My dog ate rubber bands. Should I make him throw up or call the vet?

Question

My dog Jake just ate 3 or 4 long and short rubber bands that were not more then a centimeter thick. Should he be able to pass them? Should I induced vomiting some how? Should I wait? He has no symptoms right now. Been 20 min since he ate them at the time of me asking this. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 38 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Oh that was naughty of Jake! I would not recommend inducing vomiting at home. The reason is that hydrogen peroxide (which people use at home) can and does cause severe esophagitis and gastritis, often worse than the initial problem, so it's always preferred best to have the dog seen by a vet to induce vomiting with a shot. He could pass them without a problem, but there is always a chance of them getting stuck in his GI tract causing a linear foreign body. Should that happen, he would need surgery to remove them. Given that it's only been 20 minutes since he ate them, I would take him into a vet on call or an ER vet immediately to safely induce vomiting to prevent them from causing an obstruction.

My dog ate rubber bands. Should I make him throw up or call the vet?

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