Figured out why pup has the trots

SnikPlosskin · 01-26-2012, 7:26pm

He's eating garden bark. WTF? He also will hammer down bars of soap, but we now put the soap out of his reach.

Anybody deal with this? Suggestions? I'm going to attempt to catch him in the act and put the humiliation on him.

Oh, he also eats sticks, dirt, poop, grass, rocks, dead animals, live animals, my socks, acorns....

He's not gaining weight properly and his once strong ears are going limp. His coat is also getting dull.

xXBUDXx · 01-26-2012, 7:27pm

Staple his ass shut.

PortDawg · 01-26-2012, 7:32pm

Be careful with the bark eating. Some of that stuff is poison to dogs because it is treated.

Is he a Shepard?

Sea Six · 01-26-2012, 7:36pm

Doesn't sound good

What does the vet say?

86RAG · 01-26-2012, 7:37pm

Sounds like that pup needs a vet visit! My mutt will eat the throw rugs when his stomach is upset, but never seen him eating all that other chit!

C5SilverBullet · 01-26-2012, 7:38pm

Usually when they eat stuff like that their stomach is upset. Probably want to go to the vet.

PortDawg · 01-26-2012, 7:42pm

I attached a file to my original post. Take a read....

SnikPlosskin · 01-26-2012, 7:44pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PortDawg

Be careful with the bark eating. Some of that stuff is poison to dogs because it is treated.

Is he a Shepard?

That's what I'm thinking. Yes, GSD

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Six

Doesn't sound good
What does the vet say?

The vet has done some tests but nothing shows up - no worms, infections, etc. He's had the trots on and off for a few months.

What worries me is he's not gaining weight. He's been growing at a crazy clip, but not now. His ear flopping is a sign that he's not feeling good too.

Idiot dog. We'll now have to supervise his every moment outside until we determine exactly what is causing it. We've changed food a couple times too (titrating the new food) but he keeps getting the chocolate shuffles.

Definitely some training required. I was thinking that he'd figure out why I'm shoving my hand down his throat and put two and two together.

If I'm not careful, he'll probably eat my arm too.

Sea Six · 01-26-2012, 8:03pm

That doesn't sound good at all.

SnikPlosskin · 01-26-2012, 8:11pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Six

That doesn't sound good at all.

I've had GSD's for 49 years. We'll figure it out and he'll be fine. I'm more concerned with how fast he eats. He's a candidate for bloat. I've lost two dogs to bloat. It's a brutal way to die.

I'm going to try this:

He'll probably eat the bowl.

Giraffe (He/Him) · 01-26-2012, 8:13pm

Quote:

He's a candidate for bloat.

Put water in his bowl and a tennis ball. It will slow him down as he has to eat around it.

Sea Six · 01-26-2012, 8:17pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

Put water in his bowl and a tennis ball. It will slow him down as he has to eat around it.

In order for the dog to eat the water, you'll have to freeze it. Then, since the tennis ball would have to be mobile in order to slow the dog down, you'll have to use an ice pick to break up the ice into chunks. Or, you could alternatively use ice cubes. Freezing the tennis ball in a chunk of ice would kind of defeat the purpose.

But yeah, Thomas is onto something. Definitely you should use a tennis ball to slow him down because he'll have to eat around it.

Giraffe (He/Him) · 01-26-2012, 8:23pm

Quote:

In order for the dog to eat the water, you'll have to freeze it.

All you are doing with the water is wetting his food down a little. We do this with our Dals because of the stone issue.

I know several people who have had dogs that bloat. It's horrible. You can save the dog if you catch it and understand what you're seeing.

Dogs that bloat are likely to bloat again.

SnikPlosskin · 01-26-2012, 8:23pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sea Six

In order for the dog to eat the water, you'll have to freeze it. Then, since the tennis ball would have to be mobile in order to slow the dog down, you'll have to use an ice pick to break up the ice into chunks. Or, you could alternatively use ice cubes. Freezing the tennis ball in a chunk of ice would kind of defeat the purpose.

But yeah, Thomas is onto something. Definitely you should use a tennis ball to slow him down because he'll have to eat around it.

Water won't work - it's part of the problem of bloat. The stomach gets so full of air/water/food it flips over, cutting off the intake and outlet. Then, the gas builds and its 95% fatal.

I've heard of the tennis ball deal. Trying that tonight. But that ball is gonna get nasty.

Sea Six · 01-26-2012, 8:25pm

You can put tennis balls in the washing machine. They come out almost looking like brand new.

I just washed eleven of Molly's last night.

Giraffe (He/Him) · 01-26-2012, 8:25pm

Quote:

Water won't work - it's part of the problem of bloat. The stomach gets so full of air/water/food it flips over, cutting off the intake and outlet. Then, the gas builds and its 95% fatal.

We do this with our Dals because of the stone issue.

Quote:

The stomach gets so full of air/water/food it flips over

Eating too fast and possibly too much activity right after eating

SnikPlosskin · 01-26-2012, 8:34pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

All you are doing with the water is wetting his food down a little. We do this with our Dals because of the stone issue.

I know several people who have had dogs that bloat. It's horrible. You can save the dog if you catch it and understand what you're seeing.

Dogs that bloat are likely to bloat again.

True. Even if you catch it right away, most still die. I lost my last one within three hours of it happening. He died on the operating table.

The other thing I've found is that the surgery to correct bloat is so hard on them, they are never right after that. Bloat damages a lot of other organs and nerves. Best to just put them down if they get it.

You can have the stomach stapled to the bottom of the rib cage.

For those who are not familiar, bloat or gastric torsion, happens with deep chested dogs and is the leading cause of death in Great Danes. GSDs get it too.

The dog's stomach is like a hammock. Unlike the human stomach which is vertical, the dog's stomach can flip over. This happens when it is too full and since a deep chested dog has enough room to allow it.

The symptoms are pacing, vomiting only bile or foam, acting strangely (dragging belly on the ground) and crying.

It is a terribly painful problem and heartbreaking to watch. Many times they are in agony for hours before someone notices - unless you know what to watch for. My first victim went overnight before we knew. He lived through the surgery (he was one tough dog - 112 pounds of will to live) but developed degenerative myelopathy and died about 24 months later. (supposedly unrelated).

All owners of deep chested dogs should get familiar with the symptoms. Nobody is sure why it happens but the theory is that dogs that eat too much, too fast swallow a lot of air. It can happen if they drink too much water too. Also, if they are very active after eating the stomach can flip.