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My dog ate sharp plastic. Should I induce vomiting or see a vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Catahoula Leopard Dog | Female | spayed | 1 year and 1 month old | 40 lbs

I was feeding my dog in a hard plastic bowl and she bit the side of it and swallowed 2 small, sharp edged pieces, smaller than my thumb nail, see attached photos. Should i induce vomiting, watch for it to pass in her stool, or take her to 24 hour vet? thank you so much!

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 25th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ebi. Poor girl! More than likely, this will pass without problem. Do not induce vomiting, as these plastic pieces could do damage to her esophagus on the way out. Monitor her for now. If you see vomiting, diarrhea, blood in her poop. lethargy, or a loss of appetite, then I would take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 3rd, 2018

    Hello, this is always a difficult call to make since you have no idea if there is even a problem. I definitely would not recommend inducing vomiting at home since you do not want to inadvertently lacerate the esophagus if a sharp piece comes back up. I think this is a very good case to discuss with your veterinarian. She will surely recommend an x-ray to see if any pieces are large enough to be worrisome. Otherwise, you can monitor Luna at home over the next 5-10 days. Any loss of appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting or fever can all indicate a developing problem & you will need to call your veterinarian immediately. I hope all is OK with Luna.

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