PSA: dogs and pizza/bread dough - go directly to the vet!

We’ve had a wonderful holiday and are still enjoying the time off with family. Lots of good food and good time spent.

Last night my son was making homemade (amazing) pizza and in the midst of a busy kitchen where we were all standing and talking, Clementine ran in, grabbed a small pizza’s worth of rolled out dough, and gobbled it down.

I honestly thought it was no big deal, but thanks to Google and a call to our local university vet school emergency hospital, we learned that the yeast in bread and pizza dough finds a perfect and perpetual “oven” in a dog’s stomach. The yeast grows and grows.

My husband and daughter took Clem directly to the ER and they quickly induced vomiting. It was about 40 minutes from the time she ate the dough until they got to the vet. The dough she’d ingested was the size of a football when she threw it up.

There are a number of serious medical issues that can happen when dogs ingest yeast-based dough, and while inducing vomiting is a solution, it’s not one to try on your own, as the volume of the dough coming back up can block the esophagus, so it’s best to get to a vet as soon as possible and let them safely manage the treatment if you can.

Clem was back home within a couple of hours and we were soooooo relieved that all was well.

Keep the dough away from the dogs! And if one gets it, head to the nearest emergency vet to be truly safe.

Have a wonderful New Year!