When Your Dog Likes To Chew: Tips On What Requires Veterinary Care
When you bring a new dog home to join your family, you know that there is going to be an adjustment period. Dogs each have their own unique habits and quirks that you will need to learn about and sometimes correct if they are problematic. A common issue with dogs, particularly those that are bored or have high levels of stress and anxiety is that they chew on anything and everything they can get their paws on. While chewing on their own toys and rawhide bones is acceptable, other times, their chewing can put their life at risk. Get to know some of the household items that your dog may chew on that would require immediate veterinary care at an animal hospital or emergency vet so that you can take the best possible care of your dog if their chewing is out of control.
Cockroach or Ant Traps
Dogs have a much keener sense of smell than humans do. As such, something that seems completely innocuous to you may smell very strong and appealing to your dog. This is true of ant and cockroach traps that you may have scattered in corners of your home.
These traps are designed to lure in and poison insects so they go into the trap and die. However, the scent that lures in the insects is a sweet one, which also appeals to your dog. If you catch your dog chewing on any of these traps or find the chewed up remains of such a trap, you will need to take them to the vet right away.
The same poison designed to kill those insects can have the same reaction in your dog if they ingested large amounts including severe stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. However, the real concern is any intestinal obstructions that can occur if your dog swallowed pieces of the casing around the traps. It is best to have your dog checked out at an animal hospital or emergency vet as soon as you find the damaged traps, and especially if your dog is showing signs of discomfort or illness, just to be on the safe side.
Prescription Medications
Some dogs are surprisingly tenacious when it comes to finding something to chew on that they think is food or food-like. This can include climbing counters or digging through bags and other items to find something that smells good to them.
Your prescription medications may also be at risk of being chewed on if you leave them out within reach of your dog. Inhalers such as those for asthma and other respiratory conditions are one such example of a prescription that smells appealing to dogs. The liquid medication that is dispersed as an aerosol in your inhaler is a highly concentrated medication that happens to have an extremely sweet scent to dogs.
If your dog gets ahold of your inhaler and punctures the metal tube holding that medication and consumes even a small amount of it, the results could be deadly if not addressed immediately. Your dog will likely experience labored breathing, a rapid heartbeat, heart palpitations, excessive thirst and salivation, and even seizures as a result of this medicine.
They will need immediate treatment and monitoring at an animal hospital to manage these symptoms and get the medication out of their system. Other prescription medications can have similar effects and any exposure will likely require a charcoal treatment and possibly stomach pumping to resolve the issue.
Now that you know a few of the household items that can cause your chewing dog to need emergency veterinary care, you can be better prepared to keep those items away from your dog and act accordingly if they do manage to gain access to them. If you have an emergency, visit an animal hospital like Animal Medical Clinic.
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