I'm sorry. :(

I hope all goes well with Jack.

Hope he's doing ok. Keep us posted. Sounds like he might have something stuck somewhere, but you'd think it would show up on an xray.

Got to love those vet bills - personally, I think a dog should be allowed as a dependent on your health insurance plan! They give just as much love as a child, and are easier and cheaper to raise!!

I hope everything will be all right too. Puppies are always getting into something- I hope it wasn't the mushrooms! You and Jack are in my thoughts.

I have a 17yr. old lab/beagle mix who ate an entire bottle of advil, bottle, box and all when she was 6 months old. She started vomiting, and then I found the remnants of the brand new box and realized what she had done. She went to the vet and had her stomach pumped and IV fluids overnight, all with a $500 vet bill that I had to put on a credit card because I was a poor college student at the time.
Was there any clue in your laundry room as to what she may have ingested? Good luck, I hope whatever it was that the vet is able to make him all better.

Thanks. Haven't heard a word from the vet but the laundry room is dog proofed. Nothing in there he could get to. I'm thinking whatever happened was either the night before (ingested something like plastic) or Saturday morning (mushroom?) before we left.

how about a knee high stocking or pantyhose? they get stuck and dont show on xray.socks don't show up either.nor do corncobs, but a pumice stone does.
Now I dont leave pantyhose or kneehighs where Cooper can find them- ever.
yep, can't you tell? we belong to the frequent diners club at the vets. oh and its times 2- we usually cant tell who ate the advil( weekend at the emergency vet for 2 don't even ask) corn cobs, lobster shells, pumice etc.
I hope little Jack is ok and it passes whatever it is.

sorry... a golden puppy in our neighborhood needed surery at same age for eating a sock...same symptoms.... :(

So sorry. I hope Jack gets well soon.

Thanks, Cooper. Just talked with the vet. (I called her.) She said his blood work looks fine. (No mushroom ingestion. YAY!!) They gave him IV fluids with electro lights and vitamins. He hasn't vomited since he has been there. She is taking him in for another xray, hoping to see movement of whatever is in his intestine. If it shows no movement, it's surgery for Jack.

No socks or pantyhose. It could be part of a ball I picked up in pieces Friday night.

She is going to call me back when she knows something but she agreed he is one sick puppy.

I have heard of many dogs eating knee hi's. I have told the story before of my pup eating a plastic meat wrapper (and us not knowing it!)and having surgery. It was a couple of weeks before she had problems and she was vomiting. Because of her small size, they had us bring her in immediately. Treated her with iv fluids, not much relief, took her back the next morning, x-ray showed a "cloudy" area. Surgery. Boo-hooing. I felt awful that we had not seen her get the wrapper (it was in the garbage and I knew she had sneaked in to the garbage but didn't see her get anything. And yes, the garbage is in a closed cabinet. That's how quick she was). The wrapper had gotten into her intestines and was blocking them. We were extremely lucky that no intestinal tissue had died. We have wonderful vets and the young gal that did her surgery took our pup home with her that night to keep an eye on her. I will be forever grateful to her. Oh and thankfully, our bill was no where hear that price. I'm thinking around $800 or so and that included a few days boarding. I think she was there 3 days.

The vet did tell us of a lab who is a patient who has had the surgery several times - he eats rocks.

Hope all turns out well for Jack - please keep us posted. It's so hard on the puppy parents too!!

tina

Poor guy, I sure hope he's okay. Thanks for keeping us posted on his progress.

Ugh. Just got a call from the office girl at the Vets. She wanted to get my permission if Jack needs surgery and give me an estimate. It's $2000., minus some cents. The vet has yet to determine if he needs it but she wanted me called to see if we wanted him treated.

Crying over the projected bill now and praying that undetermined spot on the Xray is moving. Merry Christmas! There goes my new shower.

Oh, Golddust, what a terrible worry. I hope something changes and Jack doesn't need surgery after all. Hugs to you...I'd be crying, too.

The vet just called. She said whatever is in his intestine has not moved but she doesn't think it's a complete blockage. She wants to continue to hydrate him and get his electro lights all in balance and check him again in the morning. She says it is safer for him to go under if he's hydrated. Hopefully it will move over night.

So no surgery today. Poor Jack!

Golddust - you have my sympathy. My Christmas gift this year ended up being knee replacement surgery on our 7 year old border collie/Australian shepard cross Bandit. After a week or so of pitiful and mournful looks, she is pulling at the leash and bearing weight on her sore leg. I'll take it.

Carrie

Sending prayer and positive thoughts your way for both Max and your check book!

I pray your Jack doesn't need surgery, and is able to come home tomorrow. The dogs I've known who've had lifelong problems with ingesting non-food items ate rocks. Your Jack sounds as if he'll outgrow it.
Dee

Ohhhh, my heart is going out to you, Golddust! We went through the same thing with our last dobie, Turk. From the get-go, he ate everything he could possibly get down his throat. The arm of a handcarved chair, rocks, wood from the woodpile, part of a chile ristra (THAT was not pretty!), 3 of his dog beds, a beach towel, a pillow, the corner of a coir doormat, pinecones, etc., etc. Over the course of his 4 short years, Turk had 4 total obstructions and 29 partial obstructions. Twice he had to have emergency surgeries for total obstructions. In total, he had 18-20" of his intestines removed. His surgeries and other ER visits and stays cost us a small fortune . . . and he never, ever learned.

He continued to eat crazy things, getting partial and total obstructions that the vet and I nursed him through until the last total one. I just couldn't take it anymore and we had him put down.

The first surgery cost him 12" of intestine and the adhesions that developed from that made digesting anything but the softest foods a nightmare. Many subsequent partial obstructions happened just because he ate his soft dog food too fast! Many others happened because of the crazy things he continued to eat. No amount of training and behavior modification (through the help of several vets) helped. Our main vet told me that some dogs are just hardwired to eats crazy things and that they eventually die from the results. He had one that did. Sadly, my sweet Turk did, too.

I don't want to sound harsh or uncaring, because anyone who nursed a large male doberman through 33 partial and total obstructions and two major surgeries honsetly does love their furkid. But I strongly urge you to think long and hard before you commit to this surgery. Think seriously about his past eating behavior and know that he is NOT going to realize why this happened and will probably go on eating crazy things until the next time he becomes obstructed . . . and the next. Talk to your vet seriously about the strong likelyhood of adhesions forming that might cause further obstructions, especially in a dog who eats large, should-be-inedible things. Turk had to become an indoor dog because he couldn't be trusted not to eat stuff out on our property. So, he found things like sweaters, towels, chair arms, baskets, toys, dog beds to eat inside the house. He had many, many toys as well, BTW, but that never stopped him from eating the dangerous, non-food things.

Your dog may be different, but please at least think about what you may be getting yourself into. Dogs with a history of eating crazy things, usually keep on more eating crazy things. You need to think seriously about what kind of financial committment you want to put into this.

As for me, I wish I wouldn't have waited so long with Turk. He didn't have good life after that surgery.
Lynn

Golddust I'm so sorry to hear about Jack. I'm going to hope very hard that during the time the vet spends getting more fluids into him that he manages to clear the obstruction on his own.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Jack.

OMG lynn, I've never heard anything like that! Sorry you had to go through that.

I hope Jack is improving, golddust.

OMG, Trailrunner. You were a Saint. I'm going to read your post to DH when he gets home tonight. I will call the vet and talk to her about future obstruction possibilities.

That is a nightmare story and Jack is kind of like the Marley dog in the book. Thanks for sharing your sad story. Yesterday I mentioned to DH that maybe we should not spend the big money and just start over. I was joking but your post has given me food for thought.

I hope it moves on it's own over night. This is major surgery, right?

Wow Lynn, how completely heartbreaking.

Golddust, I hope you get your Jack back in good health.

Gold...I hadn't posted...have never had a dog . I think you mean lynn..that said I am so sorry you and your pup are going through this. I sure hope that he has a good outcome. c

Goldie - how old is Jack? If he is still a puppy - I wouldn't be so quick to think his behavior won't change. I would talk to the vet about this. If he's an adult, well I guess that's a different story and a choice you have to make. Abby was somewhere around a year old and of course - a meat wrapper I guess is tempting. She's never eaten anything else like that. She had no problems with or following her surgery. She didn't have to have any of her intestines removed, just opened, the wrapper removed, flush, flush, flush and pray for no infection. Never a bit. We were able to see her the morning after the surgery and it amazed me how resilient she was. I pray for the same outcome for Jack.

tina

Lynn, what an awful dilemma! I've never had a dog. Had no idea they could carry the chewing thing to such extremes.

Golddust, wishing you the best outcome with Jack.

I am so sorry that Jack is not well. I do hope he comes through this happily and does not take a whack out of your wallet.

It's been years since I had a dog. I think about getting another but am afraid of costs exactly like these, or ending up with a dog with bad habits. I think maybe my dog-owning years are over! They certainly are a huge responsibility.

Good luck to Jack, and I hope he outgrows his chewing habit. My neighbor had a golden that would eat rocks. Every so often they had to take her for surgery to remove rocks from her stomach!

Sorry. I meant Lynn. Thanks again. He is just up the road from me and I can't help but wonder if he might be better off here tonight. I don't think our rural vet is staffed at night.

I have never had a dog who was such a chewer and eater of all things.

It isn't like we don't regularly exercise him. We play fetch every day. We ride bikes and he runs along next to us us. He is in dog training classes taught by a person who raises therapy dogs. He comes home exhausted, takes a nap and then 'Jack is back'!

We should invest in the company who cures and sells whole cow hooves. We buy toys in bulk at Costco and toss them when they are dying. We do live in the country on acreage with lots of large trees that seem to always drop sticks and small branches. But he digs too and gets muddy so we try not to let him out long without supervision. He did manage to uproot our potatoes recently.

He is a hand full. My niece has a Lab Jack's same age and her Lab is *much* mellower than Jack. He has never chewed anything and they don't even exercise him. We can't believe the difference in their personalities.

I plan to show DH Lynn's post when he gets home. I can't give up now because he is so young and his chewing may stop, but I can not blindly pour money down the drain if his behavior continues and it happens again. This is strike II for vet visits because of his chewing/eating behavior. We were lucky with only a $300. vet bill last time.

Oh this is awful. I'm so grateful our idiotas don't swallow the things they tear up. I will tell this story to MIL who insists on bringing our dogs cheap stuffed animals because she loves to see them tear them up. I told her I've caught them eating the stuffing (not really, but it would be easily done), so now I have more argument for my case.

We had a dog who got into a plastic meat wrapper, I tried to get it from her but she swallowed it before I could. Vet told me to pour hydrogen peroxide down her throat to see if she'd vomit it out. If she didn't they'd probably need to open her up. Luckily I was able to get the job done...and then had to pick thru the mess to ensure she got rid of all the plastic.

Lynn, that's such a sad story.

Oh Lynn, your story breaks my heart.

My Rocky was like that as a puppy. He is a chocolate lab also. The emergency surgery he had was to remove a battery from his stomach. When we refinished our basement, I would find wiring in the backyard. It had passed through his digestive tract. Then kids came to our family and I would find techno-colored poop from the play-doh, and whole baby socks in his droppings. THANKFULLY - he was able to pass everything and I honestly cannot remember the last time I caught him chewing something that he shouldn't. He outgrew it. I hope Jack will do the same.

I hope that Jack outgrows it, too! But, I had to relay what happened to us and what our long-time vet (of 24 years then) and I went through trying to save Turk. This vet is a very good, very caring, very experienced doc who also teaches at the University of New Mexico. It was a sad, frustrating, extremely expensive time for us.

I'm also so extremely glad nobody thinks I was a terrible, uncaring person to finally put him out of his misery when he became totally obstructed for the 4th time, making a total of 33 obstructions in 3 1/2 years . . . and I'm not exaggerating; I kept a Turk diary of everything we did those entire 3 1/2 years. It still makes me sad to think how I lovingly tried desperately to save him from himself to no avail. His quality of life was not good then, although he was dearly loved. But, if you can imagine days and weeks each time a very large dog has an obstruction like that. The days-long diarrhea and vomiting involved; the Rx medicines, doctors visits, the x-rays, blood tests and barium procedures. The days-long stays in the vet hospital; the surgeries and weeks-long recouperations . . . and then it almost immediatley started all over again . . . and again. I've never lived without at least one dog and I love them dearly, but with Turk I finally learned to think clearly but compassionately when it comes to my pets
.
Whatever you and your DH decide, Golddust, will be right for you at this time and place. My only advice is to try to see the entire picture clearly. Talk to your vet in detail. Ask a lot of questions and then make your decisions.
Lynn

I hear you loud and clear, Lynn. And you have no idea how much I appreciated your post. I need this kind of support because I am not so sure Jack is any different from your beloved Turk.

Thank you for shaking me by the shoulders and waking me up. I'm awake now. I've never had a dog like him.

Gold-
that is a good sign that it is not a complete blockage!

I just wanted to add to Pesky's tip about hydrogen peroxide. If you need to use it, a turkey baster works wonderfully for shooting it down the dog's throat. I'm speaking from experience here.

Labs are notorious for eating junk. We had one years ago who ate the wheels on the shop vac, the hose on the Hoover, the chair rail, electrical cords on shop tools etc. However we were lucky that we never needed surgery. We now have a 6 month old black lab who loves eating stones - she takes them out of my orchid pots (which are now on higher shelves) and little chunks of asphalt, mulch etc. Our previous lab did stop around age 2. And our vet said that's about normal for a lab.

It just makes me wonder what did we do to this breed that has reinforced this unhealthy behavior.

I'll also add my opinion on being a reasonable pet owner. I think there is a limit on what we can do for our pets - and that limit includes a thoughtful analysis of how much we can spend on their care. Obviously we love them and do whatever we can for them. But after having 6 dogs I've realized that they are times when the voice of reason should prevail.

Please don't think I'm heartless. We spent over $2000 on OCD (Osteochondritis dissecans ) surgery on our 1 year old Rotty. That was expensive but an easy decision. The surgery is very successful, the dog was only 1 year old and expected to live a normal, pain free life. We also spent over $3000 on another rotty who was finally diagnosed with a cancerous gastric tumor. The vets wanted to do chemotherapy but we made the sad decision to put her to sleep. She was over 8 which is getting old for a rottweiler and the thought of taking her for daily treatments when she detested car rides and was not happy being confined in a kennel made the decision easier. Add to that the cost of treatment at the Univ. of Pennsylvania with no assurance of any success sealed the decision.

I think Lynn was courageous to make that decision and I do hope your puppy does outgrow this behavior. My puppy too.

Thanks, Quilly. And Amj, I have a turkey baster and won't be afraid to use it next time.

Update: The vet called this morning and said Jack was happy again. The obstruction looks like it is moving. He was going to feed him to see if he can hold down food. If he can, we can bring him home tonight. If he doesn't hold down his food, he is going to have surgery. Cross your fingers!!! I'm dropping by the vet on my way to mail Christmas packages. I want to know if he is holding down his food. We'll likely leave with a $700. bill as it stands now.

Lynne, I won't go down your path with Jack. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your sad story about Turk. I know I can't save Jack from himself. If he continues this behavior, we know what must be done.

That's a "semi-good" update golddust. I'm going to hope that not only will Jack hold down his food but, that he "produces" from the other end to show that the obstruction is clear.

My Dobe Mason obstructed once when he was 6 months old. I was more fortunate than Lynne with Turk, although Mason lost 9" of his intestines he never obstructed again.

That's such great news, I'm so glad he's going to be okay.

I don't know if you got it or not, but I sent you some information about insurance and doggie camps. Both were recommended by our vet when we got our lab over Labor Day weekend. The insurance (Trupanion.com) is affordable and has great ratings and we now put her in a doggie day care a couple of times a week which has really helped with socializing and energy levels. She plays all day long and comes home a completely different dog. She's still young but so far at 5 mos she is still not destructive. (knocking on wood) Both may be alternatives that can help you with Max in the future.

GD, I am so glad for the positive update! What a tough spot to be in.

Lynne, thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like it was an incredibly difficult decision to have made, but that you made the right one.

Thanks Lukki, I will check that out. Haven't been on my email for a couple days so I'll go check it in a minute. (Max is our son. Jack is the dog who eats everything but I'm so bad with names, I'm just impressed you connect Max with me.)

I dropped by the vet where my great niece works. She said everyone has fallen in love with Jack. She told me how he is so cooperative when they give him Xrays. He just lays on his back. I told her I have been teaching him body parts and belly is the magic word to get him to lay on his back. She said that was the very word they used, unknowingly. I told her Jack was a great dog when he isn't busy hijacking my bank account. Poor Jack. There are so many plays on his name...

Seems he threw up last night but so far, not today.So far, he is keeping his food down. Hopefully the food will help him push it out the right end.

OMG, I'm so sorry (and embarrassed). I am terrible with names so thanks for understanding. My heart is in the right place :c)

The Vet we have is really involved with dogs in her personal life as well and since this was our first Lab she educated us a bit about the breed. She said they are working dogs and need challenges so a lot of the destructive behavior is mainly due to boredom. So far what she's told us about the breed has rung true. I've yet to make a claim with the insurance but from what I've been told they pay quick and are pretty fair about things. I do hope it helps. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Our lab loves to eat pine needles. Invariably, at 4 in the morning, he loves to regift them ;-). You know that sound that wakes you up from a deep sleep????

We've had Trupanion since this past April on our 2 dogs - the lab is 7 years old, the shep-x is 12. We had decided to get insurance after our daughter's lab was diagnosed and underwent chemo for lymphoma. Unfortunately, my daughter did not have insurance, and chemo and associated medical tests cost quite a bundle.

Our 12 year old dog was diagnosed with diabetes in September and Trupanion covered 90% of our expenses after our deductible was met. We had chosen the $1000 deductible to bring the monthly premiums down to a reasonable number. Trupanion paid off quickly and will continue to cover any meds and other medical expenses for diabetes.

NAYY....just a satisfied user. I strongly recommend insurance for our pets these days as more medical procedures, meds and protocols are available for them. It was wonderful to be able to say to all the vet specialists who tended to Katie to do whatever they needed to do to ensure her health.

As with all insurance, though, they may not cover a previously existing condition.

Helene

I keep coming back to see how Jack is doing. I'm crossing fingers and toes that he doesn't need surgery.

I had a foster dog that needed surgery for an obstruction. He recovered quickly.

After that I decided never to have any "indestructible" dog toys in my house. The material that got stuck in this dog was from an indestructible stuffed toy that had been torn apart by my dog, and then the foster dog ate some of the fabric. I've had lots of dogs eat parts of stuffed toys and pass the fabric, but I fear that the materials that they use for these toys don't pass through the system so well.

Thanks, Gray. I started another thread (complete with a picture!) 'Jack is Back!'.

He is home, still not himself but he is holding down his white rice and cottage cheese diet. He has managed to output on the lawn but so far nothing. The vet said it's a good possibility that it can take 4 to 5 days. Even then, it's possible that he ate something that induced vomiting and he became dehydrated, making everything dry up inside his intestine.

I'm feeding Jack small amounts and making him drink water. I got permission from the Vet to pour a TBSP or so of mineral oil on his bland diet, to lube his intestine. (That worked when I had a constipated baby a few times.)

He has planted himself on my living room sofa and I don't have it in me to make him get off. Yup. I am a sucker for my pets. I figure since it is leather, I can always clean it.

We just had our Amos at the vet for an overnight stay last week because he seemed to have trouble going potty. We thought UTI, which both of our dogs have had, but his urine was ok. They did an X-ray and saw signs of what might have been bone in his intestine. We don't give them bones of any sort and only dry food so I don't know what it could have been but they started him on an antibotic and told me I could give him 1 or 2 Duclox stool softner. His stools were hard and dry so I gave him one one day and one the next. He acted okay except that he didn't want to step up from our breakfast area to the kitchen or even use the doggie door which has a small step to it. After 3 days he started being his normal self. Don't know what he got into but seems fine now.

Our Brittany ate one of my knee high hosiery. She ended up having surgery. One of our friends have a lab that ate an expensive pair of Oakely sunglasses and has been known to take the toast right out of the toaster!