ferky1 Posted October 24, 2003 Posted October 24, 2003 Miles isn't usually left alone for more than 2-3 hours, but today we were forced to leave him for about 5 hours. Either he was bored or experiencing separation anxiety, but he did something he has never done in his 6 months with us: he tore the place apart! He pulled on this fabric thingy that lays on top of an end table and brought down some picture frames and a plant. Then, somehow, he got magazines and mail off of the coffee table (he is very small and I have never seen him even try to reach up to the coffee table). He proceeded to tear and chew apart everything he got off the table. The big problem is that in addition to mail and magazines, he got ahold of a packet of Tagamet :o (an over the counter acid reducer in pill form, similar to Pepcid AC or Prolosec). He chewed the heck out of it and now 2 1/2 200mg tablets are missing (eaten?). We called the vet and they advised that the Tagamet shouldn't pose much danger, but they did say to keep an eye on his breathing to make sure that there is no panting or labored/heavy breathing and also to take him in if he vomits. So far nothing as far as breathing or vomiting, but we are worried none-the-less. He is REALLY sleepy and didn't want any of his dinner, BUT, the dog walker told us that this morning he played with his pug friend and they ran and ran and ran. His tiredness could be related to that and there have been times where he was just too tired to eat. Is this one of those times or is it something he ate? Anybody know more about the effects of what he injested? Is this a sign of separation anxiety? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh :drinking: The wife and I are pretty anxious and it's hard not to be the over-protective parent and just take him to the vet, plus we want to punish him and let him know how bad he was, plus we want to punish ourselves for allowing the destruction and medicine eating happen at all. So pissed. . . . . Quote
courtnek Posted October 24, 2003 Posted October 24, 2003 he should be ok with the tagament, like the vet said just watch him. it absorbs the stomach acid when people have heartburn, and coats the stomach. Do watch him though.... As far as the chewing and destructiveness, it may have been SA or it may just have been boredom, since he's used to having you around. It could also have been spite..."leave me here alone, will you?" In any case I would crate him if you're going to be gone for a long while...with toys and chewies... Quote
pei obssessed Posted October 25, 2003 Posted October 25, 2003 Yeah, sometime they won't eat because they're too tired--and you can imagine how much work he put in redecorating your house, he deserves the rest :evilbat: I think he'd be throwing up if there was something he ate... And since he hasn't done this before, I don't think it's separation anxiety... My Hippo will push things off the tabes and be bratty if we're late with our walk--and she only does it so you can see it :evilbat: and she steals my stuffed teddybears and slobbers them just to show all the bad things she could do if we keep keeping her in the house :evilbat: So I must say: sounds like you too have a little monster :evilbat: Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted October 25, 2003 Posted October 25, 2003 oh Dear......what a little darling Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 I have a male german shepherd/shar-pei puppy his 1st b-day is oct.30 anyways i have to leave him alone while i go to school during the day and he has never chewed on anything or tore the place apart and i have had him since he was about 3 months old i just turn the tv on to nickeloden because he loves spongebob and jimmy neutron and he is fine.His name is buddy but i usually call him buddy boy. Quote
julie45 Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 Well Well,I'd say your being told of for leaving him.My frist thought when I read your post was heck the little devil.Freinds of mine cage there dog when they have to go out and they put plenty of chews and toys in with her.Its just a thought. :evil: :evilbat: :wink: Quote
Peng1zrule Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 I wouldn't be overly worried with the tagement ingestion...if nothing's happend to him in a half hour, i'd doubt it's going to happen at all. about punishment...roll up a newspaper and whap yourself soundly for doubting his abilities. :lol: I'm sorry, but you're just going to have to grin and bear it as for the damage he's caused--this late in the day, he has no idea what you're still upset about. He probably forgot about the damage he did the moment he stood up and tried to find something else. For now, crawl around on your hands and knees, and everything at eye level--move it. Take some duct tape and securely cover every electrical cord, taping them to the floor (or walls, if you have to.) Don't feel so bad for leaving him, I don't think this was SA at all. If if was SA, he would have done it when you left him for the 2-3 hours before--I think this was pure boredom, or maybe a bit of loneliness. I'm sorry if I sound a bit insensitive to your plight--I have six dogs and have learned the hard way that when something gets destroyed, it's my fault at the heart of the problem. Quote
ferky1 Posted October 28, 2003 Author Posted October 28, 2003 Thanks for the replies. As you folks stated, the Tagamet injestion was a non-issue. He had no ill-effects that we could tell. Maybe he just needed some relief from acid reflux like his dad :D We are also of the opinion that he isn't experiencing separation anxiety. He doesn't carry on much when we leave or return, nor does he seem overly concerned when we walk out of a room. The problem is that he might have been bored or spitefull that we left him and that's not good. The day after his first destructive episode, he did it again when we left him for 3 hours. Ignoring all of the toys and fun things that we left with him (including a treat stuffed Kong which was almost empty when we got home), he decided to attack a thick wicker basket that he has always happily coexisted with. He ripped pieces off and chewed them into little bits, leaving tiny bits of wood and wicker all over the carpet. He also got ahold of another magazine to shred. We have absolutely no idea where he got the magazine from because we thought we removed them all after the first episode. Now I think that we have to remove some of his freedoms. Throughout the months we have had him, he gradually moved to being locked in his crate, to confined to the kitchen, then confined to the kitchen and den. Looks like it's back to just the kitchen for him for the time being. But here is the problem: does this sound like something he'll grow out of? After all, he is 7 months old and this supposedly means adolescence and testing our authority. Is there a way to help make sure that he doesn't experience boredom or anger? We always leave him with plenty of toys and chew things, but he seems to prefer the things HE KNOWS he isn't allowed to have. I am still absolutely amazed. When the wife and I are home, we can leave a magazine on the floor and he won't even notice it. We leave and that magazine gets turned to mulch. He is one spitefull little furball. Lucky he's so cute. . .. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 awww Miles..... Ferky maybe he was upset that you DID leave him that long and he wanted to let you know he was not happy about it?? or maybe he just got bored.. did he have his toys that he could play with ?? i think it was the first one.. he was just mad you left him so long.. Cody will do that also :-? Quote
Peng1zrule Posted October 28, 2003 Posted October 28, 2003 ah, adolescense. your miles reminds me alot of my gypsy. gypsy would eat any pencil, pen, or crayon she could reach...because I used them. I'm probably giving you REALLY bad advice right now, but magazines seem a harmless vice for him...I let mine shred paper, and just store the mags I want to keep in under-the-bed boxes with tight fitting lids. I even pick up all those fat magazines that keep me bored to tears for them...redbook, seventeen, jane. The dogs love them...I think he's just found a new way to have fun!! :roll: Quote
courtnek Posted October 29, 2003 Posted October 29, 2003 adolescence and the testing phase - they all go through it...is he fixed? If not I would consider it. If neutered he will probably grow out of it, but remember, you were a teenager once...lol Quote
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