It may be healthy for you, but it could be deadly for your dog. It only takes a moment to put your beloved pet in harm’s way. But, it can be easily avoided. Take a moment to learn about the dangers of dental floss to your dog.
• What’s the Danger?
Here’s the scenario. You get up in the morning, brush and floss your teeth and toss the piece of dental floss in your bathroom waste basket. Out you go for your morning coffee and in comes your dog. With a heightened sense of smell and a curious nature, many dogs are drawn to those little pieces of string in your garbage – especially when they have a minty or cinnamon scent.
It only takes a minute for them to retrieve that piece of dental floss and swallow it. Many times, you might not even know what they’ve done until it’s too late.
• How Dangerous Is It?
So why is dental floss so dangerous to your dog? Actually, it’s dangerous to any animal that swallows it because if it’s inherit properties. Dental floss is made to be extremely strong to withstand hard tugging and pulling when used to floss your teeth. Unfortunately, those same properties make it almost indestructible and it does not dissolve or digest when swallowed.
As a matter of fact, dental floss is so strong that it can actually cause lacerations or strangulation to an animal’s intestinal tract. The AKC website has a good article entitled, “Hidden Dangers in the Home,” about the dangers and costs of unusual items that dogs and cats have swallowed and what it costs to remove them. Dental floss was in the top five dangerous items with the highest cost of emergency treatment at $3,590.
• How to Keep Your Dog Safe
As with so many other dangers, the best treatment for the problem is prevention. Keeping these tempting little goodies out of your dog’s reach is the best way to keep them safe. Instead of discarding your floss in an open wastebasket, place it in a trash container with a tight-fitting lid. Not only will it put the item out of reach, but it will reduce your dog’s ability to smell the dental floss and lessen the temptation. The extra effort to throw away your floss in lidded container could safe your dog’s life.
For more information on this and other dangers around the home, read the Humane Society’s article entitled, “Common Household Dangers for Pets.” Armed with knowledge and a few simple suggestions, you can provide a safer environment to share with the pets you love and look forward to many happy years together.