Baby T Rocks

[sheshistory]

But I don't mean that in a good way!

Truman has picked up a bad, bad habit and I don't know what to do about it. Since we live in Arizona, we have rocks in our back yard and he is CONSTANTLY eating them. I literally cannot leave him outside for two seconds without supervision without him eating one more rocks. It doesn't happen at specific times of day or for any apparent reason - I am working a lot from home these days so he has constant stimulation and supervision - yet he cannot seem to help himself! I have yelled, I have fished them out of his mouth, I have tried to keep him away from the rocks but he still keeps eating them. I have seen him take poops that are literally ALL rocks and I know this is potentially harmful so I'd like to figure this out.

Has anyone ever had this problem or any possible solutions short of finding a way to quarantine him off the rocks completely? I'm sure if I did that, he'd just find something else to eat that he's not supposed to but I'd like to take advantage of the great weather in Arizona right now but I don't feel like I can leave Truman outside at all.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Wow I am so sorry, thats a tough one. I really can't think of any advise to give right now, hopefully everyone has something better than that. I'd say try putting something like hot sauce on it (something I did to a cable in my moms backyard that her dogs were chewing) but you can't put hot sauce on all the rocks. I can definitely see your concern.

 

[Gertie's Mom]

Hmmm... I really am of no help here, I've never dealt with this one. At least they're coming all the way thru. I've heard of this but they end up in surgery because they get stuck.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Yes Gertie'sMom brings up an excellent point. Samson swallowed a toy in April, I waited a few days before we resorted to surgery to remove it because I was HOPING that if he was able to swallow it that he would be able to pass it. Nope, once they took the xrays the vet said there was NO way it was coming out unless it was surgically removed. I really hope that doesn't happen to Truman but because I have been through something simliar it worries me to hear he is doing this.

 

[KMARINO]

Wow I am so sorry, thats a tough one. I really can't think of any advise to give right now, hopefully everyone has something better than that. I'd say try putting something like hot sauce on it (something I did to a cable in my moms backyard that her dogs were chewing) but you can't put hot sauce on all the rocks. I can definitely see your concern.

[MENTION=574]TessaAndSamson[/MENTION], when I bought my brand new area rug for the living room and we all know those are not cheap, I caught Vegas chewing one corner when he was about 6 months old, I put hot sauce on it to deter him and guess what Vegas loved??? He became obsessed with licking the corner and chewing, I finally had to move my couch so it was over that corner of the area rug. He does not do that now, but that was my experience with hot sauce.

[MENTION=860]jillh10[/MENTION], Hhmmm that's a tough one! Living in Florida half my back yard is sand, when Vegas was younger he would eat mouth fulls, now at a year and a half he still will occasionally grab a mouth full before I bring him back in from doing his buissnes. (he just did this a few days ago) At least it is sand and I think filters through him, although gross, he goes to drink out of his metal bowl and there is literally a quarter of an inch of sand in the bottom of his bowl when he does this. I keep threatening him that I will give him NO water and he will just have dry, sand mouth and like it, BUT I don't have the guts to follow through with my threat.

 

[sheshistory]

Yes Gertie'sMom brings up an excellent point. Samson swallowed a toy in April, I waited a few days before we resorted to surgery to remove it because I was HOPING that if he was able to swallow it that he would be able to pass it. Nope, once they took the xrays the vet said there was NO way it was coming out unless it was surgically removed. I really hope that doesn't happen to Truman but because I have been through something simliar it worries me to hear he is doing this.

Exactly, clearly it's a health threat - it's bad if it gets stuck and it can't be good for the soft tissue in the digestive tract and anal area to have hard rocks going through it. We've dodged a bullet thus far but I know this can't go on.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Exactly, clearly it's a health threat - it's bad if it gets stuck and it can't be good for the soft tissue in the digestive tract and anal area to have hard rocks going through it. We've dodged a bullet thus far but I know this can't go on.

I really don't want to worry you because hopefully he has passed all the ones he has eaten but the most troubling thing is is that unless you know exactly how many he has swallowed and know he has pooed them all out you may not know one is just sitting in his stomach until it causes an infection or you have xrays done and you can see them in there. We are SOO lucky Dave saw Samson swallow that toy because had he not Samson would have given me NO indication it was in his stomach (or at least he didn't during the 4-5 days we waited for it to pass). He had the same energy level, appetite, never threw up or had weird poos. I know I am a bit of a worry wort and again hopefully its for nothing but I just think its something to keep in mind. I wish with all that I actually had some advise on stopping him from doing it!!!!!!

 

[2bulliefamily]

I wish I could help but sorry, no help here! Good Luck, I know someone on here will have some good advice.

 

[sheshistory]

I really don't want to worry you because hopefully he has passed all the ones he has eaten but the most troubling thing is is that unless you know exactly how many he has swallowed and know he has pooed them all out you may not know one is just sitting in his stomach until it causes an infection or you have xrays done and you can see them in there. We are SOO lucky Dave saw Samson swallow that toy because had he not Samson would have given me NO indication it was in his stomach (or at least he didn't during the 4-5 days we waited for it to pass). He had the same energy level, appetite, never threw up or had weird poos. I know I am a bit of a worry wort and again hopefully its for nothing but I just think its something to keep in mind. I wish with all that I actually had some advise on stopping him from doing it!!!!!!

Thanks - Truman actually has a vet appointment today so maybe I will ask the vet for advice and to take a good feel around his stomach, intestine and bowels to make sure it feels normal. The rocks aren't terribly big so I think he's passing them pretty easily BUT...yeah, I hear ya!

 

[cali~jenn]

Please let us know what the vet says. My in-laws actually have a wild 1 yr old pup that seriously thinks it is park wolf or something as sweet as she is, she is untameable with some things. She also eats rocks, or I should say gravel. She is a bigger dog, part boxer and husky but the vet didnt worry about her passing them and in the months they have dealt with it havent had any problems. Now I am not sure what their plan of treatment was to deter her or if they have. I will have to ask them to find out.

 

[lexterwayne]

ive never had a problem with rocks, but have problems with lex eating pecans everytime hes outside!!! we have to go out with him to watch him so he doesnt eat them, if he does then the next morning he throws the shells up

 

[mammyglicks]

awww poor thing. I am having the same problem with Bear but in our case the rocks is actually wood. Hope he stops that soon!!

 

[bullmama]

Okay [MENTION=860]jillh10[/MENTION] I have a suggestion.... depending on how many rocks you have.

I too, am having a problem with Jesse eating rocks and dirt. I see it in her and twice I have woken up to a pile of rock vomit in her bed. Luckily our gravel is quite small, but the same as you I don't know why she is eating them!

Yuna will eat and swallow anything and everything. She scares me. So I was talking to [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] and she suggested using clove oil on things you don't want her to chew on. So my question is, how many rocks do you have in the yard? Is it like mine, where the whole backyard is graveled or do you just have areas with gravel/rocks? I was thinking maybe you could put clove oil in a spray bottle with water and spray the area. You must also put one drop of the oil on the lips of the dog so they learn to hate it. This is something linda suggests for my problem with Yuna, because I would really like to get her a nice durable bed. Right now she has none because she will eat it up and swallow it. Remember the photos? I tried giving her a blanket last week when we got that cold spell and found it shredded the next morning! As for Jesse's facination with the gravel I am not too worried because our gravel is small.... but if it was larger I would be concerned.

 

[sheshistory]

Okay [MENTION=860]jillh10[/MENTION] I have a suggestion.... depending on how many rocks you have.

I too, am having a problem with Jesse eating rocks and dirt. I see it in her and twice I have woken up to a pile of rock vomit in her bed. Luckily our gravel is quite small, but the same as you I don't know why she is eating them!

Yuna will eat and swallow anything and everything. She scares me. So I was talking to [MENTION=4]Lindathedogsmaid[/MENTION] and she suggested using clove oil on things you don't want her to chew on. So my question is, how many rocks do you have in the yard? Is it like mine, where the whole backyard is graveled or do you just have areas with gravel/rocks? I was thinking maybe you could put clove oil in a spray bottle with water and spray the area. You must also put one drop of the oil on the lips of the dog so they learn to hate it. This is something linda suggests for my problem with Yuna, because I would really like to get her a nice durable bed. Right now she has none because she will eat it up and swallow it. Remember the photos? I tried giving her a blanket last week when we got that cold spell and found it shredded the next morning! As for Jesse's facination with the gravel I am not too worried because our gravel is small.... but if it was larger I would be concerned.

I have an area of rocks but Truman seems to eat them from one section only so maybe I will try spraying them with the clove oil and water mixture. My gravel is not too big but Truman sounds almost like Yuna in that he eats EVERYTHING - rocks, towels, bird poop, feathers, leaves - whatever he can get his mouth on! I would like to try to curb this undesirable behavior starting with rocks! Thanks for the suggestion. Have you tried it yet? Did it work?

 

[Libra926]

What about vinegar? Can you spray the rocks with that? Or if it's not too tacky, maybe fencing the area off with decorative fencing.