Dogs That Eat To Much Leather!

[kgg]

2 hours ago, ariannacraig said:

I suspect my 80 poundfemale GSD ate it and I pumped 8cc 3% h2o2 into her. So far, 15 min passed, no vomit. She pooped twice, solid, small amount each time. What should I do?

Call your vet. The dog probably will require surgery depending on what an Xray shows. One of my guys had to this type of surgery.

kgg

[TonyV]

If there ain't no dogs in heaven then I ain't going.  

To control what dogs chew on there has to be a balance of training and owner vigilance.  Any dog can be trained to not chew on objects that aren't good for them, and the key is to give them something better instead.  Discipline and reward.  Then, keep an eye on them, because any dog will try to get away with it when you're not vigilant about his activities and keeping things out of reach.

My 12 y.o. WPG is rock solid about not chewing on shoes, belts etc.,  but if I leave a piece of rawhide where he can get it, he' will find it and the blame is 100% on me.

He's not allowed rawhide, soft toys, cooked bones or brittle plastic toys.  He gets all the dental chews, durable rubber toys and balls he can handle.  At 12 years old, he has never had any dental problems.

Useful commands to teach are;   Leave it!  Give!  Drop!    Then give them some praise and a safe alternative.   But keep your leather out of reach (placed high, behind closed doors or in a container) and both your dog and your materials will be safe.

Edited June 29, 2024 by TonyV

[Sheilajeanne]

11 hours ago, kgg said:

Call your vet. The dog probably will require surgery depending on what an Xray shows. One of my guys had to this type of surgery.

kgg

Nope, not necessarily. The dog in the picture ate half of a nylon leash, plus an entire nylon collar, and never suffered any ill effects. I didn't even know she'd eaten the collar until I couldn't find it when I needed it 3 days later! I did find the plastic buckle on the floor, but assumed that maybe my cat had knocked it off my leatherworking bench, as I use these buckles for collars, etc.

Do NOT underestimate a dog's digestive system... 

The photos show a black Kong (the most durable Kong) on Day 1, then the same toy a few days later.

The dog in question lived to 14.5 years, and was rarely ill a day in her life.

[kgg]

16 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Do NOT underestimate a dog's digestive system.

I have seen too many client dogs over the years that died a horrible death as a result of them ingesting stuff like hand towels, ladies stockings, socks, human incontinence pads, pet incontinence pads, rubber toys, rope, rocks. Some dogs can expel some items with no problems while others can't and by the time you figure out that they can't it's sadly already to late.

Just my experience,

kgg 

Edited June 30, 2024 by kgg

[SUP]

My dog insists on only eating what I eat, so I have to eat what is healthy for her! Healthy for me too, so its fine. She does not eat leather because i don't nibble on it. LOL. I tried giving her dog food that the vet says is good for her while I have my meals but she looks at it and comes and sits looking at me. 

[Mablung]

32 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Nope, not necessarily. The dog in the picture ate half of a nylon leash, plus an entire nylon collar, and never suffered any ill effects. I didn't even know she'd eaten the collar until I couldn't find it when I needed it 3 days later! I did find the plastic buckle on the floor, but assumed that maybe my cat had knocked it off my leatherworking bench, as I use these buckles for collars, etc.

Do NOT underestimate a dog's digestive system... 

The photos show a black Kong (the most durable Kong) on Day 1, then the same toy a few days later.

The dog in question lived to 14.5 years, and was rarely ill a day in her life.

What a beautiful dog! I love GSDs. I have a Husky/GSD mix that looks much more like a GSD, and she’s wonderful. Fortunately, not as capable of destroying things as your dog. 

[chuck123wapati]

dogs have been chewing up and eating leather as long as leather has been made. once in a while I'm sure it doesn't go well. kind of like the person that chokes on a piece of chicken and dies, one in a million. Now man made stuff like Kgg is talking is a different story altogether I had a black lab that couldn't pass a bunch of foam from a seat cushion she ate and needed help, she about died. i have four dogs none eat leather one used to bite the leashes in half to get loose, they all eat wood and will shred 4" logs just from nervous energy. except for my Beagle she shreds small sticks lol. One thing i have learned from my wood chewers is carrots  will suffice for the nervous habit and is very safe for them to chew up.  My dogs love carrots lol go through a bag a week. I love dogs! 

[Mablung]

1 hour ago, chuck123wapati said:

dogs have been chewing up and eating leather as long as leather has been made. once in a while I'm sure it doesn't go well. kind of like the person that chokes on a piece of chicken and dies, one in a million. Now man made stuff like Kgg is talking is a different story altogether I had a black lab that couldn't pass a bunch of foam from a seat cushion she ate and needed help, she about died. i have four dogs none eat leather one used to bite the leashes in half to get loose, they all eat wood and will shred 4" logs just from nervous energy. except for my Beagle she shreds small sticks lol. One thing i have learned from my wood chewers is carrots  will suffice for the nervous habit and is very safe for them to chew up.  My dogs love carrots lol go through a bag a week. I love dogs! 

I may need to try giving my dog carrots. Never thought of that. It’d be better for her gut than the amount of rawhide she goes through otherwise. 

[chuck123wapati]

44 minutes ago, Mablung said:

I may need to try giving my dog carrots. Never thought of that. It’d be better for her gut than the amount of rawhide she goes through otherwise. 

a lot better for her.

[bruce johnson]

I have tried to stay out of this but its been a long week and new one starts tomorrow. I can't sit on my hands. After 40 years of practice I couldn't tell you how many dogs I have done surgery on for foreign bodies. Been there, done that, have the souvenir scrub shirt.  Leash and collar eaters are right up there. About 20 years ago a well meaning crafter in our area made some dog chew toys with latigo and vegtan scraps left over from her leash and collar business. After the third surgery in a week, I asked one of the owners to maybe let whoever was selling those chewies at the weekly Farmer's Market to rethink her profit from the scrap bin idea. Interesting aside - she called to yell at me the next Monday after Farmer's Market on Saturday. She tried to tell me I didn't know anything about leather - natural product, digests easily, just a protein, yada yada,  and they sell it in every pet store (yeah rawhide and my dogs don't get that either). I let her have her spiel until she ran out of air, and then explained the tanning process. Then I mentioned I had repaired her son's saddle the year before, How's he doing?  Oooops, she knew who I was then and I did have a little knowledge. We ended on better terms when I suggested making key tags and zipper pulls instead of dog treats. 

Leather may pass depending on size but usually doesn't breakdown to any appreciable degree. It has already been treated to preserve it with acid in tannery vats,  does anyone think that stomach acid will break it down? If anything it makes it harder. Rawhide is different (hence the name raw hide) and although it may swell. it can have some degree of digestion and tends to not get as hard. Still that is a slow process in itself with rawhide and not fast enough if it gets past the stomach.