The Gray Ghost Eats It All

We have in our home a beast known as a Weimaraner.  They're beautiful dogs in the Sight Hound Hunter family and are usually a cool silver coloring with eyes that are an unusual yellow color as adults.  They are graceful, aristocratic, love kids and are usually gentle whenever encountering someone who is in some way physically challenged.  They are also known as The Gray Ghost because of their unusual coloring and they way they hunt.  Jack is known as The Gray Rat!

That darn dog eats anything he can get his lips around! And I DO mean anything!  He's what our family has come to call a "counter surfer".  That means if you leave something on the counter, be sure it's far enough from any edge that the Gray Rat can't reach it!  I've lost a lambskin hat to The Rat.  The Squirt has lost several pairs of hosiery and we've all lost innumerable socks, kitchen towls, napkins, shoes, shoe inserts, etc. to this walking stomach!  Problem is, most of this stuff isn't good for The Gray Rat's digestive system.  In case you, too, have a counter surfing, laundry sniffing, get-into-whatever-it-can dog, here are a few tips to aid in your beloved Rat's digestive relief.

Hosiery:
When the Squirt lost hers we called the vet (since we didn't want nylon getting lodged in his intestines) and, once the giggling stopped, were told to use Ipecac on him.  Thing is, we didn't have any in the house and it was a Wednesday night, about an hour and a 1/2 before church.  We ran out the door to Walgreen's and bought some Ipecac (and promptly received a lecture from some stranger daring to give our child such a wicked source of evil harm to their little system! Oooooookayeeeee!), then raced home.  Now, the Squirt has trained The Gray Rat to let us hold his head and/or open his mouth, so he was okay when we first did this.  The directions say to give a specific amount, but all we had was a medicine dropper and we ended up having to give two shots of the stuff to get the correct dosage down his throat.  He allowed the first shot of the stuff, but it was nasty and he wasn't about to make the second shot quite as easy! (so be prepared if you have to do this!)

After giving him the correct dosage, we once again read the directions and found it takes twenty minutes to work! Sheesh!  So now, we're following The Gray Rat around to make sure he's outside when this takes effect.  He was, and the look of utter horror on his face as he retched up his stomach's entire contents made us feel like the worst of villans.  Once "The Event" was over, we gave him a little water and set about finishing getting ready to leave for church.

UNTIL!  We heard him making an odd "smacking" sound and realized HE WAS ABOUT TO BARF AGAIN! OUTSIDEOUTSIDEJACKOUTSIDENOW!  We got him out but a word to the wise. Ipecac makes you barf twice.  So, don't think your own beloved Rat is done doing the psychedelic yawn after only once.  And do NOT let him eat right away, either! (sometimes, you learn the hard way.... I don't really recommend it.)

We later learned another truth.  Like it or not, nylon will work it's way through a dog's intestines and no harm to the dog.  However, you will have to "assist" your dog's attempts to relieve himself of this undigestable mass.  It doesn't like to exit the rectal area on it's own and he will look at you with panic in his eyes over this THING hanging from his tuckus! Make sure he's OUTSIDE! and have several pairs of latex gloves for your hands as well as a bag to put this ICK into.  Plus, remember, nylon streeeeeeeeeetches!  So it's nice to have an assistant if possible.... although it's not always, as my dad found out.  Welcome to my world, Dad (snerk!)

Kitchen towels and/or socks:
Yes, he will eat these if given the chance.  Once again, this will actually make its way through his digestive tract (providing this is an on-the-large-side medium sized dog... or the towel/sock has been well shredded).  And, once again, depending on the amount of shredding, you may have to "assist" your dog by removing the shredded ICK from his tuckus.  To assist in the so-called digestive progress, it's a nice idea to give your dog a tablespoon of olive oil a couple of times a day until he passes his latest non-meal.  In fact, olive oil is a good thing to add to your dogs' meals on a daily basis as it helps keep his skin healthy and flake free and his coat soft and shiny.  But, on those (hopefully rare) days he decides he needs the extra fiber, give him at least 1 tablespoon extra per day.  It just makes it easier to get through and, hey! You may be lucky enough to NOT have to "help things along", as it were.

Chocolate:
We've all heard that chocolate is poison to your dogs' system.  It is.  If you happen to own a Dachshund, however, this is not as scary as it might seem.  We've owned two in my lifetime and I know others who have them as well.  It seems Doxies have cast-iron stomachs and can (and WILL) eat just about anything, too.  ESPECIALLY chocolate.  I know one over in Belgium that raided the suitcase of a couple visiting with her owners and ate two bags of chocolate.  My own Doxie ate at least a bag and a half of Hershey's Kisses (not at the same time).  In each of these two cases the only result was the dogs pooped colored tinfoil for a week.  This is not to say it's okay to feed your dog chocolate.  It's not.  Not even to a Doxie!  I'm just saying, don't panic if they get into it.  If your dog has eaten chocolate, call your vet. Depending on how recent the ingestion was you may be told to feed her Ipecac.  Hmm.... I'm seeing a pattern here.  Perhaps now would be a good time to say Ipecac would be a good thing to have in your (locked!) medicine cabinet.  Just in case!

Finally, have a sense of humor, people.  Dogs are like kids (only furrier!), they get into everything!  It does not get better with age, in their case.  They don't stop being nosey, they just slow down a little.  The Gray Rat is six, now, but he still eats the occasional sock (or whatever) just to keep us on our toes.

Hey, Squirt? Where's the Ipecac!?