Another Answer from The Expert: Desiccants & Doggie Digestion
The Latest Question:
My puppy ate the “deoxidizer” bag inside of the Veggie Life Chicken & Apple package. Please advise how dangerous this is to a dog. Also, what are the contents of the deoxidizer package? Is the deoxidizer poison? Are there any cases where ingestion of the deoxidizer has proven fatal to a dog? Please provide recommended steps to follow if a dog eats the deoxidizer.
The Latest Answer:
Hopefully you sought out advice on this one already, but for future reference, here goes.
Anytime a pet ingests ANY non-food item, always consider it poisonous and reach out for help immediately. The first thing that you should do is call the Animal Poison Control Hotline. There is a fee but the $50-70 that they charge is a lot cheaper than a trip to the emergency clinic a few hours later when your pet starts getting sick!
Here are two choices for National Poison Control Centers for Pets:
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Hotline:
888-426-4435
APH: Animal Poison Hotline sponsored by North Shore Animal League
888-232-8870
Please post these numbers by your phone for handy reference. Or visit their websites and ask to be sent a free magnet to put on your fridge for quick access.


May 30th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Yeah, the warnings on those things make them sound worse than they are. I’m glad to hear they are not deadly.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:16 am
It might be a liability thing, like the “do not drive with sunshield in place” written on the sunshield–though that’s really good advice. I’m sure if you ate enough of them, you’d begin to notice more serious health effects. Its job is to remove the oxygen from the package, so the removal of oxygen can’t be good for your cellular health. On the other hand, one’s oxygen supply is replenished at every breath.