Dog eating straw bedding

Senor Frog

As the title suggests my dog is eating his straw bedding . I was walking him last night and noticed that he was straining when trying to releave himself . When I went over to him I seen a large matted mass of material sticking out , I got two sticks and assisted him in passing it as he wasn't able to finish the job himself . Upon inspection it was obvious it was the straw from his dog box . This isn't the first time he has eaten his bedding , he is a demon for eating random stuff in general ( he is well exercised so I don't think it's boredom ), but I thought the habbit of eating his bedding had passed upon changing to straw . Can anyone suggest an alternative bedding that a dog would be less likely to eat ? Btw he is a two year old Springer spaniel .

cocker5

Have you looked up vet bed?

Senor Frog

I haven't done , thanks for the suggestion , I'll look it up now .

Edit : I looked it up and read the reviews , they say it's durable . Do you reckon it would be warm enough as the sole bedding for a dog who sleeps outside in a dog box ? I can lock the box from the outside to contain warm ...

shamrock55

Omg your dog doesn't sleep outside does he, bring him into the bed with you it's not right to have a dog sleep outside don't you know

Cherry Blossom

shamrock55 wrote: »

Omg your dog doesn't sleep outside does he, bring him into the bed with you it's not right to have a dog sleep outside don't you know

Yellow carded for this condescending, sarcastic diatribe aimed at the posters of this forum in this post combined with the 'crazy sensitive'
comment in your own locked thread just minutes after another poster was reprimanded for the same thing. I'll say the same thing I said to them, perhaps this forum is not for you.

em_cat

shamrock55 wrote: »

Omg your dog doesn't sleep outside does he, bring him into the bed with you it's not right to have a dog sleep outside don't you know

That’s a tad OTT, no one is saying you have to have your dog sleep in your bed.

This is the animal & pets forum, most of the regulars here don’t agree with treating our pets as livestock.

Cherry Blossom

OP,

Hay is a better insulator than straw and is softer so more comfortable to sleep on. If you filled an old duvet with hay and sewed it shut would he be inclined to chew it apart? My old lab that died years ago slept in the stables with the ponies and made himself a nest on top of some hay bales at night even though he had the choice of sleeping on horse rugs that's what he chose himself.

aonb

VetBed is very durable, its warm, its very very easy to wash and dry - Id highly recommend it.
Put it into a plastic dog basket. A good thick layer of it is good. Its not cheap but its worth it.
Maybe give your dog a good big raw bone for when he's in his kennel?

shamrock55

I'm being serious when I ask this but why is it that in the other forum when I genuinely was looking for advice on how to make it easier and more comfortable for my dog in a new kennel that I got nothing but slated yet here the op asks how to make the bedding better or change the bedding for his dog that sleeps outside and that's fine

shamrock55

I won't be saying anymore on the matter BTW, just seems like double standards

Cookie_Monster

Dogs sometimes eat grass when unwell, is he eating the straw in lieu as it's right there? Could be just an upset tummy or something like that and just chewing on it as it's there.

Cherry Blossom

shamrock55 your thread is closed. If you had conducted yourself better it would not be. Please do not drag the arguments there into other peoples threads.

muddypaws

Your dog has lived inside for it's whole life, now you are putting it outside and from what I read, you refused to concede the impact this is or may have on your dog.

Most posters in this forum will give advice and support in the best interests of the animal. Situations are different, so responses are as well.

Knine

I have a vet bed eater here that led to nasty complications so I'm not sure I would use that either. It also gets damp fairly quick when used outside. We lost a 15 mth old dog tragically when he chewed up a piece of carpet used as bedding. We only found out the cause of death after a PM. A long chewed fibre had caused him to choke.

It has been mentioned before here but it might be worth trying some heavy duty cow mats cut to the right size.

Senor Frog

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll look into the cow mats over the weekend . He does eat grass so maybe he does indeed have an upset stomach. Think I'll take a trip to the vet to be safe and ask about maybe changing his food .

kylith

Some insulation for his kennel would probably be a good idea. Hay or straw is great for them burrowing into so if you change to vet bed you may lose some of the warmth of the kennel.

cocker5

shamrock55 wrote: »

I'm being serious when I ask this but why is it that in the other forum when I genuinely was looking for advice on how to make it easier and more comfortable for my dog in a new kennel that I got nothing but slated yet here the op asks how to make the bedding better or change the bedding for his dog that sleeps outside and that's fine

That’s not true OP I gave you useful suggestions on how to make your dog adjust ... you on the other hand spoke of the dog with an undertone that you don’t actually like the dog ... you got stuck with it and now with your new fancy renovations the dog is being banished outside ... even though you stated he hasn’t actually done anything to warrant it ..

Why not do they dog a favor - cockers are well sought after dogs.. give the poor dog to a family that will treat him as that .. one of the family ....

DBB

Folks, let's put Shamrock's argument to bed now. He has already had his thread closed, and I don't see why the OP's thread should be hijacked now.
Please stick to the OP's enquiry.
Thanks,
DBB

Binka

Knine wrote: »

I have a vet bed eater here that led to nasty complications so I'm not sure I would use that either.

I have a soft furnishings eater and he too ate a large chunk of vet bed once, about the size of a tea towel. It was real vetbed and not imitation. He made himself very poorly because of it and after a lot of being sick and liquid paraffin my vet told me never to let him near the stuff again.

It's great stuff if your dog doesn't want to eat it, but be very careful if it does. If it gets caught in the intestines it can be serious.

Knine

Binka wrote: »

I have a soft furnishings eater and he too ate a large chunk of vet bed once, about the size of a tea towel. It was real vetbed and not imitation. He made himself very poorly because of it and after a lot of being sick and liquid paraffin my vet told me never to let him near the stuff again.

It's great stuff if your dog doesn't want to eat it, but be very careful if it does. If it gets caught in the intestines it can be serious.

Yep Liquid Paraffin was used here too. The problem with these blockages are by the time the dog shows a problem it is often a life or death emergency. I am not talking a young dog either. She was 8 at the time.

sillysmiles

shamrock55 wrote: »

I'm being serious when I ask this but why is it that in the other forum when I genuinely was looking for advice on how to make it easier and more comfortable for my dog in a new kennel that I got nothing but slated yet here the op asks how to make the bedding better or change the bedding for his dog that sleeps outside and that's fine

The difference was that your dog had already gone through the trauma of being abandonned, was used to being inside and was displaying all the signs he could to you to show you he wasn't happy.

In your case I don't understand why you wouldn't listening to posters like DBB who know what they are talking about. If you really really really want to change his living situation why not leave it until summer time and do it slowly and gradually. The main issue I have is that you are not listening to either what your dog is telling you or what the experts are telling you.





The dog in this case it seems is used to being outside, is not distressed by being outside - just needs more suitable bedding material.

sillysmiles

Sorry - I hadn't read the Mods warning before posting