In paintball, opposing teams use air guns to shoot capsules of paint at each other. The capsules, called paintballs, are designed to break upon impact and leave a mark on the opposing team. Paintball ingredients can vary based on the manufacturer, but they typically contain ingredients like polyethylene glycol, glycerol, gelatin, sorbitol, propylene glycol and dye. These chemicals are non-toxic and some are even used in laxatives; however the combination in a paintball can be dangerous for dogs, especially in large amounts. Paintballs often come in containers of 1,000 or more and according to the Animal Poison Control Center, some dogs have been known to ingest as many as 500. It’s not known what amount of paintballs are required for symptoms to be present; one Labrador retriever showed clinical signs after ingesting only 15 paintballs. Large quantities of paintballs cause hypernatremia (high sodium) and metabolic acidosis. Researchers aren’t sure why the combination of chemicals in paintballs creates a problem for dogs, but many paintball ingredients are also used in osmotic laxatives which concentrate water in the bowels. It’s believed that the relocation of large amounts of water increases the sodium concentration in the blood very quickly. Hypernatremia can be dangerous because as sodium levels rise, water is pulled out of the brain to compensate. This can result in swollen or ruptured blood vessels and hemorrhaging in the brain. The quick rise in sodium that occurs with paintball ingestion can be even more dangerous than a gradual progressive rise since it doesn’t give the brain time to compensate. Dogs that ingest large amounts of paintballs typically have symptoms of vomiting and lack of muscle control. Some may also have diarrhea and tremors. In severe cases, dogs can become comatose and euthanasia may be required, but this is rare. Most dogs can be treated successfully after paintball ingestion.
Paintball ingestion has been known to cause dangerously high sodium levels in dogs. This is called paintball toxicosis or paintball poisoning. Immediate treatment may be necessary to save your dog’s life.