Help, My Dog Ate...

Visitors have concerns about the effects of things their dogs have eaten.

I'm writing because my dog, a 38 pound Australian Shepherd, ate a few of my husband's cigarettes. He thinks it may have only been a couple, but she did not regurgitate them. We gave her a lot of water, and monitered her throughout the night. Should we be concerned? She ate ultra light cigarettes.

Expert Reply

Did you call your vet? Cigarettes contain numerous toxic ingredients. You need to save the package, and show it to your vet so he or she knows exactly what your dog has consumed.

In the meantime, is she displaying any unusual symptoms? If she made it through the night without showing signs of illness, then she may be alright, but I think it's worth a call to your vet.

If she enjoyed the flavor of those cigarettes, she may try to go back for more. You're going to have to be very careful about where you leave your pack laying from now on.

~~ Kelly

My six-year-old English Springer Spaniel, Louie, has seemed depressed the last few days, and he did not eat his dinner tonight. This is highly unusual behavior for him. We nicknamed him "gutter gut" because his only vice is his relentless and undiscriminating appetite.

I have never seen him fail to be excited about food. I found an empty biscuit can on the floor and it looks like he ate the raw biscuit dough. In the past, if he has ever stolen anything that may not have agreed with him, he usually just vomits and starts over again. He has a fairly iron-clad stomach. Once he even confiscated and ate an entire chocolate cake without untoward effects.

I'm worried. What could the raw outdated biscuit dough do to him? This just happened today, but he has seemed depressed for several days. I don't know what to make of his behavior, it is so unusual for him. What should I watch for and at what point should I be very concerned?

~~ Chris

Expert Reply

Hi Chris,

It sounds like Louie may have finally met his culinary match. The dough would likely expand in his gut due to the warm environment, which could make him quite uncomfortable but it should begin to break back down and digest. If he was acting depressed before this incident, then something else may be bothering him.

By all means, take him to the vet if you are truly worried about the change in his behavior. As his owner, you know better than anyone else what is normal for him. In the meantime, watch to see if he is drinking any water and if he can keep it down. Also make sure he's still pottying. If he's truly as big of a garbage gut as you say, he may be constipated.

I hope Louie recovers quickly, and thanks for your question.

~~ Kelly

When my two-year-old Husky had a bowel movement, it was white instead of brown. It wasn't a hard stool, but it wasn't diarrhea either. I don't think it was something she ate. Any ideas?

Expert Reply

Hello,

The only time I've seen a white stool was the occasional one in an advanced state of decomposition in the park. Stools turn white as they oxidize and break down.

Since the stool you found was soft, I believe it actually might have been something your dog ate. Was the whole thing white, or was there white mixed in it. I've had dogs eat crayons and wind up with rainbow colored poop. There's definitely a possibility your dog ate something you're unaware of, and this could be the cause of the strange color.

If you still have the stool, it would be a good precaution to have your vet examine it. He/She will be able to discern if the coloring is related to any medical condition, or what the white substance might be. If your dog does this again, definitely take a sample to your vet for analysis.

Regards~~ Kelly

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