Even though pennies stopped being minted last year, they were not recalled and you can still use them to buy stuff.
Dogs, especially puppies, like pennies. If your dog eats a penny, it can make your pal extremely sick if the penny was minted after 1982.
In mid-1982 the makeup of pennies was changed from 95% copper and 5% zinc to 97.5% zinc with a thin copper coating of 2.5%. This change was because the value of copper in a penny was more than one cent.
The government stopped minting pennies in 2025 because it now costs about 4 cents to make a single penny.
OK, back to dogs eating pennies, especially the mostly zinc, post-1982 pennies.
When a penny reaches the stomach, the normal stomach acids erode the thin copper coating and expose the gastrointestinal tract to a lot of zinc.
The zinc irritates the esophagus and the stomach wall, and gets absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract, wreaking havoc on the entire metabolism of the dog. It can be fatal if untreated.
Zinc causes lethargy, weakness, pale gums, yellowing skin, loss of appetite and possible collapsing.
Zinc toxicity deteriorates the red blood cells’ membranes and causes them to burst, and may cause a critical anemia that may require a blood transfusion.
Some animals are asymptomatic — that is they seem fine, until they have severe signs of the zinc toxicity. Occasionally, surgery is needed to repair the GI tract.
A veterinarian can take an X-ray and see the penny or metal object and remove it with an endoscope or with surgery.
Usually there is a good prognosis if the penny or the source of the zinc is removed soon after ingestion. Most pets recover within two to three days once the source of zinc is removed.
Delayed treatment or severe signs of zinc poisoning may cause permanent organ damage or death.
For dogs and cats, zinc-based sunscreens (zinc oxide sunscreen with 1% to 25% zinc concentration) are toxic when eaten.
Some sunscreens for people with a high concentration of zinc are Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face/Body Sunscreen (21 % zinc) and Badger Active Cream/Balm (22.5% zinc).
If you buy a human sunscreen for use on on your dog or cat (that they can lick), be sure it is nontoxic by purchasing a zinc-free and Paba-free, no salicylates or fragrance sunscreen such as human baby sunscreen.
There are dog-specific sunscreens you can buy on Amazon such as ones made by Doggles, Nutri-Vet, Epi-Pet and K-9 Care Sunscreen.
Cat-specific sunscreens are also on Amazon, especially on lightly colored cats’ ear tips and noses, and include Dermoscent SunFREE or Noseprint Pet Sunscreen.
Diaper creams with a high percentage of zinc are extremely safe for babies and make a barrier to keep moisture away from a babies’ skin. They are not good for dogs or cats to lick, however, such as Desitin Maximum (40% zinc) and Burt’s Bees Baby Bee (40% zinc).
Another source of zinc toxicity is galvanized metal. Galvanized metal is when a protective layer of zinc coating is put on iron or steel to prevent rusting. Galvanized screws, nuts, nails, bolts and washers, if eaten by your pet, are toxic.
Various game board game pieces have a lot of zinc. These are game pieces that are made of metal, such as those found in the older Monopoly and Clue games, monster figures from wargames, and specialized heavy dice sets for games like Dungeon & Dragons.
Toys that may contain toxic amounts of zinc when eaten by your pal are die-cast cars, planes, actions figures and older toys such as metal toy boats.
Zinc is also toxic to birds. Some birdcages have a galvanized coating containing zinc. Newer, shiny wire is often high in zinc.
The best bird cages are made of stainless steel. There are also powdered coated cages that are labeled to be guaranteed to be zinc-free.
If you suspect zinc ingestion or your pet has any of the listed symptoms, contact your veterinarian right away or a veterinary ER or Urgent Care and/or call the 24/7 ASPCA Poison Control at 888.426.4435.
Immediate treatment increases the chances of your pal having a full recovery.
