My DOG just swallowed a 470uF electrolytic cap (SMD type) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 05:13:50 pm
content: I know I know, he does weird shit like that sometimes...Dropped the cap on the shop floor and the Canine Cleaning Service activated before I had time to reach to the part.Now what? My vet claims he'll be fine and pass it if indeed the canister is sealed.Dog looks fine, no lights in his eyes, no glowing in the dark, just a normal dogWorried.

author: PaulAm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 05:24:42 pm
content: An SMD type, without any protruding leads, he'll probably be fine. How big is the dog and how small is the cap? Anything small pebble size should pass right through.Keep a close watch and have your emergency vet on speed dial, but if you vet thinks it's OK, you'll likely be fine.Could have bought some nice test equipment with the money I've spent on emergency vets in the last couple of years (all were fine, just an excess of caution)

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 05:35:08 pm
content: 56kg/120lbs Rottweiler with a tiny brain. Cap is a OD10x10.5mm. It's an hydrib smd type, so no pins, just two padsVet advice to keep him relax until a 470uF shows up in his stool,He also said I can (at my own risk) try to force in a teaspoon of peroxide to induce vomiting however this may create problem due to sharp/hard edges of the part.Are we sure those electrolytic are sealed and can withstand digestion abuses?!

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 05:42:02 pm
content: Feed him a large value resistor to make the discharge a bit gentler

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 05:47:08 pm
content: Vet: are you absolutely sure he swallowed it? Looked everywhere to make sure?Me: hold on, let me go get my LCRI'll let him have a day off and get him on easy-to-digest chicken to speed things up a bit. Damn...Silly dog. Watch out @dog owners.

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 06:16:12 pm
content: Well, you know what *not* to do...Don't reuse that cap.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 06:34:58 pm
content: Get out the strainer and some rubber gloves. All for close examination of his poo.Edit: Our cats never ate electronics, but I once had a charger, with a fixed cable on the low voltage side, lying on my bed and when I went up to go to sleep one of the cats had shredded the cable into two parts

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 09:17:25 pm
content: I found small tiewrap in the cats stool once. Perhaps it is best you don't know

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2022, 09:58:45 pm
content: Yeah, he'll be fine...Probably the can is lacquered and doesn't digest. It ought to be aluminum, so it should corrode pretty quickly in stomach conditions. So, maybe nothing, maybe pitting, probably not total dissolution. I'm not sure what hybrids all use inside; the polymer part anyway, might not be toxic, I think it's pretty much just going to stay together through the process?And, copper leads, the tin plating might tarnish or something, and the plastic base brackety thing, fine of course. So I'd expect it to largely remain together.The awkward shape, of course could always lead to complications, but it's most likely fine. Heh, growing up, a friend of mine accidentally swallowed a roofing nail.. did nothing, fortunately.As for electrolyte part if any, dunno. Haven't seen an SDS for anything like that. I want to say several things wouldn't be too bad, but there could well be something nasty mixed in there from time to time. And I may be underestimating the polymer electrolyte part.Tim

author: nigelwright7557
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 12:46:01 am
content: Give him a diode to eat too, that should rectify the problem ?

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 02:40:30 am
content: Quote from: nigelwright7557 on September 03, 2022, 12:46:01 am

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 03:25:10 am
content: I think this thread needs to be merged with the bad electronics jokes thread.(but I did chuckle ... just a bit.)

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 04:04:24 am
content: Stomach acid will be strong enough to dissolve aluminium. I suspect it wont stay in the stomach for very long before leaving (where the remaining acid is then neutralised by bile).The rest of the digestive tract is not equipped to dissolve aluminium AFAIK. It will probably treat it like any other fibre and pass it.From what I gather: mouth to bum time for a dog is approximately a bit less than half a day. As of me posting this message it has been about 12 hours, it will probably have passed by now. I hope your dog remains unaffected and I hope you find the cap. Please post photos if you can.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 04:29:38 am
content: Quote from: Whales on September 03, 2022, 04:04:24 amYou wanna see the poo, the cap or the dog?

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 05:00:54 am
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on September 03, 2022, 04:29:38 amWhy not. For around 2 weeks when I got my cat in June I spend everyday looking at her crap to know how it was her digesting system.When you had animals since you remember as I had, it's very common. Poop can tell you a lot way before symptoms appear.Dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens, pigs, cows, horses... I'm a country boy, my grandparents were in the agricultural and live stock business.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 07:49:47 am
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on September 03, 2022, 04:29:38 amThe capacitor after cleanup, please

author: Squarewave
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 10:21:57 am
content: Has he gone a bit leaky yet?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 10:45:01 am
content: I've heard some tall stories about why a project is late, but "the dog ate my parts"

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 10:58:39 am
content: Loved reading the jokes in this thread but I do hope that the capacitor makes an exit soon so that the OP can relax. Sadly the story would have been very different and even deadly had the item swallowed been a button cell. I have read warnings from Vets regarding Watch batteries etc as they actually cause serious internal damage to soft tissues. I saw a picture of a lithium cell placed on a piece of meat….. the meat was burned at the point that bridged the cells contactsBe careful what you leave laying around when you have inquisitive pets !We have 4 cats and the youngest, Bailey, likes to see what I am doing. He occasionally lends a paw to help but has been known to literally rip the wiring loom out of a chassis (scrap thank goodness!) Pets eh!Fraser

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 10:58:42 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 03, 2022, 10:45:01 amA different take of "the dog eat my homework..."

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 12:06:38 pm
content: Quote from: Black Phoenix on September 03, 2022, 10:58:42 amMy dog ate some scrabble tiles. When I went out on the lawn the next day it spelt disaster.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 12:30:31 pm
content: Yours made me laugh the loudest, so 10 points to Ed.

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 12:39:10 pm
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 02, 2022, 05:13:50 pmThoughts and prayers for a safe discharge.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 12:49:17 pm
content: Quote from: Howardlong on September 03, 2022, 12:39:10 pmI'm betting it will be monolithic.

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:04:50 pm
content: Tell us the truth. You wanted to feed asortment of electronic parts to your dog, to once for all exprrimentally disprove a smaller version ofHoyle’s fallacy.I doubt anything will happen to the dog and I hope you will soon feel less stressed by the situation.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:06:46 pm
content: Quote from: golden_labels on September 03, 2022, 01:04:50 pmI'm sure it will be a massive relief.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:21:40 pm
content: It is just a small capacitor, but with 56 kilo it is a big dog, so maybe you are right, "a BIG relieve"

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:22:28 pm
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 02, 2022, 05:13:50 pmWas there any charge?

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:33:23 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 03, 2022, 01:22:28 pmDo dogs get discharged from the vets the way people get discharged from the hospital?

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:34:23 pm
content: The only difference, the people have to pay the bill for both.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:40:37 pm
content: Watch out for any bipolar behaviour, it may indicate that the integrity of the canister has been compromised!

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2022, 01:48:41 pm
content: Just give him a good handful of pitted prunes. If he is like most dogs they will go down instantly, and then a good drink, and he will be scoured clean.Marley loves the fruits of the queen palm, and eats them whole, with the next day you getting a lot of the pits neatly together in a line, surrounded by her poo. Has not worried her in the least, though she did eventually stop eating avocado pips whole, she now gnaws them to pieces first. Of course, also eats grass and branches as well. What can I say other than Labrador.

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 02:51:23 pm
content: And we have a survivor!!! The shitty 470uF I mean, shows 445uF on the DMMDunno about the dog, he took off in the woods as soon as I opened the garage door so I'm guessing he'll liveGrounded him in the garage until he rear out my stuff. That'll teach him, thief...And so, Datasheets can be amended with "Caps do survive digestion and other shitty abuses".Quote from: wilfred on September 03, 2022, 01:22:28 pmWasn't. I always short those things before placing them back into the tray they sit.Had it clamped between a pair of tweezers and getting ready to solder two pins to use in a breadboard.As soon as I've placed the tweezers in the alligator clip it flew hypersonic speed and landed right in front of my boy's face.Enjoyed the jokes guys, some pretty damn good ones haha

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 03:24:11 pm
content: Great news

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 03:31:19 pm
content: Excellent news.Pity about the collateral damage.

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 03:52:41 pm
content: Soon on the component manufacturer’s website:DESIGNED TO SURVIVE THE HARSHEST ENVIRONMENTS YOUR DESIGN MAY ENCOUNTER!WITHIN 5% OF THE NOMINAL VALUE AFTER 2 DAYS IN DOG’S DIGESTIVE SYSTEM!** Tested by an independent institution, sample size 1. Tolerance rounded to the nearest integer percent.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 04:26:29 pm
content: So you can't use that " I did not install the 470 uF capacitor because my dog ate it" excuse.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 04:27:05 pm
content: .... and I can just see the first product reviews:* Truly crap products.* Beware when the magic smoke escapes - you'll want to find a dodgy Rifa to clear the nostrils.* All the dogs in the neighbourhood want to sniff the projects I use these in.* Someone left a bag of these on my doorstep and lit it.

author: bsfeechannel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 06:11:38 pm
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 04, 2022, 02:51:23 pmPictures, or it didn't happen.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2022, 09:08:02 pm
content: Quote from: bsfeechannel on September 04, 2022, 06:11:38 pmI'm wondering what the dog was thinking when the owner set upon every steamer with utensils.

author: pcprogrammer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:02:15 am
content: What would have been hilarious if the dog had turned around and swallowed it again poo and all. Dogs tend to eat other dog poo

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:32:33 am
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on September 05, 2022, 05:02:15 amIs that how you get super charged capacitors?

author: Howardlong
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 09:40:03 am
content: It's been upgraded to a pooper capacitor.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 10:06:53 am
content: Quote from: Howardlong on September 05, 2022, 09:40:03 amJust like those shitty caps we used to get in computers some time ago.Who misses them?

author: quadtech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 11:26:14 am
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 04, 2022, 02:51:23 pmGrounding the dog discharged the cap

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 11:26:51 am
content: Your dog cherry picks the best capacitors, just as the civet eats only the best ripe coffee beans , then shits them out, people collect them and sell them for top dollar to the coffee aficionado's as kopi luwak.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_luwak

author: GlennSprigg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 11:52:47 am
content: There's nothing wrong with the jokes aboveBut on a serious note, it reminds me about the extreme & real dangers of young children swallowing those 'Button' batteries??THEY seem to be perfectly sealed, and should just pass through, so I don't understand about 'Chemical Leaks' etc

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 11:59:25 am
content: Sprigg lives!

author: GlennSprigg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 01:21:49 pm
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on September 05, 2022, 11:59:25 amYep... Hi there ED... Not sure 'how' yet xoxoxox

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 01:25:33 pm
content: Quote from: pcprogrammer on September 05, 2022, 05:02:15 amThey tend to... what?

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:23:49 pm
content: Quote from: bsfeechannel on September 04, 2022, 06:11:38 pmTrust, I'd wish it to be a bad dream. That thing really had us all worried for a full 48hrs. Wife was out of herself, making me feel like a murderer.This badboy poo like a bunny and hard as bricks, the part was showing 4 meter away when I got in the garage.Here's the same cap all brushed up after recovery. Not a single dent, go figure

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:35:30 pm
content: Have you re-measured the component after its adventure and cleaning?

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:42:10 pm
content: I actually did, funny enough. 445u on the DMM. Crazy stuff, I know lol

author: Mecanix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 05:48:51 pm
content: Did I really just posted a pic of my dog's ass?? lmao. Sorry about that, guys. Damn, got to get back to work....These caps are suddenly not cool. Had one trying to murder me 6 months ago. Had a 16V on a 24V rail (careless mistake) and it exploded like a nuke 2 feet away from my face.Still picking up its paper internal here and there still today. Then boom, the dog thinks it's a treat and throat it down like a pcs of cheese.We're haunted by the Evil Caps it seemsHope y'all had a good laugh with this canine eeAdventure. I certainly did, in a way!

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2022, 10:42:33 pm
content: Quote from: GlennSprigg on September 05, 2022, 11:52:47 amIntestines are conductive and short the battery. That produces both electric current and induces chemical reactions, both leading to necrosis.

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2022, 06:09:45 pm
content: See the attached photo. That’s a hot dog sausage(1), which had a CR2032 inserted into it for 3 hours, though noticeable damage was already present after the first hour. That is due to electric current alone: no leak from the battery and no heat damage (everything was sitting below 22°C in 24°C ambient).A hot dog sausage is not representing human body well,(citation needed)but I the picture is giving the right idea about the kind of damage you may expect in esophagus and intestines.(1)EAN-13: 5900567001753

author: bsfeechannel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2022, 11:09:13 pm
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 05, 2022, 05:48:51 pmI used to allow our cats in the lab until one day one of those capacitors exploded quite next to one of them. I also don't allow them in the kitchen while I'm cooking. Lab and kitchen are dangerous places.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2022, 11:50:25 pm
content: Quote from: Mecanix on September 05, 2022, 05:48:51 pmI didn't even notice until you pointed it out. Now I can't un-see it! Thanks for that.

author: nigelwright7557
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 01:25:10 am
content: Give him a diode to swallow too.That should rectify the problem.

author: quadtech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 05:29:50 am
content: Like Civet cat coffee - this cap was organically selected for low ESR - effective stomach resistance

author: Mark
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 03:26:44 pm
content: Being eaten by a dog was definitelynotcovered on the Adventures of Tanty Bead series:

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 04:01:09 pm
content: Quote from: golden_labels on September 06, 2022, 06:09:45 pmWell, there is very little damage in the esophagus because it spends less than a second in it, before sliding into the stomach.In the stomach, the damage is repaired within a couple of days, because the lining is continuously renewed. (The acid in it does much, much worse damage to a hot dog sausage, too.)Within the intestines, the damage is spread out over the entire length, and there is a combined mucus and bacterial covering that will take the majority of the damage.So, although I agree with the damage, human (mammal) digestive systems are quite robust, and deal with damage (as long as the item moves along smoothly). Having the CR2032 lodged in would be very dangerous, though!In the doggo's case, the charge in the cap is of course neglible, and would have been discharged in the stomach (where any slight damage would be completely irrelevant due to the lining continuously renewing due to the very acidic conditions). (If it had discharged in the doggos mouth, we'd know.)Chemical toxicity and having the cap lodge in somewhere were my main worries; but since it turned out quickly and intact (with almost the original capacitance, indicating there couldn't have much loss of electrolyte or structural integrity in my opinion), I'm happy that the doggo will be absolutely OK.

author: golden_labels
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 08:06:34 pm
content: Unfortunately emergency room disagrees. Coin cells are getting stuck in both esophagus and intestines. The relevant photos are available on the web: I skipped attaching them to avoid both pointless posting of disturbing content and potential copyright issues.An adult esophagus at rest is big enough to accomodate a CR2032 cell (it is 20–25mm in diameter). But that is not true for children. Neither is when muscles contract, or the walls are inflammed or are not smooth.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2022, 08:58:55 pm
content: Quote from: golden_labels on September 12, 2022, 08:06:34 pmTrue. I did mean that if it does not get stuck, the damage is dealt with. But when it gets stuck in one spot, it's very dangerous, definitely surgery time.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2022, 02:41:26 am
content: So many Ingestive integration cycles have since passed. I'm sure he's been charged up with soft food lowering the digestive impedance. Has the pooch in question been properly discharged?I'm a dog lover. I need to know.Seriously, How is your Dog?EDIT:Never mind, I refreshed the bow wowser window and the full thread showed up.Glad your dog is fine.Steve

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2022, 02:58:49 am
content: It would have been very interesting to watch the dog if it had swallowed an inductor at the same time.I am trying to imagine an oscillating dog... hmmm.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2022, 01:48:32 pm
content: Quote from: andy3055 on September 13, 2022, 02:58:49 amI do believe the oscillating part is called a 'tail', the pulse-avalanche part a 'bark', and the coil/capacitor noise either a 'howl' or a 'whine', depending on whether loneliness or treats are involved.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2022, 03:06:06 am
content: What's his current ESR? Charge him up.

author: nigelwright7557
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 12:12:31 pm
content: Quote from: Whales on September 03, 2022, 04:04:24 amAluminium is thought to cause Parkinsons disease.In the middle ages some rich people started using aluminium cutlery and they all got Parkinsons disease.

author: bsfeechannel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 04:14:57 pm
content: Quote from: nigelwright7557 on September 27, 2022, 12:12:31 pmAluminium was first isolated in 1824 by Hans Christian Ørsted. How could people have used the metal in the middle ages?