My dog ate salt
(or homemade play dough).
Table salt, homemade play dough, ornament dough, and rock-salt ice melt all deliver the same toxin. Offer fresh water immediately and do not restrict it, then do the math below.
Stumbling, tremors, or seizures after salt? Call 855-764-7661 NOWPublished thresholds (dogs)
Signs of salt toxicosis are reported from about 2 g of salt per kg of body weight, and around 4 g/kg can be lethal. A 100 g ball of typical homemade play dough carries roughly 15 g of salt, which crosses the signs threshold for any dog under about 16 lb.
Where dogs actually get salt doses
Homemade play dough and salt-dough ornaments (the classic Christmas case), rock-salt ice melt, table salt "home remedies" for vomiting (never do this), paintballs, and seawater on beach days. Commercial modeling clay is a different, lower-risk product: still call, but the salt math does not apply.
What NOT to do
Do not restrict water, and do not force-drink huge amounts either; both directions of rapid change are dangerous. Never use salt to make a dog vomit. Severe cases need IV correction over many hours at a clinic.