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My dog ate a tea bag staple. Should I worry about her health?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog ate the paper part of a tea bag, she didn't eat the tea bag, I just want tom make sure that the staple on the tea paper doesn't damage her health.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on February 28th, 2017

In most cases, a very small foreign object like this will pass through the GI tract with no problems - if this just happened, you can feed him a slice of bread to help add some bulk to his stomach contents, which should help to surround and cushion the staple as it moves through. To be safe, you should monitor him for the next several days for any signs of a problem. If he has repeated episodes of vomiting, begins acting lethargic, or doesn't want to eat, I would recommend taking him to the vet right away since it's possible that he might need surgery to remove the staple. As long as he is acting normal, I wouldn't worry - it will likely pass though without any problems sometime in the next 2-3 days.

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