Dog with a Death Wish?
...UNTIL this morning. I woke up around 8am to the sounds of retching, and moments later saw my little girl throwing up in her crate. Three times. The former contents of her stomach included a wadded up ball of my hair (from the shower, I threw it in the trash...), pumpkin seed shells (also from the trash), and grain of rice sized to quarter sized chunks of her Nylabone. I've been trimming the Nylabone (it's a Puppy Bone, I thought it would be OK to get since she doesn't have any of her adult teeth yet-- to my surprise, that didn't matter at all as I've since found out that her jaw is already at maximum alligator strength) in hopes of preventing her from biting off pieces-- but this has obviously failed!! I took her outside after cleaning out her crate, and she seemed fine-- after calming down from her initial release, she looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as ever, and she wasn't having any potty issues. She peed and pooped a solid poop, we went back inside, and I went back to sleep for a few more hours without feeding her, just giving her plenty of water. We wake up again at noon, and she is showing no signs of discomfort. I take her out, she does her business again, still making solid poopies but towards the end (there was a LOT!!) it was a bit mushy and a lighter brown. I clean it up, and go back inside... I didn't notice her pick anything up while we were out there and I had her on a very short lead, but after I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I came out of the bathroom and noticed her chewing on something. She's always stealing things she shouldn't have, and I usually have no idea how she even got them-- but when I say "DROP IT!" she will spit anything in her mouth out if her tongue is dexterous enough to be able. So I yelled "DROP IT!!!!" and low and behold, out pops the >>razor tip<< of an EXACTO KNIFE!!!!!!!  OF COURSE I immediately checked her mouth-- gums, tongue, roof, under the tongue-- for any lacerations or blood, but saw absolutely NOTHING! Not even a poke! ...  Anyway, so the obvious advice for her eating weird stuff and vomiting would be take her to the vet. Unfortunately for us, I am under a lot of unexpected financial constraint at the moment-- so I'd like to exhaust any other options before that. Again, she's showing NO sign of discomfort, NO loss of appetite, NO loss of energy... there's nothing NOW to make me believe she needs to be rushed there right away... but I am very worried, and in a perfect situation we would already be at the vet right now. I'm going to safely assume that at least one other person on this forum has experienced what I am experiencing right now. What did YOU do?? ?  Also with the death of her Nylabone, what would you recommend as a safe chew toy for my pup? --a Nylabone advertised for aggressive chewers, or something else entirely? -Ashley & Bones |
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| Ah, another eater! We're going through all kinds of stuff with our Rudy. He's only been here six months (a rescue) but he's eaten his way through all sorts of things. Most pass without incident (or with minimal incidents of the messy bum variety). My first bit of advice...get the number to the emergency vet and post it right by the phone. Our regular vet has it on the outgoing message during non office hours. The emergency vet is awesome for advice when you're not sure what to do. And there's no charge for calling. As long as she's pooping fine and can keep down (small amounts to start) of food she'll likely be okay. I'd keep the food to small amounts frequently and watch what comes out like a hawk. If you see signs of bloating, discomfort, food coming back up, etc then you're in blockage territory. At that point it's an emergency, and you'll need to head in to a vet as you can't do anything to correct that on your own, and it can be fatal. Otherwise, monitor her like crazy and keep whatever goes into her tummy very light and bland. Also, we learned the hard way that we needed to puppyproof our house (even though Rudy was a year when we got him...) so in the meantime go through EVERYTHING. We don't have a garbage can anymore. We use grocery bags, and hang them on the handle of the top cupboard, taking them right out of the house when full. It's ugly as can be, but no one gets into the garbage anymore. We checked under every bed, etc. for lost socks, ponyholders, etc. It's a pain but very worth it. And, she'll need to be in your line of sight at all times, until she's trustworthy. Our other sheepie, Hudson, got there just before he turned two years old. (Sorry to break that news.) Some dogs just need to be insanely supervised for their own protection. We kennel Rudy when we can't be with him, and when we're home, we keep him in the same room as we are at all times. It's just not worth the risk. None of this advice applies, by the way, if you have any reason to believe she swallowed any of that blade...if you even suspect that I'd go to the vet immediately. That's too dangerous. Good luck. She'll probably be okay (if you're certain no blade went down that is). I could list all the things we've lost down Rudy's gut, but I think there's a character limit on how long a post can be. |
| Oops! Forgot something... Rudy's a crazy chewer, and we've had great success with the nylabone rings. They are really hard, like the bone, but because of the shape he can't get pieces off of it. He's destroyed nearly every other toy around the house, including the extra large, super duper heavy duty KONGs. The rings get all gross looking, and have teeth marks in them, but he hasn't been able to take any chunks or flakes off. You might want to look into those. Also, there are these balls that look like they have craters in them. They are hollow inside, and only one crater goes through to the centre. You put kibble inside, and they push it around and the occasional piece falls out. Rudy's done great with that. It entertains him for longer periods of time, and leaves him tuckered out. Since he's engaged in rolling it and picking it up and dropping it to get the kibble out he doesn't even try to chew it. It's a great toy too. |
| Thanks, Tracie! She definitely didn't swallow any of the blade, I picked it off the floor and checked it out-- slobbered on, but completely in tact. I almost had a heart attack when I saw it, but there's no sign of damage or discomfort in her mouth or throat. I should have realised she was doing something awful when she wasn't at my heels in the bathroom because she's normally always right beside me-- but I figured 1 minute with my back turned wouldn't result in anything life-altering... I've learned my lesson now!!  She's eating fine; I put 1/2 cup of kibble in her bowl, and 1/2 cup in her Tricky Treat Ball-- we actually already have one! I was looking for a way to keep her from wolfing down her food, and saw it at the store. It's simple but genius, she loves it, and it keeps her occupied and prevents her from eating too quickly. That was about two hours ago and nothing has come up, and she's still pooping fine. I've removed all waste baskets from the ground, crawled around the floor to check for anything she might find tempting. It seems like everything "bad" in her belly was expelled this morning. I haven't seen anything in her stool yet... but she's definitely not constipated!! I'm half-serious about considering a muzzle for her-- not for biting, but to keep her from eating random stuff on the ground! She loves crickets, and it's like a shmorgishborg every night when we go outside. I don't accept bedtime kisses from her anymore, yuck! |
It's been nearly 24 hours since Bones threw up a bunch of crazy stuff, and she's passing stool just fine; I found a chunk of the Nylabone in her poo yesterday around 7pm, and the next two times she went there was no trouble eliminating, and no signs of distress. Woo hoo!!  I think we've dodged a bullet... or two! |
| You're probably out of the woods just fine now, but I have been told it can take up to a week for everything to pass, so continue to keep an eye just in case. I'm so glad all is going well. |
| Or longer. Watch for vomiting that can't be explained later on too. My vet was telling me about a dog that ate part of a rubber ball. It wouldn't pass either way and it had been in this dog's stomach for a very long time before being surgically removed. Quote: I'm half-serious about considering a muzzle for her A leash and supervision may be a better choice or the muzzle will always need to be worn. When she can't be supervised and guided about inappropriate behavior, she should go into her puppy-proof room or kennel for her safety and that of your possessions.  They need to make mistakes so we can correct them in order to teach them limits. Tethering a dog to us is also a good option. Quote: She loves crickets, and it's like a shmorgishborg every night when we go outside. Yeah... puppies explore with their mouths. Definitely a good time to start teaching her "leave-it" and rewarding her for doing so.   Be sure you or the neighbors don't use any pesticides if she's actually eating them. |
| A nylabone can be dangerous if they chew off a big piece. It is NOT digestible. I wouldn't give her any more of them. Look at bully sticks. They are completely digestible - but may cause some loose poop for those dogs not used to the "treat". And of course you need to watch them while they chew it as a chew can become small and if swallowed can cause chocking. We like the Everlasting ball. My younger one was able to get the insert out but again, supervise. I NEVER give a chew stick, toy or bone without complete supervision. And, yes, time to puppy -proof your house! Look around and think like a dog...anything is fare game!!!! So get rid of everything they can get to! Hope everything continues to be okay.... |
| Ben was an eater too. He had two emergency surgeries for obstructions, almost died by the time they did the first one. We immediately did a puppy-proofing - he was five at the time. The second one happened because a guest didn't follow our rules. The surgeon said that once they are an eater, they are always an eater. And his dog was the smae way. The good news is your house will always be ready for company. |
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