Can Dogs Eat Chewing Gum? When it is or isn’t an Emergency

Chewing gum can be very dangerous to dogs. It’s important to prevent a situation where a dog might accidentally swallow some chewing gum due to the following health concerns.

Chewing gum can cause intestinal blockage

Chewing gum, especially if a dog was to accidentally swallow a pack of gum, can be dangerous to dogs as it may cause blockage in the dog’s intestinal tract. Dogs can’t digest chewing gum (and nor can we). A blockage in the dog’s intestinal tract can lead to serious health complications (enough for needing surgery for serious situations).

Dogs that suffer from bowel obstruction tend to exhibit a number of symptoms including vomiting, loss of appetite, and weakness.

Danger of xylitol chewing gum

In addition to the risk of causing blockage, certain types of chewing gum may contain ingredients that are toxic to pets. The most dangerous one is xylitol, an artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free chewing gum products. Xylitol poisoning will lead to a number of symptoms including lack of coordination, tremors, and a coma in serious situations.

What happens if a dog chewed gum but didn’t swallow?

This depends on the amount and the type of chewing gum the dog chewed. The good news is that you won’t have to worry about intestinal blockage (unless the dog somehow swallowed the chewing gum packaging). The main thing to worry about is whether the chewing gum contained any toxic ingredients like xylitol. Chewing could still lead to some of the “toxic” content getting into the dog’s body.

To be on the safe side, we would call the vet and request whether it’s an emergency situation based on factors such as your dog’s weight, the ingredients the chewing gum contains, and the number of chewing gum pellets the dog chewed. Learn more about what food is or isn’t safe for dogs to eat by visiting our database of human foods.