Eating things they're not supposed to

My 4 month old Maggie has just gone to her second visit to the Vet for nausea and dirreriha. We have changed her to a different food, but it could also be that she eats everything she comes in contact with. Paper, acorns, grass, even poop. We are with her all the time and follow her around the yard when she goes out to try to prevent it, But sometimes we're just not fast enough. I know this is probably normal, but are they're any ideas on how to deter this? Thanks.

Alfs was like that,and he grew out of it.Although he still likes to eat a few dried leaves.

Jato does this too! We can take all kinds of toys out in the back yard for him to play with, but all he wants to do is get in my flower beds and grab wood chips. It's a bummer because we have a fenced in yard, and I would love for him to run free and play, but he is always looking for something to get into. Puppies- you gotta love them!

Unfortunately, my 2 year old blenheim Oliver (he's now 7) found an old cat toy (fur covered mouse) lying in our yard in our new house, ate it, became seriously ill and had to have 2 feet of his intestines removed because they became gangrenous. The vet saved the mouse for us to show us what he ate! Luckily, he has outgrown that habit of eating everything. Now I have an 11 month old tri puppy who is eating everything. Luckily, he likes to bring it do the door and chow down where I can see him, so I can usually get stuff away from him. I also don't leave him out unattended for more than a few minutes. When my 4 year old ruby Madison was 2, she came to the door with a duck's head. I searched the entire yard (about an acre) for the rest of the duck's body but couldn't find it. The next day she comes trotting to the door with the rest of the body!!! Who knows where she had hidden it. She also has outgrown her desire to eat everything. Hope this helps.

I have the same problems with my two - if they're not chasing flies, its bees and wasps. They go for anything that moves! They have lately started bringing snails into the house and plopping them on the centre of the rug! Not only did they play with them, but they would crunch on the shells before I realised what they were doing!!

Last week I read an article that snails can actually be quite a danger to your dog as they are hosts to some nasty worm (I think its called French heartworm or lungworm) disease.

Im keeping my eyes glued to them when they go out now.. Never realised a snail could potentially be so harmful.

Our 8-month old Mickey eats leaves, mulch, paper, dead worms.... we have to watch him all the time when he is out. One of our breeder's Cavalier just died from eating a big chunk of rope of a chew toy.

The best approach is to eliminate the opportunity. I'd suggest buying a puppy exercise pen and put her in that at all times when she is not within arm's reach or on a lead. Acorns in particular could be very dangerous and potentially fatal as the pointed end could puncture an intestine or stomach wall. She will most likely begin to outgrow this but you really must manage her so the opportunities are not there for the next few months, until she isn't trying to chew everything.

It is normal behaviour -- but in the same situation with a toddler, a responsible parent would of course not give a child the opportunity to eat everything on the ground or floor, and would put items that could be dangerous out of the way . That's exactly the approach to take with a chew-monster puppy, too -- you need to puppy-proof the entire house (eg no socks, chews, string, small toys etc on the ground as any of these can be deadly) and the same for the outside -- keep acorns raked up. And of course, *limit access*! Close doors, put up baby gates, create a smaller area in the yard that she can be in and fence it off from the entire yard, especially the area with the acorns, etc, use a puppy xpen.

This explains what needs to be done :

http://www.wagntrain.com/Management.htm

I feel for you! Been there, done that.

You might want to put your puppy on a lead and walk her on grass elsewhere rather than letting her develop a habit of eating non-edible things off the ground. She may outgrow it if it doesn't become a habit.

We had the same problem - huge oak trees in the backyard dropping acorns, and our pups were sick from eating acorns, requiring expensive vet care, even though we had them on leads in the backyard and scooped twigs, acorns, and mulch out of their mouths. We finally gave up and moved to a new location, which was free of all that. Now the only thing they eat is grass stems every now and then.

Charlie loves Moles and Voles.
The first time he brought one into the house, I couldn't get it out of his
mouth, so I gave him a treat and he dropped it on the floor.
The second time he brought one into the house, I dropped a treat in front of him, he moved the mole to the back of his mouth and he grabbed the treat with the front of his mouth.
He had the mole and the treat in his mouth at the same time...

They love to remind us that they are dogs...

our four month old girl loves the gravel on our path, big stones and leaves. we're forever fishing twigs and stones out of her mouth! no matter how many teething/chew toys we buy her she won't leave it alone. crazy little thing!