You’re clipping your toenails and your dog comes to eat the clippings. You probably wonder what’s going on and if it’s okay for your dog to do this. While it’s natural for a dog to eat toe and fingernails, there is a potential for it to cause health complications.
Why Do Dogs Eat Toenails?
When your dog sees a toenail, he will likely think it is a good snack and try to eat it. This could be out of poor health, or simply because it’s a natural thing for a dog to do.It is normal for a dog to eat toenails since they may consider it a tasty, nutritious snack. While in most cases a dog will be perfectly okay after eating nails, it’s important to understand the dangers that are associated with just one bad nail.
Can And Do Dogs Eat Human Toenails?
Dogs do eat human toenails. The question is are these the best things for dogs to eat? Many owners have reported that their dogs eat toenails all the time and are just fine, but toenails may not be the best snack for a dog for a few different reasons.
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Why Does My Dog Want To Eat My Toe Nails?
Your toenails may look like food or crumbs to your dog when you drop them, and to a dog, they probably smell good too! Not only do our toenails smell like us, but they have also been to many places and probably picked up some good smells along the way.
Why Does My Dog Bite My Toenails?
Your dog may think that your toenails are food since they probably smell good to him. He may even be looking for nutrients and a toenail could smell like a great place to find them!
Dog Ate Fake Nail, What Should I Do?
Most times, if a dog eats a fake nail or another object, it will come out in their stool and cause no harm. On some occasions, however, the nail can cause internal damage if it’s sharp.
Look for bleeding in the mouth and any signs of discomfort. Signs of internal damage include:
- Abnormal bowel movements or urination
- Discomfort in the mouth
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal tenderness or pain
- Decreased appetite
- Lethargy
- Changes in behavior (biting or growling when handled near the abdomen)
If you suspect your dog has swallowed a nail and notice any of the following symptoms within the next few days, take them to the vet for a visit.
Do Fingernails Digest In Your Dog’s Stomach?
Fingernails do not digest in a dog’s stomach or anywhere else in the digestive tract. Fingernails are made of keratin which is a very hard material to digest. The intestinal tract of a dog does not have the right conditions or proteins to digest keratin.
Are Nail Clippings Good & Safe For Dogs To Eat?
Most of the time, when a dog eats nail clippings he will be completely fine. Keep in mind, however, that nail clippings will not dissolve in your dog’s digestive tract. The nail clippings could stay in there and be perfectly benign, but they could also cause complications.
Whether the nail clippings come out in the feces or stay in the digestive tract forever, if the clippings are sharp, they could cause internal damage in the dog’s mouth or another part of their digestive tract.
My Dog Just Ate My Toenails, Will Something Happen To Her?
If your dog ate a toenail, most likely nothing will happen, though you’ll want to monitor her behavior. If she ate a sharp nail, it could cut or poke the insides of her digestive tract and cause discomfort, bleeding, or even infection.
Can Toenails Hurt Dogs?
Toenails can hurt dogs under the right conditions. If a toenail is sharp, it could scratch the inside of their digestive tract or mouth. The toenail has a lot of bacteria on it, so in some cases, bad bacteria may begin to grow and cause infection in the dog’s mouth or another part of their digestive tract.
What Happens If A Dog Eats A Nail?
Most of the time, nothing happens. The nail will not be digested and will likely come out in feces or remain in the dog’s digestive tract. If a nail is sharp, it could cause some internal damage.
Is Eating Toenails Pica In Dogs?
Dogs with pica may eat inedible objects when they’re sick to fulfill a nutritional need they may be lacking. Toenails could be one of those objects. Behavioral disorders can also cause dogs to eat things that are not food.
Many dogs with pica prefer items with their owner’s scent or anything that smells like food. A toenail may smell like a great snack to a dog with pica since it not only has scents he may associate with food, but it also has the scent of his owner.
References
17, K. (2020, October 17). My dog ate a fake nail what should I do? Our Fit Pets. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://ourfitpets.com/health/digestive-system/my-dog-ate-a-fake-nail-what-should-i-do/.
Dan. (2021, October 5). Why do dogs eat nail clippings? Pet Dog Owner. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://petdogowner.com/why-do-dogs-eat-nail-clippings/.
Goddard, D. R., & Michaelis, L. (1934). A Study on Keratin. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 106(2), 605–614.
Hunter, T., & Ward, E. (n.d.). Ingestion of foreign bodies in dogs. vca_corporate. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ingestion-of-foreign-bodies-in-dogs.
PetMD. (2018, January 16). What causes pica in dogs? PetMD. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/what-causes-pica-dogs.
Pica in dogs: Causes, diagnosis and treatment. Best Friends Animal Society. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/pica-dogs-causes-diagnosis-and-treatment.
Sutton, S. C. (2012). Oral Anatomy and Physiology in the companion animal. Advances in Delivery Science and Technology, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4439-8_4
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2018, June 28). Structure of the nails. InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Retrieved November 24, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513133/.
