Stones in stomach

[Gunner1]

I posted a couple of weeks ago saying I was worried about consumption of rocks by my 5 month old Gunner.

Well about a week ago, I had him on his back rubbing his belly, and it sounded like change jiggling around in his stomach. I then turned down the volume on the tv, and sure enough, when I would shake his stomach, I could hear the sounds of rocks "clinking" together.

He is in no pain. His eating habits haven't changed at all. He is passing stool fine(no changes). He is still passing stones/rocks in his stool as well. He is extremely active still.

I check every day Some days it seems like they aren't there anymore, and then the next day I can locate them again.

I feel it could be one of two things......1)He is passing stones, but eating new ones each day. 2)He has them in there and they won't come out(for some reason, I couldn't feel them at different intervals).

Needless to say, I am extremely nervous as I am unsure if he is passing them, or if they are "accumulating" inside him.

I cannot afford an emergency surgery to remove the stones, and I'm not sure if this would stop him from consuming them anyhow.

Is there something I can purchase which will "flush" his system and wash the stones out??

Is there anything else I can do to fix the stone in the stomach problem??

The other note I would like to make is the stones are located directly below his ribcage if you were drawing a straight line from his neck to his anus on his underside. They are not located low, near his genital area.

I am afraid to call the vet and ask them what they reccomend, as I feel they would tell me to bring him in immediately for surgery, and he seems in very good health to me.

Any and all responses would be greatly appreciated.

Ant

[Nancy Estes]

Any way you look at it, it's not safe in the long run if he does have stones in his stomach, to leave them. Of course, the only way you can be sure is to x-ray or ultrasound, or exploratory surgery. It's possible that he can pass some of the stones but this isn't something you can count on.

Nancy

[snakesNxD]

Couldn't you bring him in for x-rays? This way you can know for sure if they are rocks, and if they are too large to pass through. The dr. cannot force you into having gunner go for surgery, after all you always have to sign the authority to anestatize (sp?) form. If you can't afford to pay for surgery, and it is the only option, speak with the dr. A lot of places will allow a payment plan for expensive procedures.

Keep a closer eye on him, and try not to let him eat the rocks (that's an easy one i'm sure)

[MARYDVM]

It's amazing what dogs are able to pass without any help from us. If the stones are small enough to fit through the intestines then you really don't have to do anything(except stop him from eating more). If there is a stone in the stomach that is too large to pass through, inducing vomiting will sometimes bring it up. The real danger is when one gets stuck midway through the intestines. An x-ray would show exactly how many stones there are and where they are located. If your dog is eating normally and having bowel movements he probably doesn't need surgery, but any vomiting should send you straight to your vet for an x-ray.

[Chloesmom]

Before we moved we lived near a construction site and our puppy was ALWAYS eating gravel. She seemed to pass the stones fine but when we mentioned her habit to the vet she was VERY concerned. This vacuuming up debris can kill a puppy very quickly if it causes a blockage. The vet urged us to break this of her because its partially a nervous, excess energy habit the puppy shouldn't be doing. What we started doing was making our walks so swift (aside from taking care of her business) that she didn't have time to eat rocks. We gave her lots of praise for moving along quickly and only stopped to dig the rocks out of her mouth with the command "drop" and praise when we got them out. Another trick is to let her carry a stick along during the walk. She feels proud that she's got something in her mouth, but its not a rock that she's crunching away on. She definitely eats less debris now.

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Annette

[damp]

In my vet’s waiting room is a cabinet with hundreds of “funny” things removed from stomachs of dogs. The most conspicuous is a big jar, on which is written: “42 stones removed from one dog”.
I will strongly recommend you to contact your vet and observe your pup outside ( and inside), and work hard to avert this bad habit eating stones and what ever occurred to this little one to eat.

[Gunner1]

The stones seem to be gone today. I don't know what the deal is with one day him having them there, and a couple of days later, they're gone, and then a couple of days later, they're back again.

I'm not sure if they are new stones, or I am just not able to locate them??

I personaly feel that they are passing through him, but he keeps on consuming more!!!

I wish I could figure out a way to make him stop eating them.

On a side note, I'm not saying this because he is my puppy, but you've never seen a more beautifull dog than Gunner. It brings a tear to my eye to see such a beautifull animal in my life. Words cannot describe how wonderfull of an animal he is.

Thank you lord for letting me be a part of his life!!!!


Thank you all for your help and concern.

Ant

[LisaS]

is he loose in the yard without supervision? maybe you need to confine his space when out of your view, like in a dog run. Or keep him inside and then outside only on leash - just until you can be certain that there are no more incoming stones. As far as breaking the habit, sorry, no fresh ideas.

[rottiholt]

You can stop him from eating more by keeping
a eye on him when he is loose. Either keep him in a kennel on cement when you are not able to watch him or in a kennel crate.
Surgery to remove a stone is very HIGH if he
don't die trying to pass one or while swollowing one!

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[AngelBunny]

Two suggestions: Rake up the stones. Confine him to an area where that's stone free.

Besides being very dangerous to his health, chewing on stones has got to eventually be hell on his teeth.