# Dog ate crayons. How serious is this likely to be? Need answer fast. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048 "2008-11-22T23:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/1 "2008-11-22T23:26:46Z")
**Kaylasmom** ’s guide dog has apparently eaten seven Crayola brand Fabric crayons. The Crayola website asures us that all their products are non-toxic to humans, but when asked about animals, they give us: > [@](#): > > [If your pet has ingested a Crayola or Silly Putty product, please contact a veterinarian for assistance.](http://www.crayola.com/canwehelp/contact/faq_view.cfm?id=448) They go on to say: > [@](#): > > All Crayola and Silly Putty products are certified nontoxic by an independent toxicologist and carry the Art and Creative Materials Institute’s (ACMI) APPROVED PRODUCT (AP) seal. This seal provides assurance to consumers that the product meets or exceeds specific quality standards and contains no known toxic substances in sufficient quantities to be harmful to the human body, even if ingested or inhaled. Our vet is closed this afternoon. As near as we can make out, he ate them Thursday evening or Friday morning. **Kaylasmom** noticed him being lethargic and unresponsive Friday evening, and he threw up a bolus with chunks of three colors late this morning (Saturday). He is still lethargic and unresponsive. I gave him a dog treat , which he ate, but with only moderate enthusiasm. I don’t have any Pepto in the house, or I would have tried that. I’m thinking of making him a serving of white rice. Is this something I should be calling an emergency room vet about? ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/2 "2008-11-22T23:32:10Z")
I sure would. I knew someone who lost a guide dog to pesticide poisoning, and it was very sad. I hope your dog is OK. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/3 "2008-11-22T23:38:00Z")
Good Lord, yes! What are you doing here? Call now! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/4 "2008-11-22T23:41:30Z")
This site recommends inducing vomiting for crayon ingesting: [When good dogs Eat Bad Things](http://www.twodogpress.com/healthy.html) > [@](#): > > One teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide for each ten pounds of body weight can quickly induce vomiting. If you’re fresh out of hydrogen peroxide, try a combination of one tablespoon of dry mustard and one cup of cold water. But, as indicated in the chart above, vomiting should never be induced when trying to purge caustic substances such as drain cleaner and petroleum-based products that can burn twice – once when they do go down and again if they are vomited. Also, if your pooch is having trouble breathing, having seizures, has a slow heart rate, is unconscious, or has a bloated stomach, never induce vomiting. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/5 "2008-11-22T23:43:31Z")
The ASPCA also has a [24-hour poison hotline](http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_apcc) at (888) 426-4435. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/6 "2008-11-23T03:07:17Z")
I found an MSDS online which wasn’t much help, it just says to call a poison control center if ingested. It seems the ingredients are wax and pigments. The Animal Poison Control could be helpful with information on animals but be aware that they do charge a fee. It is too late to induce vomiting if it’s been a couple days. I would be concerned that if he ate enough the wax could lump up in his intestines and cause a blockage. If it’s been a couple days and he’s still sick, then yes, you should see a vet. You say he is unresponsive but he did eat a treat, so he sounds responsive. To us, unresponsive means he won’t get up to go out and basically doesn’t respond to you. Does he get up to go out, is he drinking water? If not, he definitely needs to see a vet. Do not give Pepto or any other OTC medications without an okay from a vet. In some cases, such as a possible blockage it could be contraindicated. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/7 "2008-11-23T03:16:18Z")
your dog will be just fine. the wax could cause a buildup and blockage in his intestines, so start worrying if his poop is abnormal. if he hasn’t pooped in the days since he ate the crayon, you can still probably wait until your vet opens up again to call. nobody ever died in 2 days because of an intestinal blockage. ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/8 "2008-11-23T04:24:57Z")
I know regular crayons won’t hurt a dog, when I was little our dog ate a box of crayons. It was the most colorful poop I’ve ever seen.All speckled. I would be worried though about what is in fabric crayons. Call a vet, better safe than sorry. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/9 "2008-11-23T05:23:14Z")
Um, unless the formula for Crayola has changed over the years, your dog will be fine. My dad raised hunting dogs, and I probably went through, oh, eight million 64-color boxes of crayons as a kid. Most of them became rainbow-studded puppy scat. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/10 "2008-11-23T05:36:30Z")
Yeah, when I was a kid our dog ate crayons all the time, and it never hurt him. Psychedelic poop! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/11 "2008-11-23T07:27:44Z")
A mild laxative and rainbow poo. But do call the ER vet ASAP if the rainbow scat does not appear or if the dog exhibits other symptoms. Call your reg vet Monday, explain. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/12 "2008-11-23T11:17:57Z")
Dogs are pretty similar to humans, so it is quite likely that your dog has suffered no harm from this. Possible intestinal blockage and temporary constipation are possible, but unlikely to be life threatening. Their quote about calling a vet is basically legal protection for them. To assert that crayons are non-toxic to dogs, cats, or other pets, they would have to put them through a regimen of testing to prove this – once for dogs, once for cats, once for rabbits, etc. These tests are expensive, and are pointless for the company – they are not likely to provide any new market or increased sales of crayons. So they don’t do it. The manufacturer has to conduct tests and gain approval for each species that a drug is approved for. Since these tests are expensive, they will often not do this for less populous species, because they don’t see a big enough market to justify the costs of the testing. But it’s common for Vets to prescribe them anyway. For example, our Vet sometimes treats our horses with a drug that is approved & sold for cattle, but was never clinically tested on horses. But horses & cattle are pretty similar animals, and many drugs work for both species. Such “off-label” use is fairly common, and equine veterinarians keep up to date on cattle drugs that have been found by experience to be safe & effective on horses. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/13 "2008-11-23T12:51:23Z")
How about an update? What’s happening? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/14 "2008-11-23T14:39:17Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > your dog will be just fine. the wax could cause a buildup and blockage in his intestines, so start worrying if his poop is abnormal. if he hasn’t pooped in the days since he ate the crayon, you can still probably wait until your vet opens up again to call. nobody ever died in 2 days because of an intestinal blockage. Oh the poop WILL be abnormal. We have a 2 year old, so our dogs tend to get into alot of crayons. Now, our dogs have NEVER been lathargic after eating them though. Really, they only way we know is because we catch them in the act and the rainbow speckled poop (well, and they crayon crumbs all over the place). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/15 "2008-11-23T16:32:12Z")
Update. Per **Wile E** ’s clarification of what’s a proper description for “unresponsive”, I suppose that I ws in error in using the term. Just that usually, he comes when we call him, and he plays with his toys when we coax him with them. He wasn’t doing either of those things, but when I’d touch him, he would allow himself to be led outside. I called both the CDC poison control center, and the ASPCA number provided by **Fear Itself**. The CDC number told me that I should get him to a veterinary ER, and when I found out about the $60.00 fee for the ASPCA phone consult, I decided to just find the closest pet ER and let them know we were coming. The urgent care center I called suggested that I might to expect a wait of several hours to be seen, and I began to worry about being able to go to work on time. The receptionist asked if Valor had been having bowel movements since Thursday evening, and I was able to confirm that he had. She told me that he’d probably be able to be okay until Monday, when we’ll be able to take him to his regular vet. In the meantime, about 4:30 (approximately an hour after I wrote the OP), Valor’s level seemed to perk up. He positively scampered when I took Michaela out to the slab in the apartment complex to practice her tennis swing, and he started chasing the ball all over the place. When we came back in, he ate his dinner with good appetite, and immediately went out back and did his business (and yes, there were colored bits of wax). He took another healthy dump this morning, and it looks like the crayons are passing nicely. I’m going to get him to his normal vet on Monday morning. Thanks to all for your assistance and displays of concern. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/16 "2008-11-23T16:40:18Z")
Missed the edit window: I examined his scat this a.m. and compared it to **kaylasmom** ’s “Color Me Beautiful” swatch. Valor appears to be an Autumn. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/17 "2008-11-23T16:47:49Z")
😃 Glad Valor is okay. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/18 "2008-11-23T22:09:13Z")
sounds like things are moving on. i’m glad the little guy is doing better. love that he is an autumn. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/19 "2008-11-24T03:27:02Z")
Why are all these dogs eating crayons? I had me a dog and it never ate my crayon. Are they using scents in the crayons now? Of course my dog used to get dry dog food all the time whenever he wanted some ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048/20 "2008-11-24T19:05:42Z")
Dogs are more or less color blind. To a dog, a crayon looks a lot like half of a Slim Jim that you didn’t finish. Just my WAG. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-ate-crayons-how-serious-is-this-likely-to-be-need-answer-fast/474048.md?page=2)