[themaj]

Chewbacca started as most doodles...steal a sock, prance & display, willingly trade it back for treats or play. He has now evolved to ingesting the socks! Chewbacca is 6 months old and about 55 lbs. The procedure is to steal a sock, prance and parade his booty until we come after him then he makes a break for the master bedroom and low crawls under the bed (see http://web.mac.com/themaj/iWeb/Chewbacc ... Crawl.html). The new twist is to ingest the sock while under the bed and come out with only a smile. We have confirmed 3 ingested gym socks...the short "footie" socks are fully digested in about 24 hours...full size socks apparently do NOT completely digest...after 24 hours he barfs the remains up and you can see the sock well "holed" by stomach acid...no photo but if he does it again I will get the visual evidence. The vet solution is to only buy pure cotton socks...they will digest completely with no advers effects!

Jim, Honey & Chewbacca

 

[Jac]

Yikes!
I hate to say this...but eating socks (even cotton) can be very harmful. The threads have been known to twist around internal organs and cause serious problems.
This condition is called Pica...here is a little info about it...but you might want to talk it over with your vet.
http://www.metpet.com/Reference/Dogs/He ... 20Dogs.htm

 

[themaj]

Yikes!

Jac,

Thanks for your information on Pica...I've had labs for over 50 years and didn't know the "condition" had a name! Many Labs act like they have a craw like fowl and require the constant ingestion of pebbles/rock to aide digestion! My neighbor is a breeder of Old English Sheep dogs and they warn visitors that any footwear not being worn and is within sight of the dogs will be shredded and consumed!

It is an interesting thing with the "doodle" mind; the "leave it" command is well understood by Chewbacca and is properly responded to with everything except socks, bras & dishtowels. I think this is just one of the "terrible-2s" behaviors and we will survive and outgrow it.

Jim

 

[lmtoth2]

It's good to know that our Dexter isn't the only one that selectively listens to the "drop it" command. It's amazing - when he wants something or knows he'll get a treat, he'll drop most things immediately after we say the command. However when he has stolen a coaster or a sock, no treat will make him give it up. I hope this is something that will be outgrown (i.e. after the terrible 2s are done).

It's all a big game...he wants us to chase him to get the item back. We totally stopped that and we corner him instead and give him a short time-out after we get the item back to demonstrate it's not a game. We'll see if eventually he responds the way we want him to

 

[Jac]

Oh, Jim, believe me I understand about all of that eating! Our dogs have eaten everything...and have been x-rayed because we couldn't find screws; hospitalized when they ate insullation; and I know for fact that they have eaten a bunch of rocks!
My vet told me that once he had a Lab come in with problems, they had to do surgery and took out a pound and a half of gravel!!! From his stomach!
I never worried about sock chewing either...figured it was a pretty cheap dog toy...and, honestly, our dogs don't swallow them so we don't much care if they take a sock to play with...I was worried when I read that Chewbacca was actaully eating them... a lot!
So...when I give these links and the advice, please dont' think I am judging...only passing along info that I have gathered along the way, info that has surpried me too!

 

[Paintsmeblue]

Jac,

your advice never seems judging. I know that it comes from years of experience and dedication as a dog owner. I thank you for your advice, even when I'm not asking the questions. They're always so helpful, and I keep every piece of information stored, so that way when I get my puppy, I will have all of this knowledge too.

 

[annieG]

My bosses lab had to be put down last month. He had previously had 3 bowel resections to remove socks, bras, and a large rawhide bone swallowed whole. This time he couldn't be saved. He was 10 yrs old and would eat anything and everything he could find. The dog was living with his daughter who is in Vet school in Colorado and the students were just heartbroken...they had been involved in the third operation.

 

[blueteal]

So sad about the Lab :wink:
My boss had a Lab who ate
a 20lb bag of catfood in one sitting. They had gone out and forgot
to close the door to the kitchen cupboard that housed the cat food.
He survived it but they put locks on all their cupboards after that.

 

[Raleighsmom]

And we have a friend who has a bassett hound that's had tree operations to remove the ROCKS he ate!!! :shock: Gosh...you'd think he wouldn't have any teeth left!!!! You have to wonder what exactly goes thru their little brains!!!

______________________________________
Kathie,Raleigh & Molly! :twisted: :?

 

[emilee]

here's another 'i can't believe he ate that!!' story:

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a391abb5a7476.htm

here's a link to the original story, but you have to become a member to view it:

http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/051 ... 0003.shtml

also, a former manager had a black lab that she used to shut in the bathroom when she was at work. she came home one day to find that it had eaten its way out of the bathroom -- through the drywall!!

-em

 

[ellabee]

My bosses lab had to be put down last month. He had previously had 3 bowel resections to remove socks, bras, and a large rawhide bone swallowed whole. This time he couldn't be saved. He was 10 yrs old and would eat anything and everything he could find. The dog was living with his daughter who is in Vet school in Colorado and the students were just heartbroken...they had been involved in the third operation.

Holy crow. That is tragic......

 

[seazr]

Our neighbor had a springer that ate--among uncountable other things, a lightbulb . . .
Diane (and Dakota)

 

[Raleighsmom]

Yikes! A light bulb????? I caught Raleigh yesterday morning with my razor....he only chewed the handle, and didn't touch the blade...THAT would have been a disaster!!!

_______________________________________
Kathie,Raleigh & Molly! :twisted: :?

 

[MaxandMe]

Ok i am NOT going to jinx myself...to-date we are TOO NORMAL , i think hahhahaa
Peanut ate a nice 8 in by 3 in hole near the middle of a 5by8ft rug Sunday night while we watched a movie and thought she was chewing the four toys around her :roll:
panties are guarded 24/7 or max tests the cotton fibers to see how much they stretch before tearing and ingesting them. My yard has white snakes aka paper napkins that didn't digest properly.

i have hidden all lacrosse, tennis and racquetballs.I do believe our croquet balls are safe! brooms are hung high along with mops hahhaa razors are hidden out of view. plants behind a room divider barracade.
socks OMG i am ready to buy stock in Hanes or whoever we buy socks from.

Folks...with all the stories we tell, don't you wonder sometimes if it's like having little kids again???????!!!!! hahahhahahaa

I remember when my daughter swallowed a quarter and it took 9 days to come out in her diaper!! that was one time i really meant it when i whispered quietly to myself "little shit' hahahhahaaa

 

[lmtoth2]

hehe...oh Peanut you little :twisted: :wink:

two weeks ago we come home to find that Dexter has chewed up the mat we had at the bottom of the basement steps. He is never destructive when we leave him for the day so God only knows what got into him. I tried to test him with a coaster the other day and he left it for a few minutes...then temptation took over and he grabbed it and played keep away with us. It seems like you make a little progress and then regress again :wink:

 

[MaxandMe]

I find our two doodles to be terrors EVERY OTHER Month. so 4, 6, 8 and 10mos for Max. Peanut is the odd months ? 3, 5mos old.
so let's say they're 2.5 mos apart which equates to 1/2 the month one is good, other is a terror and 1/2 the month both are terrors.

I also see patterns of a let's say 2 or 3 good days in a row and then BAM partners in crime for next day or so!! hahhahaa sometimes i am not laughing at 1st and then later in day see the humor.

But i lovvvvvvvvvvvvv them soooooooo much

I also know firsthand DO not make a phone call and stay on more than 15minutes OR they do attention getting like they pick up a boot and stand there almost saying" Hey mom , is it okay to chew this one? sometimes now picking up a different shoe, OR how about this one instead?

i then do the DROP IT hahaa and Max lately has fun dropping it at Peanut's feet who then thinks she is now in a relay race. I get both to drop it but not before they have wet bearded it hahhahahhaa

 

[Dextersmommy]

When I walk Dexter, he picks up everything on the street. He really really loves the little balls off of sweetgum trees. But he doesn't restrict his diet. He grabs pebbles, soda straws, dried earth worms, bird poop, everything. He's pretty good with "drop it" though. But yesterday we were walking and he picked up a clump of branch from a yard. He immediately projectile spit it and I figured it tasted bad. We got a few yards down the street and ran into my friend. She bent down to pet him and his mouth was all bloody. I couldn't find the wound, but best I can figure is the branch was thorny and jabbed a gum or something. He's fine today, but sure scared me. I hope the big silly goose learned a lesson, but I doubt it.

 

[cocoandjane]

Coco would eat anything and everything if she were on her own!!

All the above, plus Tums.....she was eyeing a new bottle the other day...
they are now out of sight!!
She does "drop it" most of the time, sometimes to pick it up again when you go for it to take it away.....then the games begin.

She loves to carry her " babies" around with her....she doesn't chew them, but likes them in her mouth.
We have dog school tonight.....I am going to ask her about how to get her to leave it once dropped.

Anything besides food has to be a potential problem coming out....all those horror stories about surgery, etc., means I will be more vigil.... :roll:

8)

 

[annieG]

My boss corrected me regarding his lab that he recently lost. This time it was paper that he ate and unfortunately it had a staple in it. The staple pierced his large intestine and peratinitis set in.

So besides watching for our doods stealing socks, bras, rawhide bones, rocks, etc., it's paper with staples

 

[cocoandjane]

Oh my goodness!!! Doodle proofing is imperative....I have already done that, but will peruse the scene again!! How terrible to lose a dog, because of finding an inedible snack to consume....out of curiosity and the urge to chew!! Lots to be aware of, huh? :idea: