digestive tract, the more absorbent it is. It risks not only depriving a dog of fluids but also causing an intestinal blockage if it gets stuck in the small intestine and swells to maximum capacity. A bloated pad may prevent partially digested food from making its way to its target. Whether your pet exhibits serious symptoms or not, it is best to have it examined by a veterinarian.
What are the symptoms you need to look out for?
If you think your dog ate an abandoned personal hygiene item, my studies suggest you keep an eye on his/her feces over the next 48 hours. If the object is in good condition, hasn’t absorbed too much liquid, and hasn’t got stuck along the way, it should pass in the dog’s feces within that time frame. Be on the alert for sudden changes in your dog’s behavior or food habits if a blockage has occurred. A dog with an intestinal blockage may suffer the following symptoms:
- Loss of appetite
- Constipation or bowel problems
- Fever
- Attempts to vomit on several occasions
- Sensitive stomach or abdominal pain
What to do if your dog eats a period pad?
First and foremost, do not be alarmed. If you’re confident your dog ate a discarded period pad, keep an eye on his or her feces for the next day or two. Consult your veterinarian if it does not go away on its own and you notice any of the basic symptoms indicated above.
Foreign bodies trapped in the intestines can be found using X-rays or ultrasounds. Dehydration, tearing of the intestinal wall, internal bleeding, and peritonitis, or inflammation of the abdominal lining, are all long-term effects of having a personal hygiene item trapped in the digestive system.
Conclusion
There are numerous reasons why your dog would like to eat period pads. You can also change your behavior by doing simple things.
Why is my dog consuming period pads? It’s due to your behavior. Changing the behavior of the pet and not just the pet alone has to be the focus of attention.
Keep sanitary pads out of the way. Getting rid of them right away is only simple sense. Leaving them laying about is both unsanitary and hazardous for your dog.
It’s pointless to get angry with your dog since he’s simply doing what dogs do. If you change your conduct and behavior, your dog would be unable to continue this gross practice.