What should I do if my dog eats litter?

To try to minimize this problem, prevent your dog from having access to the litter box. This can be done by giving your cat access by kitty door to a room that your dog doesn’t can go in. This can be as simple as keeping one room in your home closed with a kitty door with only cat access or putting up a baby gate that you cat can jump to provide cat only access. You can also place it high in an area your dog can’t jump to but make sure it is comfortable and easily accessible to your cat. If a dog eats enough, it is possible for the litter to cause constipation or a gastrointestinal obstruction. If your dog is vomiting, reluctant to eat or has a loss of appetite, acting lethargic, or straining to defecate, please see your veterinarian to determine if the ingestion of clumping cat litter is causing a problem in your dog.

If your dog eats kitty litter, it can cause an obstruction or constipation. Signs to watch out for are vomiting, reluctance to eat, loss of appetite, lethargy, or straining to poop. Because all kitty litter has liquid-absorbing properties it can cause irritation and inflammation to your dog’s intestines. But the clumping types of cat litter are the most dangerous. If your dog eats enough clumping litter, clumps can form in the stomach and intestines, creating a blockage. If your dog is small, even a little bit of kitty litter can be cause for concern. Call your vet right away. If your dog is larger and the amount eaten is moderate, then it’s safe to just keep a watch on your dog for the next 24 hours and if you see any kind of discomfort and anything less than completely normal pooping, get your dog to your vet asap. The first step is an obvious one. Find a way to prevent your dog from having access to the litter box. You have a few options: Add a small enough kitty door that fits your cat but not your dog that goes to a room where you keep the litter box. If that’s too expensive or not doable, then try putting up a baby gate that your cat can jump over but your dog can’t. Put the litter box somewhere up high where your dog can’t jump but is comfortable and easily accessible to your cat. What we did was get a covered litter box and face the opening toward a corner of two walls close enough where Finn could get in but our dogs couldn’t.

If your dog has eaten cat litter or clumping cat litter, keep an eye on them. If they have normal bowel movements, they’re probably fine. But if your dog appears to have difficulty pooping, does not poop, or if their poop is abnormal, you should call your veterinarian. Despite these risks, in most cases, your dog won’t suffer any health consequences from eating cat poop. However, for you and your dog’s health, eating cat poop is one habit your dog definitely should kick. If this is the case, take your dog in for regular visits to the veterinarian to make sure they haven’t contracted any internal parasites from their scavenging.