Concerns about Stella eating fabric and stuffing
Hello Everyone,
I want to share and ask questions about Stella's behavior to see if other corgis are similar and also, if I should be concerned. Basically I'm worried about Stella eating parts of the toys that she chews. I know it's normal for her to chew and to gut stuffed toys, but she EATS the stuffing and the fabric of ones that she hasn't gutted or that don't have stuffing. And it's all kinds of fabric on all kinds of stuffed toys. For example, she not only eats the inside stuffing (the cottony stuff), she eats the outside fabric as well. She has a couple of squirrel-like toys with furry tails and she pulls out the fur and eats it. I also gave her a Kong Wubba (the kong wrapped in fabric with the knot and tail at the end to swing around), and she made a hole in the fabric and pulls out strings of it to eat. Every time I try to get something that I think is durable and she won't eat, she finds a way!
Ok, so my questions: Do others' corgis do this? Is this a corgi thing? Other dogs that I've had chewed things and pulled them apart, but never ATE as much of the toys as Stella does. I mean, it's like she's a goat!
Another question: Should I be concerned? I try to limit her intake and throw the toys away, but she still manages to ingest some (I see the evidence later...) Does her behavior mean anything?
Thanks for any comments!
Nicole
I want to share and ask questions about Stella's behavior to see if other corgis are similar and also, if I should be concerned. Basically I'm worried about Stella eating parts of the toys that she chews. I know it's normal for her to chew and to gut stuffed toys, but she EATS the stuffing and the fabric of ones that she hasn't gutted or that don't have stuffing. And it's all kinds of fabric on all kinds of stuffed toys. For example, she not only eats the inside stuffing (the cottony stuff), she eats the outside fabric as well. She has a couple of squirrel-like toys with furry tails and she pulls out the fur and eats it. I also gave her a Kong Wubba (the kong wrapped in fabric with the knot and tail at the end to swing around), and she made a hole in the fabric and pulls out strings of it to eat. Every time I try to get something that I think is durable and she won't eat, she finds a way!
Ok, so my questions: Do others' corgis do this? Is this a corgi thing? Other dogs that I've had chewed things and pulled them apart, but never ATE as much of the toys as Stella does. I mean, it's like she's a goat!
Another question: Should I be concerned? I try to limit her intake and throw the toys away, but she still manages to ingest some (I see the evidence later...) Does her behavior mean anything?
Thanks for any comments!
Nicole
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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Hi Nicole,
I have to avoid giving Lance stuffed toys because he also will eat the stuffing. I gave him a rope toy, it was a giraffe made of of tennis balls and rope, I let him play for just a little bit and yes, he was eating the string :(
I do not give him any stuffed toys or rope toys at all anymore by himself. I got really bored just playing fetch with a ball all the time, lol, so I ended up buying stuffed toys or rope toys and only let him have those toys when I play with him. I of course have to have treats on hand though to make sure he brings them back to me, or he will try sneaking off to destory it!
Be very careful with stuffed toys too because they can get an obstruction and then have to go through surgery. Corgis can be harsh chewers as I have found with Lance. I love getting toys from www.planetdog.com which rate their toys. 5 out of 5 chompers being the most durable and yes those pass the test of Lance, lol. Most of the toys from that website I buy are balls, which have a minty smell to them and also are boyuant, so they cant really chew them but they can squeeze them in their mouth, which Lance loves. :)
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Permalink Reply by Nicole on
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I think it's very good advice to keep those toys for only playtime with you. It will make playtime extra special and fun too.
Gonzo loves the stuffed toys as well, and while he doesn't necessarily eat the stuffing and fabric, he always ends up getting some in his feces. I honestly *never* even thought of this causing an obstruction! I will definitely watch him closer from now on.
You may like the non-stuffed toys. They still have fabric, but it's no stuffing to worry about.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I would be very concerned that the swallowed fabric could cause a blockage. Jack loves rope toys but can't have them because he eats the string. :-(
Even though neither of mine have a history of swallowing the toys they destroy, I do watch them each time they have a new one to make sure they haven't changed their minds and started swallowing.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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My corgis don't eat the stuffing but our doberman does. Before she came to live with us she had three life threatening surgeries on obstructions. The surgeries are very expensive and dangerous. First she ate a rope toy, then a rug, and then various items including a small purse. This is a habit with her and my son would feel sorry for her having to be kenneled while he was at work and leave her out for a couple weeks and she would do it again. We can no longer have fabric toys when she is around. I kennel her always when I am not around with a kong and some cheese. If your corgi is eating things I would take them away and only allow them if you can watch her carefully. Otherwise just eliminate these items. There are lots of toys she won't be able to eat and it will be safe!
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Permalink Reply by Potus on
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Potus chews any toy made of fabric, as well as rope and his bedding. We no longer give him stuffed toys and monitor him when he's chewing on fabric (like the towels on his bed). He'll mostly chew and then spit them out, but if we notice he's swallowing chunks then it gets taken away or we replace it with another toy. He's always eaten little bits of rope but they always pass through (bright coloured string pieces in his poop!), and he throws up anything he's eaten that's too big. I'd suggest monitoring your pup, see if she's chewing and swallowing or just chewing and spitting out. If she is swallowing only allow her to play with them under supervision or remove them for good, and get her some durable plastic toys for her to play with when alone.
I lik this brand http://www.petstages.com/dogs-menu.html - the Orka toys are great for power chewers like Corgi's- the jack is really good- you can stuff it with treats and there's no fabric to chew on. It's practically indestructable too. Mine has had his for months and its still in one piece a record for him!
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Permalink Reply by Nicole, Stanley and STELLA! on
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Thanks for this link, I'm going to check it out! I have very limited pet supplies where I live (closest PetSmart is an hour and a half away).
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I checked Amazon and they sell the Orka line on there. If it's not available near you maybe you can get it delivered?
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Permalink Reply by Joanna Kimball on
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It's not a corgi thing in particular but it is a dog thing and it can be very dangerous. I don't know if anybody knows why some dogs do it and some do not, but it seems to run in families and I know a breeder who has had to basically stop breeding her line of dogs because so many were obsessive rock-eaters (they'd eat rocks, pieces of food bowls, fabric, leather, etc.). The more you can avoid her eating them the better; obstructions can get serious very fast and the surgery is both risky and very expensive.
If she just eats fabric, that's able to be dealt with - just avoid fabric toys. It's when they eat plastic and rubber (and rocks!) that it gets incredibly difficult to deal with.
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Permalink Reply by Steph&Iggy on
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My corgi loves to eat stuffing and fabric too! I try to keep these things away from him, but of course he always manages to find a way. One thing I do make sure to do is notice that these pieces are also coming back out of him, and they usually do, which is a good thing.
He hasn't had any problems so far, and if by accident he does swallow something, I always make sure it comes back out and try to keep any tempting items away.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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Finnigan is the same way. He will eat the squeaker, the stuffing and then go to work at the skin. He has eaten string from rope toys, the fuzzy top part of his crate pad and string from the towel in his crate. He also likes to pluck the fur on his toys as you mentioned.
When he was a few months old he got very sick and vomited all day, couldn't even keep water down. We knew he had played with his rope toy recently and became concerned about an intestinal blockage. The vet did x-rays and said he appeared to be full from nose to tail, with what we didn't know but the vet said it looked as if he had never had a bowel movement. he didn't see any kind of object in him but said with all the poop in him he couldn't really tell and that some materials won't won't show up in an x-ray. We took him home and walked him and got him to go potty even though he had been going consistently all along and this whole thing didn't make sense. After more trips to the vet which included a shot to stop the vomiting, he got better and acted normal, he even stopped reacting when the vet prodded his abdomen (he whimpered before). We don't know what happened but he's been fine ever since. That was enough of a warning though that we took away rope toys all together and supervise him with stuffed toys and chews such as rawhide.
Another time my husband left a stuffed toy in his crate and we came home to find he had unstuffed it, ate half the squeaker and some of the stuffing. Later that night he threw up stuffing.
I know someone who's pit bull ate a baby blanket and required surgery. Much of her intestine was damaged and the vet even suggested that it may be better to put her down.
A local Cardi breeder told me of two Cardis (brother and sister) that ate rocks. Both were returned to her after the owners had to pay for multiple surgeries. She said they will likely stay with her forever unless she can find them a home in an apartment where they won't have access to rocks. Finn used to chew pebbles when he was little. Thank God he outgrew that!
My Mom's Cardi unstuffs and destroys but never eats any of it. I think it just depends on the dog.
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Potus had the same problem of vomiting continuously one day when he was about 6 months. It got to the point where he had vomited up all his food and water and then just any other liquid he had in him. He went to the vet for a shot to stop the vomiting too, and was put on a diet of bland chicken and rice for two days to help his stomach recover,
Our vet says it was most likely that he had eaten something he shouldn't, like a bug or something and this was his body's attempt to get rid of it. Maybe your pup ate something similar?
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Someone I know had a dog eat a washcloth. Dishtowels are also a possible problem.
There are different levels. Does she mostly destroy the toys, and every now and then get a piece caught in her mouth and swallows? That is probably relatively low risk. Or does she actively eat quantities of it? In that case it's more problematic.
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