Eating rocks

sergeant0844

So Jake has been vomiting small amounts lately but seems to be very energetic still. This morning when he did we found three small rocks in the vomit! This freaked us out and we really don't know what this means because we do find him rooting around in the dirt and rock pile constantly and are constantly fishing rocks out of his mouth. What does this mean and what can I do???? I'm worried there's a deficiency somewhere or is it just puppy stuff? I don't want him to choke or have an obstruction inside.

jellyfish

That must be scary to see Jake vommit rocks! I wish I could give some advice, but I don't have anything substantial and I'm still new at the puppy thing. Toki still has issues with dirt, metal, guitar picks, pennies, bottle caps, ect... though the rocks seem to have ceased for the most part for now. Hopefully because he realized every time he got a rock, I'd cram my fingers in his mouth to get it out. It took a LOT of repeats, and I still don't trust him around rocks. We generally avoid driveways and playgrounds with gravel. But I still wonder the same thing about there being a deficiency, but sometimes, I just think he likes the taste of dirt. He passed up SARDINES for dirt the other day, lol!

jellyfish

Oh! One more thing related to obstruction.... When I asked my vet about Toki's bad poops, like what if he had an obstruction.... She said I would know, he would be lethargic, crying, unhappy, not eating, vomiting and not pooping, obviously in pain, maybe blood if he does poop, ect... If he is energetic and a normal happy pup, then it might not be a big deal.

sunyata

Hmm... How is he with eating? Are his stools normal? And what type of vomit?

http://theglitteringeye.com/?p=1550

If he is eating regularly and having normal stools, then it is 'probably' not an obstruction. However, since he has a habit of eating non-digestible items (such as rocks), you might want to have him x-rayed just in case.

bluemouse

Hope you don't mind me chiming in.

Eating rocks ( called "pica") is a tricky one but something you have to get in top of it. Sunyata's advice is important - you should have him x-rayed to make sure there are no obtructions or for that matter any rocks in his system. You would be very surprised to see how many rocks a dog can carry around in his system - rocks, golf balls, small stuffed toys you name it. You can go online and see some of the x-rays of the crazy amounts of stuff found in some dogs systems. It really is important to first ascertain if there is anything in his stomach or intestine. Stools are not always a reliable indication and only an x-ray and blood test are. Jellyfart's explanation of symptoms are the best for indicating whether there is an obstruction. BTW - blood in the poop - repeatedly - can mean the rocks are already lacerating stomach or intestine walls and then the dog needs urgent medical care. Not wanting to sound too alarming please remember a partial blockage in the intestines can produce vomiting. A complete blockage will cause severe abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and repeated, frantic, projectile vomiting. Depending on the location of the blockage, you will have different types of vomit - fecal-like mater may be vomited, while in other situations the vomit may be only bile.

Then the tough part - breaking him of this habit. The easy way out is a basket muzzle when outside but frankly who wants their dog to have a life with that. The other solution is some combination of the following some of which I have used:
1. The dog will need more supervision for the short term. Needless to say if the dog is fixated on specific rocks - get rid of them
2. Try to remove any rocks/gravel from your yard.
3. If he/she goes after the same rocks repeatedly coat the rocks with cayenne pepper in water - or Tabasco. This worked for me as the dog staretd associating rocks with this terrible taste.
4. Some people have success with the old idea of spraying a dog with cold water in the face everytime he picks up a rock - then after the dog has made that association subsitute a toy for the rock. Kong toys with a treat inside work well as a substitute.
5. I know one person who uses stuff like peppermint candy oil and everytime the dog picked up a rock she put some oil on her finger and put it in the dogs mouth. The dog soon thought better of eating rocks.
6. There is a theory that dogs do this because they are bored and so lots of exercise is recommended. I tored that but the dog just waited until he got back in the yard after a lot of exercise and then went at the rocks again.

There are a number of other options but again most importantly rule out a medical condition or problem and then concentrate on solutions. I am not medically qualified to advise but I have been down this road before.