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My dog ate a pen and ink. Is it dangerous? What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cockapoo | Female | spayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 15.6 lbs

What should I do if my dog ate parts of a pen including some ink?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Anna M., DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 10th, 2019

Hello, and thanks for your question about Willow. From your picture, it looks like she probably ingested very little if at all. She will most likely do just fine. Small pieces of plastic will typically pass without incident. If she's acting totally normal, you can monitor her for symptoms of GI upset (vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, lethargy) - or to be on the safe side have her seen by your vet to get abdominal x-rays and make sure everything looks ok. Of course, if you're already seeing symptoms then send her in to be examined. But if she's acting fine, I suspect she'll be fine. :-) Hope this helps!

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34Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 8th, 2017

    Labs will eat anything, won't they? Typically, the ink in pens is non-toxic, so the only concern I have would be if the pen did some damage to her GI tract on the way out. I would give her a slice of whole wheat bread now, and one with every meal. This will hopefully form a ball of ingesta around the pen, and cushion it as it passes through the GI tract. Monitor Jenny, and if you do see some bloody feces, I would have her seen by a vet.

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