Is Playdough Toxic to Dogs? Solve and Keep Pets Safe!

Dogs always eat randomly. Playdough toys that children love sometimes become food in the eyes of pets. Although playdough is harmless to children, it is poisonous to pets! Sincerely, playdough is toxic to dogs.

Fortunately, in this blog we discuss the ingredients in playdough and how to prevent your dog from eating it. At the same time, you will also learn what you need to do when your dog eats playdough!

Understanding Playdough Composition and Potential Risks

As part of the family, dogs stay anywhere in the home. Apparently, when the kids are playing playdough, the dogs will join in the fun. They are curious and like to hold toys in their mouths. So, pet owners are worried about whether the ingredients in playdough will harm their dogs.

Ingredients in Playdough and Their Safety for Dogs

Playdough is a safe toy for children and its ingredients are edible flour, water, oil and salt. Although the ingredients are non-toxic, dough toys are not safe for dogs.

As any pet lover knows, cats and dogs cannot eat anything high in salt. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set salt as a food hazard to four-legged pets [1]. If dogs eat playdough, they may suffer from muscle atrophy, twitching and spasms, or even death[2].

Chemicals and Additives in Playdough: Are They Harmful to Dogs?

The chemical name for the salt used to make playdough is sodium chloride. You are familiar with it, you use it when cooking. Because of the bad taste of salt, children will not eat playdough. However, cats and dogs may not be able to resist the smell.

Some ingredients in playdough, in addition to salt, can cause discomfort in pets.

Potential Toxic Ingredients in Playdough

• Food coloring: Used to add color. In most cases, food coloring is nontoxic and safe. However, if pets eat a lot of food coloring, they can get sick, especially dogs with sensitive intestines.
• Fragrance: Used to create fragrance. Some manufacturers add fragrances to playdough, which may cause allergies or difficulty breathing.
• Preservatives: Used to prevent playdough from growing mold. Compounds in preservatives may cause allergic reactions.
• Inorganic fillers: Used to improve texture or absorbency. Inorganic fillers are usually talc or silica, and these ingredients are non-toxic. However, if your dog swallows playdough containing inorganic fillers, it may cause choking, stomach ache, or even suffocation.
• Yeast: Homemade dough may contain yeast. This is dangerous. The yeast will produce alcohol that can enter the bloodstream and cause poisoning. The FDA also lists yeast products as dangerous for pets to eat [1].

Safety Standards and Regulations for Playdough Ingredients

In fact, you don’t know the exact ingredients in playdough. They’re often a corporate secret. Fortunately, you can confirm playdough’s safety with some standards.

For example, the U.S. toy safety standard ASTM F963-17 clearly lists the chemical limits in playdough. With ASTM, playdough does not contain toxic or harmful components, such as heavy metals, harmful dyes, and phthalates.

In addition, ASTM F963-17 also limits the size of playdough. This prevents the risk of accidental choking.

When buying playdough, always confirm that the toy complies with local or international safety standards. This minimizes risks, both to children and pets.

Signs and Symptoms of Playdough Ingestion in Dogs

Sometimes dogs eat playdough when you aren’t looking. You may not notice symptoms the first time. And delay treatment will lead to unfortunate outcomes. Paying attention to some signals, we can learn whether the dog has eaten playdough.

Recognizing Signs of Playdough Ingestion

• Drink more water: For dogs, the salt content in playdough is high, which will cause them to be thirsty and desperately looking for water.
• Vomiting or retching: When dogs feel uncomfortable after eating playdough, they will want to vomit it up. This is how pets save themselves. When you see your dog retching without warning, you need to pay attention.
• Diarrhea: The ingredients in playdough may cause intestinal discomfort in dogs and cause diarrhea.
• Loss of Appetite or Weakness: If your dog seems to be out of sorts and not eating, they may be sick. You can feel their bellies to see if they are swollen. Dogs’ stomachs can not digest playdough, making them unable to eat.
• Panting or difficulty breathing: Playdough eaten by dogs may block the airway, which make them breathless and panting.

If your pet shows the above signs, be sure to take them to the vet promptly. We do not recommend inducing vomiting in your dog at home, especially without professional medical knowledge or veterinary assistance.

Common Symptoms of Playdough Toxicity in Dogs

In addition to the signs mentioned above, common symptoms of poisoning in dogs include:

• Abdominal cramps
• Edema
• Coma
• Convulsions or epilepsy
• Fever
• Kidney damage
• Fast heart rate
• Streakiness

Certain symptoms require a full body examination by a vet. In short, when you find that something is wrong with your pet, take them to the hospital quickly!

What to Do If Your Dog Eats Playdough

Send your pet to the hospital! If you can’t do it yourself, call a pet hospital or emergency services and they will help you as soon as possible!

Pets that eat dough may experience seizures, weakness, drinking and urination. You may feel worried, nervous, or even angry and regretful. However, any emotion won’t help your pet.

So, take a deep breath, stay calm, and clearly state what happened. This will help your vet decide on the right treatment faster.

Keeping Pets Safe Around Playdough

You may think that pets and playdough cannot exist at the same time, but this is not the case. As long as you know the risks and take the precautions, you can safely let your children play with playdough.

Risks of Playdough Ingestion for Pets: What Every Pet Owner Should Know

Not just dogs, most pets cannot eat playdough. Whether it’s store-bought toys or homemade play dough, they can be toxic to pets. Main risks and hazards include:

Salt: The leading cause of diarrhea and salt poisoning in pets.

Yeast: Ferments in the pet’s stomach to produce alcohol, causing blood poisoning.

Swallowed: Large pieces of playdough may block the trachea or esophagus, causing choking or suffocation.

How Much Playdough Is Toxic to a Dog

This has to do with the dog’s weight. Research shows that if a dog ingesting 2-3 g of salt per kilogram of its weight will cause poisoning. And ingesting 4 g/Kg of salt will kill it.

• The minimum amount of salt that causes poisoning (g) = dog weight (Kg) x 2
• Fatal amount of salt (g) = dog weight (Kg) x 4

In other words, if your dog weighs 30 kg, it will cause poisoning when it eats 60-90 g of salt, and more than 120 g of salt will kill it. This means that the dog will have to eat a lot of playdough before it shows symptoms of poisoning.

But please don’t let this make you careless. Because in addition to salt, as a fermented product, dough can cause poisoning and illness in dogs. Therefore, if your dog eats playdough, no matter how much, call the vet immediately.

Pet-Proofing Your Home: Tips for Preventing Playdough Mishaps

To prevent pets from ingesting playdough, we can:

1. Place playdough toys out of reach of pets, such as in cupboards or drawers. If your pet is smart and curious, then it is best for you to buy a toy set with a storage box. This will make it easier for you to clean up and prevent pets from eating playdough.
2. Keep pets out of doors while children play. If possible, try to keep the children in a dedicated playroom.
3. After playing, you should tidy up and clean in time. Likewise, do not place decorations or crafts made from playdough where pets can reach them. You can put the work in a transparent sealed box to protect your pet and extend the life of the playdough.
4. Teach children not to feed playdough to pets. Children love to play house game and sometimes feed toys to pets as food, which can be dangerous.

Safe Playdough Storage and Handling Practices

Without a doubt, storing your playdough away from pets is the best way to avoid accidents. And when children play, cleaning the playdough dropped on the ground can also prevent pets from eating it.

Storing Playdough Safely: Best Practices to Keep It Out of Reach of Pets

• A storage box: When the children are not playing, lock the playdough in the box to prevent pets from digging around and chewing.
• Toy cabinet or drawer: Put the playdough in a cabinet or drawer with a door to prevent pets from eating the dough.
• Display box: Put the dough decorations into a transparent sealed box, which not only looks good but also protects pets.
• A pet-free room: You can set up a playroom. In this room, children can arrange toys and playdough decorations as they please, and you just have to keep pets out.

Handling Playdough Safely: Tips for Responsible Use and Cleanup

In fact, you can see instructions and play suggestions on the packaging of the playdough you purchase. Read the above content carefully, which will help you avoid surprises and risks.

Here we give you some tips:

Supervision: When pets are at home, watch if they are close to playdough. If you see your pet trying to eat dough, stop them immediately and guide them to another safe space.

Cleaning: Tidy the area where children play in a timely manner. Do not miss any place where playdough may remain, such as the gaps in the sofa or under the table.

Is Playdough Safe for Kids? Separating Fact from Fiction

Although playdough is not dog- and pet-friendly, contrary to popular belief, it is safe for children.

Debunking Myths: What People Get Wrong About Playdough

Some people believe that playdough is toxic to dogs and is also harmful to children. This view is completely wrong. In fact, as a long-popular toy, playdough is child-friendly.

The CPSC states that qualified playdough is free from harmful ingredients for children. They also strictly limit additional colorings and preservatives.

CPSC means U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

ASTM and CPSC ensure that playdough as a children’s toy is safe to use and eat.

The Science Behind Playdough: Is It Harmful for Children?

The main ingredients of playdough are flour and water. These are all edible and completely harmless and non-toxic to the human body. Maybe your child is allergic to flour, and you can choose Gluten-free Playdough instead. In all sincerity, playdough is not harmful to children.

In addition, ingredients that are toxic to dogs and pets – salt and yeast – are also harmless to children. And kids hate the salty taste and will spit playdough out instead of eating it. However, parents should stay with young children while they play. Especially children aged 1-3 years old, they like to put anything in their hands into their mouths.

The only thing you need to pay attention to is the hygiene of playdough. Since it contain flour and water, playdough can easily carry bacteria. You can use alcohol to disinfect playdough surfaces before and after play. When storing playdough, wrap it in plastic wrap to avoid mold.

Dangers of Eating Playdough for Kids: What to Look For

Well, if your child unfortunately eats playdough, there is no need to worry. First, you need to determine how much playdough your child ate. Small amounts of dough will not harm children.

Second, ask your child if he or she is feeling uncomfortable. Once he or she stuck large chunks of dough in the throat, you can pat the child on the back to encourage him/her to cough the dough out. If that doesn’t work, you can use abdominal thrusts to get the child to spit out the dough.

If your child eats playdough and has symptoms, take them to the hospital immediately. In addition, do not give medicine to your child without the help of a doctor.

Keeping Kids Safe with Playdough

As an educational toy, playdough is joyful, and it can exercise children’s hands-on skills and imagination. For 3-year-old toddlers, playdough is an enlightenment toy, which helps them understand things and explore the outside world.

Adults all over the world are committed to creating a safe and happy playdough space for kids.

Watching and Teaching: How to Make Sure Kids Play Safely

Companying and supervising: When kids are playing playdough, parents should accompany them. Young kids like to put toys in their mouths, and parents should stop and educate them in time.

Washing hands and cleaning: After playing, parents and teachers should guide children to wash their hands. At the same time, clean the play area promptly to avoid playdough residue on the sofa or carpet.

Storage: Please store playdough in a dry and cool place, because high temperature and moisture can easily cause mold. If you don’t have a box, wrap the playdough in plastic wrap. This can effectively prevent moisture.

Replace and update: As flour will breed bacteria, we replace the playdough every 3-6 months. In addition, you should replace the dough when it has become dry or mixed in color and children cannot play with it.

Fun Playdough Ideas for Kids

Unlike air dry clay, playdough is more suitable for younger kids. Huilian’s team has done research. We’ve found that playing with playdough with 3-year-olds helps them easily understand shapes, colors, and feelings. This will be beneficial to their future study and life.

Creative Play with Playdough: Safe and Fun Ideas

When you shop for playdough you will find that it is often with molds and tool sets. The most classic ones are noodles maker and ice cream maker. When children push the soft playdough into the machine, “noodles” and “ice cream” will come out from the other side.

Not only is it fun, it’s also safe. Even young children can create delicious food with their own hands. At this time, children are in a state of excitement and novelty, it is easier for them to learn and remember knowledge.

Make Your Own Playdough: Recipes That Are Safe for Everyone

Most friends like homemade playdough. Here we provide a safe and non-toxic recipe for your reference.

Prepare materials:

• 1 cup flour (or gluten-free starch)
• 1/2 cup salt (you can omit it if you are worried about your dog eating it)
• 1 cup water
• food coloring (optional)
• Edible oil (such as vegetable oil)

Step 1: Boil a pot of water without boiling it. Turn off the heat when the water temperature reaches 45-50°C.

Step 2: Pour the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix.

Step 3: Add the warm water from Step 1 to the mixture in Step 2. Mix with a spoon or spatula until a dough forms.

Step 4: Drop in the food coloring and continue to stir until the color is even in the dough. (You can skip this step if you don’t have food coloring)

Step 5: Add a few drops of cooking oil into the dough, which can reduce the viscosity.

Step 6: Place the dough on a smooth surface and knead until it is no longer sticky. You can divide it into small groups for children to play.

Please note that even without salt, the dough is a fermented product. And you should protect pets from eating it! Also, after playing, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store it. If the dough becomes moldy, throw it away immediately.

Conclusion: Ensuring Safe and Enjoyable Playdough Play for Everyone

Unfortunately, although playdough is completely safe to children, it is toxic to dogs. You should try to prevent your dogs and other pets from eating playdough. If this bad thing happens, take your pet to the hospital or clinic for treatment as soon as possible.

However, there are some tips we can use to encourage joy and creativity while keeping pets and children safe.

Tips for Using Playdough Safely

• Storage: When not playing with the playdough, keep it out of pets. Pay attention to moisture and prevent the dough from getting moldy.
• Supervision: Parents and teachers should stay with children while they play. This prevents children or pets from eating playdough.
• Education: Parents and teachers should tell children not to eat randomly and not to feed pets playdough.
• Cleaning: After playing with playdough, wash the hands promptly and clean any dough residue on the floor and furniture.
• Replacement: We minimize the spread of germs during play by replacing playdough every 3-6 months.
• Buying: If your child has a wheat allergy, choose gluten-free ones when purchasing playdough.
• First aid: When a child or pet has eaten playdough, induce vomiting in time and take to the hospital for treatment. Do not self-medicate.

References

1. Potentially Dangerous Items for Your Pet
2. Play Dough (Homemade) Poisoning in Dogs
3. Warning as dog left fighting for life after poisoning by salt dough