Callahan

Yep, the title says it all. After returning home this afternoon from the grocery store, I found Callahan in great spirit. He took to chewing his Nylabone and throwing it around, which he often does to release his excitement upon my return. While I was in the kitchen browning the stew meat for my dinner, I noticed Callahan peculiarly sniffing around the perimeter of the living room, licking at whatever he could reach. I've seen that behavior before when he once had a stomach ache and threw up, which is him mimicking eating grass in the house. I went over to him where he promptly threw up almost all of his breakfast on the carpet. So here I am, doing a thorough bloat check on him, grabbing paper towels to wipe him off, clean up the mess, and tend the browning meat all at the same time (washing my hands of course). I also removed all chewable things from the kitchen floor (mats and the recyclables) and fenced off Callahan in the kitchen where there's linoleum flooring. I ran to his emergency kit and grabbed 20mg of famotidine (acid controller at the dosage his old vet instructed me to give the last go-around), and pushed the two pills into the back of his mouth. After swallowing them, he threw up the rest of his breakfast and proceeded to stare at me as if saying, "Thanks a lot man! I needed that."

I am on all fours, picking through his mess to search for any foreign substance that might explain his agitation and also for the pills. I found nothing foreign and one pill, which was still good and was quickly rinsed and reused. I stopped amidst my rummaging and started cracking up. Look at me, a grown man digging through my dog's bile just as if it were unfolded clothing, meat sizzling in the skillet, and a dry-heaving, salivating dog trying to eat off the bottom of the cabinet doors! It was too much to not laugh.

I put his bed in the kitchen, the meat in the crock pot, and I lay with him rubbing his belly until he calmed down a bit. I grabbed a chair and spent the next hour next to Callahan reading in the kitchen while enjoying a gin and tonic. I got him to drink some water and chicken broth which pretty much stopped the dry heaving. We've since moved to the living room where he is currently resting comfortably in bed. He's still salivating a little, but he's on the mend. He'll be getting a warm rice and chicken/chicken broth meal tonight, and I'm sure he's starving.

The only thing I can think of as a cause is that some shavings from the Nylabone got down his throat and irritated him. After throwing up and his throat burning, he wanted to keep throwing up to "sooth" things and expel any poison. I'm thinking the Nylabone is going away.

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-An eager, vocal, crook-kneed Spartan sweeping away the morning dew.

Jnfr

Ahh, poor Callahan! But I am glad he is on the mend!

And thanks for the laugh! I needed that after a long crappy day. I could picture you (and myself!) picking thru the barf for pills and such! What we won't do!

Where are you in NY? I lived many years in the Schenectady area. Jen

henry'smum

Poor Callahan [but what a good daddy you are!] We threw Henrys Nylabone away when his shredded and made him sick. Now he has pigs ears to chew on and they seem to work just as well.
Good luck with the stew and one tip...if you can get it try Schweppes bitter lemon with your gin....its my favourite lol!

Jnfr

Good with Vodka too!

bubbad

Unfortunately, Nyla Bones are destructable and have been known to cause obstructions. I worked for a Vet many years ago when a Briard chewed off and swollowed a piece,the company paid for all the vet bills,but the dog could have died. I'm not a big fan of them.

Annie714

How is Callahan doing this morning??

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Blog about the antics of Annie and I. http://thechickandthehound.blogspot.com

Callahan

Thanks for the input and well-wishes everyone. Callahan appears to be back to his normal self this morning. He slept in later than usual but got rid of that energy on our morning walk. The snow all melted this morning, so plenty of new scents kept him and my arm very busy. I'm going to keep him on the rice diet today to give his system a break and then put him back on his normal kibble tomorrow. The Nylabone is in the trash.

I still don't understand how a dog's instinctive reaction to continually eat grass after throwing up is at all helpful to its survival. I can understand an initial purging to get rid of poisons or an obstruction, but continually eating grass just makes the dog purge further and produce even more acid to irritate its system. It seems to me that if I or another human weren't in the picture, Callahan would continually eat grass and throw up until he expired from dehydration or starvation. I wonder if his behavior is the same as wild wolves or if such constant purging is a flaw of domestication? Any biologists out there?

I'm in Buffalo. Callahan and I spent Thanksgiving at a classmate's property near Ballston Spa. It's beautiful country in that area--reminds me a lot of parts of Oregon and Washington state.

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-An eager, vocal, crook-kneed Spartan sweeping away the morning dew.

Mikey T

Schweppes bitter lemon is better without the gin

there is no such thing as an industructable chew it is a matter of matching size, strength of design, and material to the dog. and supervising the hell out of them Dogs have died of obstruction of so called digestable chews as well like greenies. The problem in most cases is not the chew but owners not understanding the inheirent risk and managing them apporpriately,

Jnfr

Ahh, Ballston Spa, lived there too along with Saratoga Springs. It is beautiful county.

I am glad to hear that Callahan is doing better.

bubbad

I'm nort disagreeing with you Mikey but I believe back when this Briard chewed the Nylabone it use to be advertised on the package as" indestructable".This dog had the biggest one they made. They do not advertise it as indestructable any longer.