The Things Dogs Will Eat
Dogs have strong jaw muscles, which allow them to tear and chew many things. However, we have to remember that their gastrointestinal tract is almost the same as a human GI tract. Anything (aside from dog food) that we wouldn’t eat, our dogs should not eat.
There are three categories of foreign objects that dogs tend to swallow: Balls, rocks, and other things. I have seen golf balls, superballs, rubber balls, and even a tennis ball removed from dog’s stomachs and intestines (see x-ray). Many dogs are rock chewers and eaters. Whether they intend to swallow the rock that they are chewing on, or do it by accident, it often ends up in the stomach, or intestines.
A rock in the stomach will cause intermittent vomiting, but rarely obstruction. If the rock is small enough to pass through the pyloric valve from the stomach into the intestines, it will often lodge at the ileocecal junction between the small and large intestine. This can cause an intestinal obstruction that is life threatening if not corrected surgically.
My own Gordon Setter “Gabbee” has swallowed rocks all of her life. As a puppy, I removed a rock from her stomach the day after she won reserve winner’s bitch at a regional specialty. The rock sits in the pewter cup she won that day. Gabbee is now over 12 years old. We have a pea stone paddock that she occasionally decides to feast upon, but the pea stones are small enough to just pass through her gut (see x-ray).
The remaining category includes all of the other toys, treats and household items that dogs can eat. These include items that can get stuck in the gut, as well as items that can just cause a gastrointestinal upset – vomiting and/or diarrhea. I have some patients that like to eat bars of soap – a natural laxative. Sponges are another favored snack of dogs. These are difficult to identify without a barium series.
When it comes to treats and toys, we must realize that dogs come in all sizes, and some toys that are appropriate for some small dogs are inappropriate for large dogs. Small squeaky toys and flimsy rubber or plastic toys are not suitable for dogs that can swallow them or easily tear them apart and swallow pieces. Many dogs like to tear out the squeaker and swallow it – and this can get stuck inside small and medium sized dogs.
Sometimes dogs decide to feast on a major project. One of my patients, a German Shepherd, decided to see if she could chew and eat an entire leather tool belt – rivets and all (see x-ray).
The most important recommendation that I tell my clients is that dogs should eat their food and treats, and play with their toys. They should not be eating their toys. I am not in favor of rawhide treats, pig ears, or cow hooves. I have had to surgically remove these too many times. There are plenty of commercially available toys to satisfy a dog’s chewing needs that do not break down into bite-sized pieces. The less that we veterinarians have to be introduced to your dog’s insides, the happier we, you, and your dogs will be.
Help Future Generations of Dogs
Participate in canine health research by providing samples or by enrolling in a clinical trial. Samples are needed from healthy dogs and dogs affected by specific diseases.
