Eating Bizarre Objects

[Guest normaandburrell]

We got Iceman 3 1/2 months ago. We were told he was returned from a foster home because he counter surfed and in general got into "everything", including a can of nails. Apparently they were afraid he had chewed on them and could have gotten nickel poisoning. We tried to remove objects that we thought he might chew on, and he has been good for us, He is very curious and will go into the dirty laundry for our dirty items to sleep with, but he will not chew on our clothers. He will chew on the grandkids stuffed toys and legos if we do not keep him out of their room when they visit. We have had to put a latch on the kitchen garbage, and be careful to dump the bathroom garbage often, as sometimes he will eat dirty kleenex. However, none of this is a big deal. He doesn't chew on the wood or leather furniture, or eat the TV remotes. He does want to chew up sticks when I take him outside. I have gotten all kinds of chew toys, and he only wants things he can completely chew up and swallow.

Well, 3 days ago he went into the box where we keep extra leashes and our old dog's harness that he wore as he started having trouble going up and down the stairs. Today he started having some dry heaves off and on and this evening he threw up....a whole leash! Minus the clip, which was in the box. We think he did this 3 days ago, and that when DH just scooped all the items back into the box, he got the clip. We have moved that box to a place where he can't get to it. Spoke with the e-vet who said if he eats, poops and acts happy, no need to bring him in. He had a big dinner and looks very happy, which is a big relief.

So has anyone else had a dog that would eat bizarre objects? I never thought he would go after the leashes. The one he ate belonged to our old dog, and I am wondering if that somehow made it smell like something he wanted to eat. I am thinking about babygating him in our room when we go out, and really trying to thoroughly "puppy proof" that one room. When we are home, he is with us, and we can monitor him. And no, I cannot crate him. While in the kennel, he chewed on the crate until he got dental damage. I guess I could muzzle him, for his own safety.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, including items that I might particularly want to remove from his reach. I just hope he doesn't start eating his bedding. I don't put quilted items on his bed or ours, as I was afraid he might like to pull the stuffing out. Prior to this episode, I had decided that he needed more stimulation and I had enrolled him in obedience classes. Not because he has problem behaviors, but because when I took him to watch a class, he was fascinated and sleep all the rest of that day.

[Neighsayer]

Was it a leather leash? When I first got Mickey, he ate an old dog's six foot leather leash. He also left the clasp. He also ate the leather crown piece to a horse halter. It is not unusual for dogs to set leather. After all, we feed them rawhide! Misty ate a large section of my leather shoe today.

My dogs also chew up nylon leashes, but don't eat them. You learn what to keep away from him, and what you can leave out. It's all part of owning a dog. My friend has three greys, and she can leave fruit in baskets, and wrapped bread on the counter. They don't touch anything. My dogs would never leave that alone.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Last winter my Henry seemed to be acting as if he hurt. We finally discovered he had swallowed a sewing needle and it was poking the side of his stomach! How he managed that I will never understand. He was rushed into surgery and I now have a souvenir, extremely expensive, slightly corroded sewing needle displayed on my bookcase.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Scouts_mom

[Batmom]

One of mine would eat various things, including a variety of household objects, yard items, and most toys. Like Scouts_mom, we suffered an Emergency Vet Experience -- on a holiday weekend, no less; can you say "ka-ching"? -- followed by surgery on the Monday. He too could not be crated.

 

When no one was home, he wore his plastic basket muzzle. We instituted that rule after we came home to his having eaten part of an antique family Bible, not to mention the side of the sofa. Fortunately he seemed to have spat out all the upholstery nails.

 

Then there was the non-emergency vet visit and much puzzlement, research, etc. over his green urine. We didn't find the remains of the leather-bound book he'd snacked on until two days later.

 

He is gone now, and I would give anything to have him back. Silly weasel .

[greysmom]

None of that stuff sounds really "weird" for a dog to eat, but it is very annoying. My Toni will eat anything made of paper - newsprint, napkins, tissues, paper towels, books (especially paperbacks), magazines - and kitchen towels. It's a good thing she has a very efficient digestive system as we've managed to piece together most of what she's eaten from what's come out the other end!

 

I will mention this: Lilly has been diagnosed as having IBD/IBS. She gets horrible stomach noises that sound like squeaks and rumbles, then comes the pudding diarrhea, and the three days of begging her to eat anything. BUT, the first sign that she might be having a flare-up is her wanting to eat strange things. She normally doesn't really chew on things she shouldn't, so when she begins to pull the books off the bookcase and plastic out of the recycle bin, we know to watch her more closely.

 

It might be as simple as getting your boy more exercise and mental stimulation throughout the day. A good long, tiring walk in the morning will help.

[Guest Joni]

Violet just ran away with the motion sensor adapter to one of our Wii remotes. Little stinker.

[Guest Johberry]

When we're not looking, Enzo will steal one of our leather Rainbow flip-flops (his favorite to steal and attempt to chew on). Fortunately, he's really good about being crated when we're not home but I'd eventually like for him to be gated in our main living area with his basket muzzle on but he hates his muzzle.

[Sambuca]

My suggestion is to give him a lot more exercise. The obedience classes are a good idea as well. I'd also muzzle him when not monitored.

[Guest normaandburrell]

In response to neighsayer, it was not a leather leash. It was a nylon leash. He chewed the clasp off, chewed it in a few places, and apparently proceeded to chew and swallow the whole thing in one piece. The first we knew of it was when I heard him gagging and came out to find him standing there with about 3 feet of leash hanging out of his mouth. While I was grabbing his file, which includes the address of the e-vet, he started vomiting again and my husband pulled gently and out the rest of the leash came.

The only thing that was different that day was that we had workers installing a lift on our semi-enclosed porch. Instead of throwing their empty lunch containers in the garbage, they discarded them in the construction debris in our garage. So Iceman had been very excited about getting outside and nosing through that debris. When we found the empty food containers, we searched through and found everything and disposed of it. So we don't know if the smell of the human food just drove him to eat anything he could. We have noticed that human food smells are very enticing, and it is just easier to put chicken bones outside in the garbage can. As long as they are in the kitchen garbage, he will try to get in.

Thanks to batmom and greysmom for your advice and for letting me know that other people have had dogs that have survived eating bizarre objects. We are definitely planning for longer and more frequent walks, and to watch him more closely when he seems to be more interested in foraging. We may babygate him in the bedroom when we are out, as there are probably fewer things in that room that he can hurt himself eating.

[NeylasMom]

My first thought is a medical issue. I'd want to thoroughly rule that out. IBD as someone mentioned, or soemthing like worms could cause it. Fecals can often show up falsely negative so I wouldn't assume if he's had a clear fecal that worms aren't an issue. Has he had any signs of stomach upset since you've gotten him - loose, mucousy or bloody stool, diarrhea, vomiting, gurgling, etc.?

[Guest normaandburrell]

He was positive for hookworms when we got him, and had to have 3 treatments for it to resolve. He has had no symptoms since then.

[DofSweetPotatos]

Your dog 'could' be a pica dog. I've seen it in other breeds. For some reason nonfood items are tasty. Sometimes it's an Ocd thing and sometimes it just is.

Be alert and aware when stuff is missing.

Pica can be serious if stuff doesn't pass or doesn't come back up.

I would definitely use the basket muzzle when unsupervised.

[Guest normaandburrell]

We have doubled Iceman's morning walk, and we take him to a park where he gets to see other dogs and people. We were going to add a late afternoon/early evening walk, but instead we have discovered that Iceman will fetch! So we take him outside and throw around a squeak toy that looks like a large squishy baseball. He runs until he is exhausted. We are looking around very closely whenever when we leave him alone, and we are not finding evidence that he is getting into things. We are keeping our fingers crossed. He really doesn't like wearing a muzzle.

[Sambuca]

Smear some peanut butter inside the muzzle whenever you put it on him. He'll start to like it soon enough.