My Dog Ate Ricola

Being a good dog trainer is only one aspect of owning a dog, but there is more to it. When a dog is coughing or showing any symptoms, a caring dog owner can’t help but try to comfort him and make him stop. Dog coughing can be really disturbing and upsetting. Some compounds, like chocolate, and several other ingredients in cough drops can be harmful to dogs, which you should take note of. My dog ate Ricola! Take him to the doctor right away so he can get the right care.

Just like every other drop, cough drops contain certain ingredients that might induce gastrointestinal difficulties and more serious effects if left untreated; therefore, symptoms of ricola intake in dogs shouldn’t be ignored, even though they might not be lethal. Cough drops in particular typically contain ingredients like menthol, eucalyptus oil, sugar, and local anesthetic, which can make dogs throw up and diarrhea.

There are some things that can make ricola unpure, like xylitol, and other hazardous artificial sweeteners may be present in some ricola formulations, and that’s why it is not good for dogs. And if consumed in significant quantities, xylitol can be fatal to dogs because it is highly toxic to them.

Are Ricola Poisonous To Dogs?

Yes dogs should avoid ricola and other cough drops as they can be poisoned by them. The problem is that dogs will often choose to take cough drops whole because they can be challenging to bite due to their rough texture, which makes them potentially dangerous as they can cause choking or intestinal blockage, both of which can result in death. Secondly,  xylitol and menthol, two ingredients in cough drops, can be comforting to human throats, but they are poisonous to your dog.

Now let’s talk about the primary ingredients in ricola and other cough medicines that can be harmful to dogs if used which is the major reason dogs should stay away from them.

Xylitol:

A few cough syrups out there contain xylitol. And large doses of xylitol can result in hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, in animals. But the sweetener xylitol, which is frequently used in dental products, is thought to improve dental health.

Commonest Xylitol Side Effects:

It gets involved in blood clots in various parts of the body and eventual lead to liver failure. These are examples of advanced symptoms that could prevent blood from clotting properly.

Vomiting is frequently the initial symptom, and it is frequently followed by exhaustion and ataxia, or muscle dysfunction amongst others. While blood clot symptoms include shortness of breath, muscle weakness, coughing up blood, and blood in the urine or stool.

Benzocaine:

Another thing to take take note of in addition to being a component in cough lozenges like Ricola and Luden’s, is that benzocaine can also be applied topically to relieve oral ulcers and sores in the mouth. Again Benzocaine can occasionally induce anemia and gastrointestinal tract discomfort. This case is always found when the body doesn’t have enough healthy blood cells to transport oxygen. If chewed or ingested by a dog who is lacking healthy blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body, benzocaine can numb the throat or mouth of the dog, and this can lead to many other health situations.

Side Effects Of Benzocaine:

Similar to menthol and xylitol, the initial signs of benzocaine are vomiting, diarrhea, or stomachaches. But here are other signs whoch include anemia, weakness, depression, fast breathing, swelling of the cheek or jaw, and jaundice, which causes pink tissues like the gum line or inner ear to turn yellow.

Menthol:

Canines shouldn’t use menthol cough drops as it is not the best for them. Unlike humans, the cold feeling that people experience irritates your dog’s mouth and gums, making them feel uneasy all around. Additionally, the digestive system of your dog is irritated.

This should not be underated, because a significant dose of menthol can kill a dog, menthol is extremely harmful to puppies and can be fatal at even the smallest doses so you should keep them away from it. However, By blocking the proper production of oxygen, they can depress the lungs and result in asphyxia and other health issues.

Effects Of Menthol:

In addition to the earliest and most typical symptoms mentioned already, which include vomiting or diarrhea due to stomach lining or gastrointestinal lining irritation, other bad signs include weariness and breathing difficulties as well as the inability to move.

Sugar:

Although sugar is one of the major substance we can’t do without in our everyday live, also a common element in many cough drop formulas, it can trouble dogs’ health and give them some typical symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and even hyperactivity. Even though the sugar in cough drops may not be very hazardous, but it is still bad for them, just as your dog should not share the majority of human-only items, such as cough drops. Excess of it can also lead to diabetes and heart disease.

What To Do If My Dog Ate A Cough Drop?

Before heading to the vet, Instantly check to determine if your dog has also ingested the container or wrapper before estimating how much she has eaten, that’s the first step to take. Next, look over the list of ingredients to check whether there are any canine-harming substances listed. Truth is that contacting the veterinarian will be the first and best course of action for an immediate fix.

If you noticed your dog has ingested some cough drops without any packaging or hazardous substances, you might as well keep an eye out for any internal obstructions. Thereafter you can use a hydrogen peroxide solution to induce vomiting or making any other attempt to remove the wrapper if it has an internal obstruction, but first of all, call a veterinarian for advice as the veterinarian may advise against inducing vomiting.

Prevention:

There are numerous ways to achieve this. Stopping your dog from eating drops is a very good idea because it is claimed that prevention is better than treatment. So all you need to do here are two things, and doing so will also help to keep your dog safe.

Training And Storage:

Training:

Engage him in a serious training, with this training, you can begin as early as possible, and consistency is key. But before then, you have to gain their trust, respect and intimacy since only then will they have faith in you. Then when your dog comes into contact with something toxic they will easily leave it, this way teaching them to leave things alone on order can save their lives.

Storage:

Providing human medications to dogs offer a major health risk to our pets, therefore you should learn to put them high up where their hands can’t get to them and out of the reach of your dog preferably in a container that is safe for dogs.

Why Make Ricola Candy?

In a situation where offering flavor-filled hard candies and snacks is needed, Ricola is well-known worldwide. Additionally, Ricola aids in easing the discomfort of sore and scratchy throats.

Can You Eat Ricola Like Candy?

It is not advisable as small levels of menthol are present in cough drops, making it exceedingly improbable that anyone could take too much to overdose. These candy-like lozenges can feel relaxing and help to temporarily settle a cough, but excessive menthol cough drops consumption can lead to an overdose and cause some health issues.

Can I Have Ricola While Pregnant?

Yes, Women who are pregnant can use throat lozenges like Cepacol, Ricola, or Halls. And as for a dry cough, try another simple Robitussin. But for your safety as a pregnant woman, you need to stay away from alcohol-containing items.

Is Ricola A Candy Or medicine?

They can be referred to as both. Ricola function as cough treatments as well as candies. The Ricola Company offers more than 60 different herbal sweets that are enhanced with vitamin C, essential oils, or other natural flavorings.

What Is The Taste Of Ricola?

Ricola throat drops combine at least two flavors from nature—refreshing natural cherry flavor and rich, soothing honey—to make one delicious drop that can temporarily but not permanently ease slight irritability and pain brought on by a sore mouth and sore throat.

Final Thought 

Dog coughing can be really worrying. But some compounds like chocolate and several other ingredients in cough drops are harmful to dogs, so be careful not to hurt them instead. Cough drops contain certain ingredients that might induce gastrointestinal difficulties and more serious effects if left untreated, therefore symptoms of ricola intake in dogs shouldn’t be ignored even though they might not be lethal.