Skip to Content

What To Do If Your Dog Ate An SOS Pad Or Any Type Of Steel Wool!

With SOS pads often being used to scrub food from pots, pans, plates, and other areas where food is involved, there is always going to be a chance of a dog snatching one and running off with it givent the chance.

Although you would think that the texture of steel wool would be enough to let the dog know that the SOS pad is not food, we constantly see people reaching out worried due to their dog eating an SOS pad.

With there seemingly being no end of people worried about their dogs health due to it eating some form of steel wool, we have decided to publish a dedicated article going over what to do if your dog ate an SOS pad.

Our hope is that we will be able to help as many of our readers as possible whos dogs have ate an SOS pad or any other type of steel wool cleaning pad and help make you aware of the potential dangers.

We usually see a number of slightly different questions being asked from the community regarding a dog eating various types of steel wool pads so we have added the more frequently asked ones to this article.

Our hope is that we will be able to answer all of the questions in a single place and provide our readers with everything that they need to know in a single article.

You are able to use the table of contents below to skip to specific sections of the article quickly if needed but skimming over each section is probably worth it if you know your dog has definitely ate some type of steel wool pad like an SOS pad.

Are SOS Pads Toxic To Dogs?

The majority of steel wool pads contain sodium nitrite that has been linked to cardiovascular and blood toxicity as well as titanium dioxide that has also been linked to a number of different health issues too.

Although the amount of these materials required to be considered toxic does change, it is best to try and prevent your dog from having easy access to an SOS pad or any other type of steel wool product if possible.

You also have to factor in any chemicals that you may have added to your SOS pad for cleaning too. There are a number of cleaning chemicals commonly added to steel wool pads for cleaning that are highly toxic and can cause problems if injected too.

Thankfully, most of these chemicals will usually cause your dog to vomit within minutes of ingesting them forcing the dog to purge the chemicals and the SOS pad.

Please also keep in mind that some steel wool pads also have chemicals added to them to make it easier to clean with them too. Most of the time it is just some form of soap that is usually not toxic but there are some available with bleach on the pad right out of the wrapper.

What Happens If Your Dog Eats Steel Wool?

If your dog eats a steel wool pad then there are a number of risks to your dog ranging from potentially toxic chemicals and metals on the steel wool pad to the actual pad cutting your dog’s digestive system to the pad causing a blockage in your dog.

Although the chances of these causing any real harm are minimal, you must observe your dog’s behavior as they can cause serious damage in some situations.

Our advice would be to observe your dogs behaviour and look for anything out of the ordinary.

The majority of dogs will process everything in their digestive system within a day or two so keep a close eye on your dog’s poop and if it has not passed the steel wool pad within 48 hours it may be causing a blockage.

If you are worried about any of the above symptoms then you should contact a veterinarian. The quickest, easiest, and often cheapest method is to book a video call with a veterinarian to give your dog the once over and to ask you a couple of questions.

They will then be able to offer you specific advice for paths forward depending on your situation and ensure that your dog has the highest possible chance of not developing any serious issues.

What To Do If A Dog Eats Steel Wool!

Dogs will often vomit within minutes if they end up eating a steel wool pad with this being one of the best things that can happen as they will often bring all of the SOS pad up when they vomit.

If your dog does not vomit the steel wool pad up then you have to hope that your dog will be able to pass the steel wool without having any problems.

We have seen some people recommending that you give your dog a laxative to try and get it to pass the steel wool pad quicker but this is usually not a good thing to do.

The laxative not only forces the steel wool pad through your dog’s digestive system faster but it also prevents solids from forming. If solids for form around the steel wool pad then it will usually give your dog a better chance of being able to pass the the steel wool pad without issue.

If your dog has not passed the steel wool pad within 48 hours you really do need to seek advice from a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Although there is still time for your dog to pass the steel wool pad naturally, leaving it later to seek professional advice may make it difficult to remove a blockage in your dog and make it more likely that surgery may be required to remove the pad.

Can SOS Pads Kill Dogs?

In very rare situations, SOS pads and other types of steel wool pad can result in the death of a dog. This can be due to toxic chemicals or metals, the steel wool cutting the dog and causing intental bleeding or by causing a blockage in your dog’s digestive system.

We would just like to repeat, this is very rare and most dogs should be fine if they eat a steel wool pad but we just want to stress that in some situations, this really can be a serious issue.

If you do notice any unusual behavior in your dog that is out of the ordinary then it is usually better to be safe than sorry, especially if you haven’t seen your dog pass the steel wool pad within about two days.

There are a number of treatment options available to help your dog but you will have to contact a vet to have them go over the best options for your dog’s situation.

Unfortunately, there are simply too many variables that you have to take into account to offer a one size fits all answer in this article.

Conclusion

That brings our article going over what to do if your dog ate an SOS pad or any other type of steel wool to a close. We hope that we have been able to help you understand that although very rare, there is a serious risk to your dog if it does swallow steel wool pads and the assistance of a veterinarian may be required to help your dog safely pass the steel wool pad without injury.