dog ate a five dollar bill!?

Question

my five month old JRT has a bad habbit of eating things she should not eat.on tuesday she was admitted to the hospital because she ate carpet and cardboard and today she ate a five dollar bill.I gave her some laxatone to help it move through her system and she is on a very high qualilty dog food.she is not board and gets peleanty of exerscise every day.any one have any advice on how to get this to stop?I have picked up everything execept her chew toys and food(her sister has never done anything like this)will the money hurt her like the carpet and the cardboard did?please help

Answer 1

Dogs eat a lot of things that they shouldn't eat, but it usually comes out OK in the long run.

I have a couple of dogs that drag branches that have fallen off the trees and they eat the bark. These are not just twigs, they are 3" to 4" in diameter branches. I have also seen them eat dirt, tree leaves, paper, plastic, balls, the list goes on.

You could use a spray bottle to stop her from picking up stuff. Adjust the spray to where it sprays across the room and just squirt her when she goes to get something she shouldn't. This is a long distance correction tool that works very well.

You may have to bait her by leaving something down that you know she will go for and when she goes to grab it squirt her. The squirt will startle her and then you, in a low deep voice like a growl, say NO.

Another tool is to take a pop or beer can and put in 3 or 4 pebbles in it so that it makes lots of noise when shaken. Seal the top with some scotch tape and attach a bail at the top of the can. When your dog is doing something wrong sling the can using the bail in the direction, not to hit the dog, to stop undisirealbe behavior. When the can lands next to them they don't know where it came from but it is very scary and they will usually run in another direction.

You need to be consistant and not let anything slide for this to work. Both these tools stop the dog from what they are doing and they will soon assiciate the the spray or can with the behavior and will stop. But you must be consistant.

Answer 2

the 5 dollar bill is made of a woven cloth like material, so it is very hard to digest. I would guess that she would be fine BUT, since she has already done some damage to her digestive system, I would call the vet. Better safe than sorry with beloved pets.

As far as how to get her to stop.... if she is 5 months old, you may just need time. I have a 3.5 year old corgi-chihuahua mix and she still chews things when I am not looking even though she has toys etc. Some dogs just chew. Once again, ask the vet.

Answer 3

Well dogs are very good at "expelling" that which they should not have eaten in the first place. The real risk is with materials that could "line" their stomach wall and never come out. This causes infections and other serious problems and the only solution is surgery. I think for right now you are doing the right things by giving her medication and keeping an eye on her.

As far as "teaching" her to not eat other things that isn't so hard either. You need to understand how dogs think. They actually want to please you - they want to be good members of the pack. So, when you think she is not sick - hang out with her and when she plays with a toy then "reward" her with praise and a snacky snack. When she goes toward something she is not suppossed to play with - (like cardboard) get "mad." Say something like "uh uh uh" (they respond to that) maybe stomp your foot and of course no snacky snack. When they seem confused and go towards their toy again then get "happy" with praise and snackies. They'll start to get the idea. Good luck - despite being a money eating "monster" she sounds adorable.

Answer 4

If the dog eats something it shouldn't , you can make her throw it up if you catch it right away.
Peroxide will make a dog throw up. Do not use if she has gotten into a poison, but you can for things like carpet and money. Here's a site with the dosage by weight
http://animalsunlimited.net/meds.htm
I've had to use this on occasion under vet supervision for a dog who ate all of his bandages.
Some pups just get into more things than others and hopefully, will outgrown it. Keep in mind that he is teething.

Answer 5

Paper is more easily digested than carpet and shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't even worry about it. My hounds chew up paper and cardboard all the time with no problem. Puppies have a habit of chewing things, its just a stage they go through like babies putting everything in their mouth. It'll pass as the dog matures probably.

Answer 6

No, the money is only paper. Sounds like you have a real live vaccuum cleaner on your hands. Puppies love to chew. Make sure the dog gets to run and play outside. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

You just invested 5 dollars in your dog

Answer 8

she may be teething. My kitten went through the same stage while she was teething and annoying as it is it will pass. She ate the bra strap off of my $55 Victoria Secret bra!! My fault it was laying on the floor but I didn't know she'd eat the darn thing. Money shouldn't hurt her since it's a paper product so it'll break up and pass through a bowel movement eventually.

Answer 9

Your wrong.. she certainly IS bored!!! Keep her crated when you cannot watch her.. Or tether her to you with a leash for awhile.

Give her some good solid bones from the butcher, and rawhide bones, they will chew on those for hours.. When she starts to chew something whe isn't supposed to, take it away, say no and give her the things you want her to chew and praise her..

Answer 10

This too shall pass, so to speak. Yes, it is paper and a little bit of cloth in it, but the acid in the stomach should deteriorate it fast enough. Your dog should be O.K.