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My dog ate an iron oxygen packet. What should I do right now?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Alaskan Malamute | Male | neutered | 11 years and 2 months old | 75 lbs

My 75 lb dog ate one iron oxygen packet from a bag of beef jerky. Should I go to the vet to induce vomiting?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on April 30th, 2018

The toxicology site I just referenced states that these are low toxicity. The packet itself could cause a foreign body obstruction, but unlikely in a 75# dog. The iron can cause some gastrointestinal upset such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. However they do recommend offering food, water, and or a small amount of milk to help protect the GI tract. True iron toxicity is unlikely with a large dog and 1 packet ingestion. If you notice any of these clinical signs please have him Evaluated by your veterinarian. If you have any concerns that it was More than one packet, or if it was something other than iron then he should also be seen. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Iron oxygen sachets can cause severe poisoning, even in the small amounts contained in one oxygen absorber packet. It also irritates the gastrointestinal tract and has direct corrosive effects. After ingestion, vomiting (with or without blood) is one of the first signs of poisoning. i would recommend taking Wyatt to the vet urgently in order to get him treated, emesis induction will be the first step of treatment.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on June 7th, 2019

    If he only punctured the packet, it is likely he did not ingest enough to pose a serious risk of iron toxicity. Monitor him for vomiting in the next several hours. One of the most common early signs of iron toxicity is vomiting (with or without blood). If Toulouse doesn't vomit, he "should" be fine. Symptoms may appear anywhere between 1 and 5 days of ingestion and may include vomiting, lethargy, abdominal pain, diarrhea (with or without blood), tremors, panting or elevated heart rate. If you have more than one packet of jerky, open a new bag, remove that oxidizer packet and weigh it on a gram scale then weigh the punctured one to see if there is an appreciable amount missing. See your veterinarian or have him seen at the nearest veterinary ER if necessary.

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 9th, 2019

    Hello. If there are no GI signs over the next 6 hours, then there will probably be no problems from the iron in the packets. Most of these packets convert from iron to oxide the longer they are in the air, so essentially become harmless with time. If Shera does develop vomiting & diarrhea, she may need to be assessed for iron ingestion. Your vet can usually request iron levels or Total Iron Binding Capacity at a regional lab or even a local hospital, if necessary. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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