Dog Ate a Glow Stick or Glow Jewelry – What to Do Next

You have quite the dog if they were able to swallow a glow stick or glow jewelry after enduring the bitter taste of the liquid substance inside. The ingestion of glow sticks has the potential to make a dog sick. How sick a dog becomes after eating a glow stick will depend on a number of factors such as the size of the glow stick.

Are glow sticks toxic to dogs?

Dibutyl phthalate is the name of the liquid substance that makes glow sticks and glow jewelry glow. It’s not considered life-threatening to dogs unless they were to swallow a large amount. That, however, doesn’t make it safe for dogs to ingest. Dibutyl phthalate may still cause an adverse reaction in the dog’s body. The intense taste reaction may lead to symptoms like excessive drooling and agitation. Some dogs may also paw at their mouth due to the discomfort caused by the glow stick liquid.

What to do if your dog ate a glow stick

Call the vet or the pet poison hotline. Be prepared to answer questions like the size of the glow stick or glow jewelry the dog swallowed. Veterinary treatment might not be necessary if it was only a small amount. The vet may ask you to watch over the dog carefully and make sure the dog is provided plenty of water and food to diminish the strong taste of the glow stick substance.

The substance (dibutyl phthalate) isn’t the only concern. The plastic vial of the glow stick may also pose a health risk if a dog ingested it. It’s possible for the vial to cause perforation inside the dog’s body, especially if the dog chewed the glow stick into small, sharp shards.