# puppy threw up stones!



## totono7 (Jan 22, 2009)

Hi,
ever since I got Oliver, my GSD puppy, when he was 8 weeks I've noticed his habit of eating rocks from my back yard. I thought it was normal puppy behavior. Yesterday, at 10 weeks, he threw up a total of 6 times in a period of 6 hours. The first two were the biggest (most of his dinner) and I noticed they both contained many stones! Some as big as a nickel! The last couple of vomits where just a yellowish foam and were stone-free. I got really worried and started googling and reading all the horror stories about how rocks block the intestine and kill your dog. This morning I rushed him to the vet, she seemed concerned but in no way made it seem like an emergency. She gave him 2 shots. One to suppress vomit and 1 to boost his immune system. She also recommended me to give him a supplement once a day since many times dogs eat dirt/stones to make up for missing minerals in the diet. I am feeding him Pro Plan since its the best available dog food in my country. 6 hours after the vet visit, he ate with normal appetite, has pooped once, and has not vomited since. He does, however, seem a bit sluggish and not energetic. I am afraid there are more stones inside him. I am even more afraid of him eating more stones. I really don't want to prevent him from running freely in my back yard since I find that unnatural for a dog, specially a GSD. Any tips on how I can make him stop? Will he outgrow this dangerous habit? What do you think about my vets approach to the problem?
Thanks in advance,
totono & oliver


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

How much are you feeding him?Athena was doing that too and I think I increased her food and kept a better eye on her and she stopped.


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## totono7 (Jan 22, 2009)

I'm feeding him aprox. 1 1/2 cups per day (3 times 1/2 cup). Should I increase? He is 10 weeks and weighs 18 pounds.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Wow, I would not want the vomiting suppressed because if he does have one blocking his intestines you need to know!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are absolutely right to keep him on a leash when in your backyard until you can get him over this bad habit. I would work on redirecting him and train him to carry a ball or other toy at all times. That way he can't eat stones! 

Also, has he been checked for parasites? That could be making him feel hungry all of the time. 

Keep a close eye on him. As long as he eating and pooping normally then he will hopefully be ok! If he stops eating and pooping then you need to rush him in for surgery.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

> Originally Posted By: totonoI'm feeding him aprox. 1 1/2 cups per day (3 times 1/2 cup). Should I increase? He is 10 weeks and weighs 18 pounds.


yes. It's not why he's eating rocks. puppies eat rocks becuase they can. 



> Originally Posted By: totonoI really don't want to prevent him from running freely in my back yard since I find that unnatural for a dog, specially a GSD.


at 10 weeks old, he needs your guidance about what to do in that back yard. when he's older, he should have free reign of the yard. now he's a baby and needs you to tell him NO ROCKS. 

take him out on his leash until he learns what is and isn't acceptable outside. it will make potty training easier too.

If it makes you feel better, my puppy was addicted to potting soil at that age.


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## barbprzyby (May 15, 2008)

One more bad thing about stones is that they can do permanent damage to their teeth. 
It can become a bad habit you can break now before the baby teeth are gone. 
Another reason to be vigilant and stop them from chomping on them!


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## allieg (Nov 4, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: AllieGHow much are you feeding him?Athena was doing that too and I think I increased her food and kept a better eye on her and she stopped.


Is that what the bag recommends? If so you can try adjusting the amount after he's back to himself.Most likely he will still eat the rocks so keep an eye on him.


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## totono7 (Jan 22, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowWow, I would not want the vomiting suppressed because if he does have one blocking his intestines you need to know!!!!!!!!!!!!


thats what I thought....i think he should be vomiting if he needs to. i thought the vet should know better so I didnt say anything


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## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

My pup ate rocks every chance he got so we worked real hard on OUT and I watched like a hawk, we couldn't go for walks or anything without at least half dozen rocks. I persevered and hopefully when the snow melts he won't repeat this habit. We are safe for now, ice chunks melt


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

My puppy ate rocks like crazy as well. I was always fishing rocks out of her mouth when on walks. I would tell her NO ROCKS and take it out. She also vommitted at least one big rock during the night when in her crate. I was glad that it ended up that way rather than an intenstinal blockage. With time she would pick up rocks and then spit them out. Now at a year old she has pretty much given up on rocks, but I keep a close watch on her so she doesn't pick them up any more.


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## totono7 (Jan 22, 2009)

Oliver is now allowed only with a leash to the back yard until he grows out of this habit. He still get a hold of the occasional rock but definitely not as many as before. It doesnt seem that fishing rocks out of his mouth with my finger is the mos professional way to treat this problem (and it hurts my fingers!) but I dont know what better way to prevent him from swallowing it once he has it in his mouth. 
Im hoping my vet is right and once the vitamins kick in he will not need to search for whatever nutrient he think hes finding in rocks, if this is the reason he is eating them.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Fishing the rocks out with your finger will work just fine. Make sure you're saying 'No Rocks!' or something.

Could try wearing work gloves...


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## totono7 (Jan 22, 2009)

hi all - im still having problems with him trying to eat rocks. everytime he goes to the back yard its the first thing he looks for. i am constantly monitoring him. today i started a new technique to hopefully break the habit. i am going to the yard with him and a ball to play. once he picks up a rock i tell him NO!, i pick him up and i put him in the terrace were he can still watch me "play" in the yard. He starts barking for a bout 1 minutes then i let him out again. Once he picks up another rock, back inside he goes to watch me "play". Hopefully after several repetitions of this exercise, he will learn that rocks mean end of yard time. Do you guys think this will work or do you have any suggestions?
Thanks a lot!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I have a huge deck surrounded with pea stone (small rocks) and Masi was the first dog I've ever had who just chowed them down !! 

I was freaking out! At one point she got quite ill, we ended up giving her an anema and doing xrays,,luckily it wasn't the rocks at that point that was making her ill..but she had been pooping a few out !

What I ended up doing was, always having a pocketful of treats on me,,if she even looked at a rock,I'd call her and treat her,,IF she grabbed them,,(don't ask me how she understood this, cause I didn't "teach" her),,I would say,,"let me see ! " she'd bring the rock over , drop it,,TREAT !!! or I'd say "wanna treat"? then "drop it",,and she'd get the treat,, I did whatever worked, using the "substitution" of a treat..

She did finally just stop doing it,,but who knows how she'll be this spring when the ice/snow melts


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Are there any signs of digestive issues - loose or frequent stools? Etc?

There are two issues here, one could be the food issue, and the other is the puppy and training issue. When my dog was a pup, it was all about cardboard. 

It will help to teach her that whwn she is out in the yard, interacting with you is the important thing.


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## gmcenroe (Oct 23, 2007)

Another thing that helps is if you can find a toy that your dog likes to keep in his mouth he won't be able to eat rocks unless he gives up his toy. Another possibility is a muzzle, but I hate that because everyone thinks your dog is an out of control attack dog. The no rocks command worked for me along with fishing out the rocks. She was also a paper eater, loved to pick up paper towels, kleenex and shake her head to kill it then chew and swallow. I hated touching the paper, but I didn't want her to eat that either so fished it out.


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