Warning to Dog and Chicken Owners - NO Poop Eating Allowed!

[ranchhand]

Week before last, my black Lab found a paper feed bag partially filled with wood shavings and chicken poop removed from the brooder pen. I couldn't get it away from him and he showered himself and the large yard with it. I raked as much as I could, but didn't get it all.

Early last week, he was hunched, barely eating if at all, and yelping in pain when he moved much. Luckily, the vet is a good guy (I got him into raising chickens) so I took him in. X-rays showed an obstructed bowel. He stayed at the clinic for 3 days, with IV fluids running all the time, and canned food with mineral oil and Metamucil mixed in.

He never would pass whatever it was, so the vet suggested I bring him home for one night to see if he maybe just had "white coat syndrome". Sure enough- 5 minutes afte he got home he pooped. I continued the treatments, and the next day he passed a lot of wood shavings.

So, the lesson herein is that almost all dogs eat chicken and cat poop, but prevent it if at all possible. Things like wood shavings and cat littler don't pass through very well and can block things in a hurry.

It was an expensive lesson, but you can bet that the shavings go into the compost heap asap now, and the cat box area is now secured!

 

[thechickenchick]

Thanks for the warning! I dump mine in the same spot all the time. It is an open pit and all of our animals can get to it. I see I need to change my ways!

A side note: Another thing that can't pass shavings very well is.... the garbage disposal

I had chicks in the house and would rinse and fill their water in the kitchen sink. I informed hubby that the disposal was not working and the sink seemed to be plugged up. He was less than thrilled with me when he took it apart and it was full of wood shavings. All he said was I know I don't have to tell you not to do that again!

 

[ranchhand]

No disposal here, but I clogged the drain with shavings, the same way. Dang chicks!

The bad news is that I'm the plumber here

Had to talk to myself!

 

[FortWorthChicks]

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[The Chicken People]

I dumped a cage in the yard that had chicken feed, poop and straw in it! My GSD ate his heart out ( while I was busy doing chores)! He puked in my room that night and the next day he emptied his stomach on my carpet! I had a long talk with myself on new habits of dumping waste and will be creating a compost pile he cant get in to! Lesson learned!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

This whole post sounds like my house! Dog sick from poo eating, shavings in the drain from chicks waterer, hubby always sayin..."I know I don't have to tell ya not to do that again" Do you people have a hidden camera in my house?

Glad your baby is better Ranchie!!! I hate when they're sick!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Ranchhand - I am very glad your puppers is a-ok.


Ugh, poop the great dog treat

 

[thechickenchick]

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[HEChicken]

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LOL. I had chicks in a brooder inside for four weeks starting late September. I *tried* not to dump too many shavings in the bathroom sink but in changing out the water bowls frequently, inevitably some shavings ended up down the drain. Sometime after the chicks had moved outside full-time, the kids mentioned their sink wasn't draining very well so I poured in some drain opener. One treatment normally does the trick but this time, it didn't seem to work, so I dumped the second half of the bottle down the sink and it *still* didn't open it up all the way. Since I had used a generic brand of the stuff, I decided to go back to using the name brand I usually use, so bought a bottle of it and did a treatment. The kids said it was draining "better" but not as well as it had been before the shavings. Gah. Lesson learned. One more reason I want a hen to go broody so SHE can raise the chicks instead of me!

 

[thechickenchick]

I am glad that am not the only one this has happened to! Of course DH has to tell everyone that story