Dog is chewing rocks, aaargh.

[Vegashorselady]

Anney started carrying rocks(big ones!) in the house and tonight I caught her chewing on one like a bone!:huh: What is that all about? Could it be a sign of something like a vitamin or mineral deficiency? Isn't it bad for her teeth? I don't know if it's just a young hyper dog thing or if it is something I should worry about. I've never owned a dog that would chew on big rocks (I did have one that liked the glass ornaments off the Christmas tree:nono:). I found a pile of them in the living room when I got home tonight and there was even a chunk from a broken cinder block in the pile. Animals do the weirdest things!:rolleyes:

[Equine_Woman]

I would try to stop her. I knew several dogs that had a rock fetish and they almost always swallowed them and had to have them removed! Some of them had to come in more than once to remove rocks from their bellies. I imagine it's a bored puppy thing. My puppy finds socks and brings them out into the living room to chew on. . .which is annoying as well.

[MyHorseBiggs]

Well if it is a bored puppy thing then get a kong ball they're great! But ya know how they have the stuff that you can pore in like a easy cheese kinda thing? Well I don't like that because it seems to get all over the carpet and doesn't come out. But I just get treats that will fit in and they last a lot longer and don't make stains on your carpet!! Oh and also for the treats that go in the kongs I don't like to get the brand name kong treats that fit in them because they're so darn expensive and even the kong stuffing isn't great on prices eaither it's like 7 bucks for one can thing! So if you do like the stuffing kind I like to get easy cheese or something like that because it's like $5 cheaper. Hope this helps! :)

[Vegashorselady]

I would try to stop her. I knew several dogs that had a rock fetish and they almost always swallowed them and had to have them removed! Some of them had to come in more than once to remove rocks from their bellies. I imagine it's a bored puppy thing. My puppy finds socks and brings them out into the living room to chew on. . .which is annoying as well.

Oh, these rocks are much to big for her to swallow! It's just so weird. She has every dog toy on the market to play with, kong ball, nylabone, tennis balls, rope toys, squeeky toys, etc.

MHB, I'll have to try the flavor stuff in the kong ball to entice her to use it a little more instead of rocks.

[Nudge_gurl58]

The dog at the barn where we boad LOVES rocks. She will chase them suck on them, follow them, ANYTHING.
I wouldn't worry about to to much, unless she start to really 'chew' on them and hurts her teeth or something.

[oursarge]

I had a Westie who swallowed a rock, that's how we lost her. We knew she liked wood and would carry blocks of wood or sticks around but she never showed an interest in rocks. We have no idea why she swallowed some, one went through her intestines, she had emergency surgery at 9:30 on a Sunday night. We lost her the next a.m.. You just don't know what they'll do but none of my other dogs have been allowed near rocks. Loosing her was so hard, 23 yrs later and I still grieve for her.

Hope your dog will get interested in omething else besides rocks.

[Tens Legacy]

I agree with trying whatever you can to get your dog away from rocks. A friend's dog just ate a rock and she had to get him operated on to get the rock out. Second time he's done this, think he would learn by now. I think he will be ok but had the rock perforated his insides I don’t think he would be here with us now.

[grandmadeb]

I am experienced with dogs that swallow rocks. My basset hound, Clara B. swallowed one every year the first 4 years of her life. Yes, they were small enough to swallow, but too big to exit the other end. Surgery 4 times in 4 years. The vet would hear my name and warm up the x-ray machine. He called her zipper gut. Each of the 4 vets in the practice had a go with Clara. And you know what?? She did it at the same time each year!! These surgeries were not cheap either.

Try to discourage your rock hound!!

[Sundays Man]

I've seen that before too. I knew one family that had a little small bull type dog that totally ruined its teeth on rocks. So far I haven't had that problem with Rudy. He's a 9 or 10 month old golden. He only chews on walls, socks, underwear, couch cushions, dirt clods, sticks, towels, paper, magazines, shrubs, flowers, plastic landscape borders, plastic bottles, strings, ropes, horse poop, rawhide dog bones (when bored and out of anything else to chew on), Diane's favorite bra, house coats, the cat, JJ my small dog, feet, I guess that about covers it, but no rocks yet that I have seen. He's a good boy.:)

[Dandy21]

If she has every toy on the face of the planet, maybe she's over stimulated? Cut back her access to the toys, supervise her with them and allow her to have one while you're away, and try to keep her away from rocks.

[Vegashorselady]

Well, I hope Anney doesn't swallow any of these. I was picking up the rocks to throw them back outside last night and she was running beside me trying to take them back! Thank goodness my other dogs don't do anything like that. Although, my old dog Chloe ate some pretty crazy stuff when she was a puppy, like tin foil. I just don't know what to do with her. Put her outside and she chews on rocks, leave her in the house and she chews up everything else. I hate to do it but maybe she needs a muzzle while I'm at work?

[Dandy21]

Muzzles are for short term use only. If she's eating things she shouldn't inside and out, consider getting her a kennel or a crate. I would never leave my dog unsupervised in a muzzle.