dog eats everything

[Himerz]

my 1 year old pitbull mix Phoenix eats everything he can even if you clean the house totally and pick everything up he still finds stuff to chew. So yesterday I took him to work with me and did a barium series and 6 xrays to find out if anything was cought in his belly. There wasnt anything he couldn't pass thank god but he had eaten wood chips which I think was from one of the doors in my house. I am going to start crating him again but the veterinarian I deal with at work wants to put him on a permanenet drug called ACE which they say is to stop him from having seperation anxiety but has anyone had their dog on this drug and experienced side affects or anything else.. I'm just worried about his intestines because he is only a year old and ACE is a drug that keeps them pretty much drugged or high all of the time.. does anyone have any information or know of a good seperation anxiety drug that wont keep him high all of the time..

i am just worried about my baby and dont want to have him come up with any other problems then he already has.

[aqh88]

Does he have plenty of chew toys. When you pick up the house it shouldn't be spotless. It should have a few toys here and there. If you don't give him something to chew he's going to chew something and that may not be something desireable. Other than that make sure to confine him while you are gone. I don't really agree with keeping a dog in a crate if your going to be gone all day. If you could make 1 dog proof room that would be great and you can always use gates or panels designed for dog pens to close off sections of a large room. There are some posts around here about dealing with seperation anxiety. Personally I'd only use the meds as a last resort and then try to make it only temporary while you work through his issues. My mom's dog has major seperation anxiety but she works at home and whenever she's not around there's almost always someone home. He eventually grew out of chewing things up when everyone was gone for awhile but still stops eating if my mom is gone for more than a couple days.

[fairlight]

Sorry guys..it's friday and I need to have a little fun with this post. I'll get serious in a few minutes. Agh....I am going to pull your post out of context......you posted " When you pick up the house it shouldn't be spotless." Wooohoooo I like your way of thinking!!!

[hennaly]

just my opinion but if it was my dog i would leave off the drugs untill no other solution can be found especially at such a young age where you should still be able to work with him.
Have you though of a playpen rather than crate, it confines them but gives them a bit more space to move around, plenty to keep his mind busy is a must, if you stuff a cong and freeze it it lasts for a much longer time.
How long is he left for?

[foxylady]

permanant drug for seperation anxiety????? poor thing its not his fault hes left alone is it?

[fairlight]

I would use drugs as a last resort.

[EmmaGirl]

Originally Posted by Himerz

I'm just worried about his intestines because he is only a year old and ACE is a drug that keeps them pretty much drugged or high all of the time.. does anyone have any information or know of a good seperation anxiety drug that wont keep him high all of the time..

i am just worried about my baby and dont want to have him come up with any other problems then he already has.

EEKK!! I would think twice about putting him on a 'forever' drug that causes a high. How long is he left alone? I work and my 2 have bones and chewies that keep them busy when I'm not at home. They get plenty of exercise and lots of attention when I'm at home.

I understand your worry but given the proper environment, I think you may be able to reduce your stress and the dog's stress.

Best wishes,
EG

[Himerz]

ok here is the probem... My 1 pitbull Sammy has aggression issues towards bones and even his dog food.. So I cant give them chew bones or toys because I am afraid Sammy is going to kill either my cats or Phoenix so I cant risk that. They are left alone usually 3-4 hours a day at tops because my boyfriend is unemployed right now so he is usually home during the day and I am home at night.. Its not a permanent drug he gets everyday just whenever we leave the house and I currently hired a dog trainer who comes tomorrow for thier first session so that they can have bones and so on. Phoenix doesn't chew all of the time just whenever he is apsolutley bored so I dunno they say its seperation anxiety but I don't think it is if it was he would do it everytime I left and make a big stink about it but he doesn't so I dunno I just need some help on what to do with him on this..

[EmmaGirl]

Sorry but I'm a little confused. Sammy (your Pittie) has an aggression problem and Phoenix (Pit mix), seems to be the submissive one. But your originial post was about Phoenix and his chewing issue.

I think you should look at the behavior of Sammy and his aggression issues. I think the idea of a trainer is great. I would work on Sammy's behavior and work on keeping your kitties and Phoenix safe right now. I'm certainly not a trainer and can only offer you support.

Good luck and please keep posting.
EG

[doglover1984]

I think that the trainer will be able to help you alot. Does your b/f take them out for walks and things to wear them out a bit????