Weird question.......

CJBegins · #1 09/17/13, 01:41 PM

So yesterday DH and I left our puppy in the house while we ran errands. Puppy is a 5.5 lb beagle/yorkie cross and is 6 months old.

Today, I notice that the 2 copper bolus's that I had on my coffee table are chewed up. 99% of the copper rods are gone. I am not seeing very many rods scattered around, which would be incredibly difficult to see anyway.

So the question is......is this going to hurt the stinker. I realize that it doesn't hurt goats but they have 4 stomachs and the rods are meant to stay in the rumen.

Does anyone have any sort of experience with this?

BlueRose · #2 09/17/13, 03:10 PM

Call your vet.

Minelson · #3 09/17/13, 03:25 PM

Too much copper in a dog can cause severe liver damage. Call your vet right away. Make sure you tell him about how many grams the dog ate.
Please keep us posted!

CraterCove · #4 09/17/13, 03:29 PM

I would never leave a 6 month old anything home alone without crating or at least confining to a small 'puppy proof' room. It's not safe for the pup and it's not safe for your house.

And I concur that could lead to liver problems real quick so either take your chance the puppy didn't actually eat much of it or call the vet. My advice would be to call the vet.

CJBegins · #5 09/17/13, 03:52 PM

Cratecove, I don't appreciate your tone. It is unhelpful and I don't need a mother figure "correcting" my problems.

I will contact my vet.

CraterCove · #6 09/17/13, 04:12 PM

Wow, okay, sorry. I guess stating facts qualify as having a 'tone'. Good luck, I'm checking out of this thread.

CJBegins · #7 09/17/13, 04:39 PM

That was an interesting phone call. I have been pretty fortunate regarding not needing a vet for my goats and evidently the vet that I have used for many, many years for horses, cows and dogs has never heard of using copper boluses for goats. So I had to explain the copasure and approximately how much a "00" gel cap would hold and then I was told they had never dealt with copper poisoning in dogs.

So, evidently in their minds using copper bolus's for goats is an alternative treatment. I think I need to talk to a long time goat breeder that is local to see which vet she uses if I ever need one for my goats. Don't get me wrong, I love this vet and he has helped me in some very difficult situations.

Okay, so I am on my own with this one. She really is her normal self today and very active. She has had 2 bm's today already. I am hoping that the rods will just pass on thru.

As far as how I manage my puppy. We are home 95% of the time. She is doing exceptionally well with house training. I have never been one to crate a puppy. I use crates for confinement if a cat or dog is ill or hurt. Here I have the ability to put her outside with the other dogs if I am overly concerned about how long I will be gone or how they will behave in the house. I wasn't concerned.

Minelson, I know you work for a vet. If this was a problem that you had come into your office, what do you think your vet would recommend?

Minelson · #8 09/17/13, 05:04 PM

My vets never heard of copper bolus either...they are from the school that says to use the sheep goat mineral and that is good enough

I have never seen a case like this at our clinic. I will try to get a hold of the vet and see what they recommend....

Minelson · #9 09/17/13, 05:15 PM

The vet is not in...but my friend that works there said that since it's too late to induce vomiting then feed the pup as much as possible to move everything out as fast as possible. She said even a little dairy to get things moving. Lots of water and exercise. I have read that some people use cotton balls soaked in milk to remove glass that dogs have ingested. Google it. I have to run or I would do it for you!

CJBegins · #10 09/17/13, 05:35 PM

Minelson, thanks so much for the info. My son is picking up cotton balls on his way out here.

I went and got the poop that she left me this morning and mashed it up. I didn't see any rods. Who knows, she may not have eaten them but she sure chewed up the capsules.

Minelson · #11 09/17/13, 05:51 PM

Be careful with the cotton balls...you don't want to create a bigger problem with an impaction. Did you find some instructions?

Ugh! I hate it when they get into something and leave you wondering! My goats ate a roll of fiberglass insulation a few years ago. And my dogs have gotten into cooked chicken bones a few times. All I could do was sweat it out and hope for the best.

Clovers_Clan · #12 09/17/13, 05:55 PM

You might try contacting a university or a more proactive dog vet to find out EXACTLY what to expect IF copper poisoning is a concern in dogs. The whole point behind the copper in this form(rods) is that it is designed to embed into the lining of digestive track and release(wear away) gradually. I doubt that you can wash them out. The good news is that there is less risk of poisoning from a heavy concentration but this may be with him for awhile. Meat eating animals, in general, are designed for, and use to, higher levels of minerals like iron in their diet. Maybe the same is true of copper. Maybe compare the nutrient make-up of a bag of dog food per serving vs. goat mineral per serving? If the dog food contains a lot maybe it really isn't anything to be concerned about at all. Maybe you're onto something, your dog might end up having the slickest, shiniest coat.

Minelson · #13 09/17/13, 05:59 PM

I found some links...they are saying it must be 100% cotton cotton balls., not the cosmetic kind or synthetic
http://insertcrazyhere.blogspot.com/...ton-balls.html
http://www.copellapapillons.com/id37.html
http://www.earthsangels.com/html/glassfix.shtml

CJBegins · #14 09/17/13, 06:28 PM

Clovers Clan, I was researching a dog nutrition site and the daily requirements for a growing puppy are 0.16mg/kg/day. She is 2.5 kg, so her daily requirement would be 0.4mg/day. She chewed up two "00" size boluses and if I recall correctly they hold approximately 2.5 gm of copper. (If anyone knows for sure could you let me know) 1000mg = 1gm. Big, big overdose if the ph of a dogs digestive track will be sufficient to start breaking down the rods.

Minelson, I did find info about how to use the cotton balls.

Alice In TX/MO · #15 09/17/13, 06:36 PM

I think you may have dodged a problem, in that a dog's stomach isn't like the four chambers of a goat's stomach, and I doubt the rods will settle in the same way. Does a dog's stomach have the surface folds like a goat's?

Copper toxicity symptoms:

Acute:
Lethargy
Anorexia
Depression
Vomiting
Yellowish discoloration of skin and moist tissues (icterus or jaundice)
Moist tissues of the body (mucous membranes) are pale due to low red blood cell count; simply referred to as anemia
Dark urine due to the presence of bilirubin (bilirubinuria)
Hemoglobin in the urine (hemoglobinuria)

CJBegins · #16 09/17/13, 06:59 PM

Alice, I think all stomachs have the rugae folds. I hope the breakdown process is slower for dogs or they pass their stomach contents faster.

I lost a cat once to some kind of virus that attacked his red blood cells and it was a horrible and slow death. I had never seen a black cat with jaundice but it was obvious. Any skin that could be seen was yellow and of coarse all the other symptoms that came with the jaundice.

This is the little rascal in question. She was about 3 months old there.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps08b0ad19.jpg

Minelson · #17 09/17/13, 10:41 PM

She is really a DARLING!!!

Aussiemum · #18 09/18/13, 05:13 AM

She is really cute! Just as well, naughty girl!!

My Labrador & her pups were shocking at finding things to get in, I have her pups 1/4 cup of olive oil mixed into wheatbix on more than one occasion to pass anything for a tea towel, hair ties to a small plastic piece of Lego - little buggers. I never tried cotton wool but I guess the wheatbix acted in much the same way I would give a huge fibre meal (wheat bix/mashed potato with lots milk & a really big slug oil to get her cleaned out. Make sure you have a outside spot she can sleep in after!!!

CJBegins · #19 09/18/13, 05:11 PM

She still looks fine. I have gotten 2 cotton balls down her divided by 4 feedings with oatmeal. Who would think that a dog would just gulp food down. She thinks she is oober special to get to eat oatmeal.

Suzyq2u · #20 09/18/13, 09:04 PM

Glad she's doing okay - little pest