What really happens when pets eat these?

A quick gulp on those little silica gel sachets found in meat packaging are a common cause of late night emergency calls. So how dangerous are they? Here’s your answer…

You’ll find them with meats, fish and even in shoeboxes. And they’ll carry warnings saying ‘do not eat’ which sounds dramatic. But the truth is silica gel (and crystals) aren’t toxic. So why the dramatic warnings?

Well, they’re used to soak up excess moisture that might cause food to spoil or even shoes to become mouldy.

So what does happen if and when they're eaten? 

Well, they’re certainly NOT meant to be eaten but if just one sachet was to find itself into your pet’s stomach, the most you might expect would be a stomach upset. And even that would be unlikely.

Swallowing multiple sachets whole however, could soak up those much needed digestive juices and dry out the intestines and at worst, cause an intestinal blockage.

So keeping them out of reach is certainly a smart idea. Especially given the intense interest in them and all the tasty flavours they could be holding inside...