Eating sticks?

[Tipsy252]

Should I be worried or stop my puppy from doing this? Each evening we go to the park for a walk and Cassie (13 wks) picks up sticks and carries them for a while the n decides to eat them! I've tried to stop her but she just gets another. It's the same in our garden where we have bark in the planted areas, Cassie seems to enjoy picking up pieces of bark/wood and chewing them. I am concerned that she may get splinters from the wood or it could upset her tummy. She had very bad diarrhoea for the first three weeks after we got her and has had lots of treatment for it, including being put on the Hills ID and a course of antibiotics, followed by Panacur and a strict diet of just chicken. She is only now (1 week) having regular motions of the correct consistency.
Am I worrying too much? Is this normal?
She is our first Cocker, after having a Springer and a Cav, followed by two Westies.

[JennyBee]

My Brodie has always loved eating sticks and wood. I just keep a close eye on her and take anything off her that looks too sharp - she will also eat lollypop sticks or pegs given the chance . She loves bark which is quite soft. My vet says it's fine, it would be better if they were sick afterwards (Brodie never is) but very unlikely to do any harm if not.

As I said, I just keep an eye on her. If ever she fell ill it would be one of the first things I mentioned to the vet, but after four years she doesn't seem to have done herself any damage

Just remembered - she once had to be rushed to the vet after getting a stick lodged on the roof of her mouth - the vet was just seconds away from sedating her when she managed to remove it. So one incident in four years. Didn't put her off!

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Henry (19 weeks) is also a stick monster. A good proportion of his poos (sorry, TMI!) are basically stick! I've tried to stop him, and sometimes I do take them off him. If they're soft I don't worry too much. He did get a small sharp one stuck in the roof of his mouth last week - I couldn't quite work out what was wrong with him, as I'd stuck my fingers down his throat to fish out anything I could, but didn't feel the stick up there to start with. When he kept on being clearly uncomfortable I tried again and found the bit in the roof of the mouth. I'd read about someone else having the same problem. Fortunately it was easy to get out, but I do have a little cut on my finger from the clamping-down motion (that's the thanks I get!).
I will keep a close watch, but I just can't stop him from eating them totally - he loves them! He also eats a lot of grass. I will remove any stones from his mouth though - the vet said stones are a definite no-no. I'm sure they don't approve of sticks either.
Just keep an eye out, and I'm sure he'll be fine.

I love it when puppies walk along with a stick in their mouth - they look like the proudest little things ever! (not to mention the silliest).

[Jane57]

Riley is  a hoover truly a dyson thankfully stones he has never touched, he sniffs and leaves them.
.....However sticks, are a big attraction, I take every one off him. He has a habit of picking up one on a walk and running off with it. Usually a tiny stick which is my worst nightmare of it getting stuck in his mouth or piercing the roof of the mouth.
So I take em all of him , he has plenty of toys lo.

[Patp]

Jinley will eat sticks if I stop for a chat with other dog walkers.  I just look at the consistency of them really, soft/barky I will let her get on with it - brittle sticks that splinter I take them from her.

She doesnt bother much at home (thankfully).

Pat

[piph]

After what Ozzy has been through recently, I'd get sticks away from him immediately - if a grass seed could penetrate the roof of his mouth into his eye, just think how much easier a sharp piece of stick could do the same - the outcome could be as disastrous!!!  Sorry, but I'm paranoid now - he's only got one eye left!!!!

[Jane57]

After what Ozzy has been through recently, I'd get sticks away from him immediately - if a grass seed could penetrate the roof of his mouth into his eye, just think how much easier a sharp piece of stick could do the same - the outcome could be as disastrous!!!  Sorry, but I'm paranoid now - he's only got one eye left!!!!

Thats not being paranoid, you know only too well how serious this can be. Bless little Ozzy. 

[Nicola81]

Oh Dexter is a stick, bark, grass, bush, plant, stone, horse poo, cow poo, sheep poo monster!

We have bark in our garden and you spend all your time running after him to try and get it out of his mouth!  I really worry about it but get to the point where you just can't spend all day running after him!  I suppose you just have to be really careful and keep an eye on them.  You can't stop them from picking everything up and sometimes you just don't know! 

[sarahm2008]

Poor ozzy, what on earth happened, sounds dreadful

[piph]

Poor ozzy, what on earth happened, sounds dreadful

I've put a link in to his story - 13 pages I'm afraid! http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=97505.0
It was originally called 'Teething? or Something Else? , hence the original question - when we discovered it was 'something else' the mods changed the title.

[Black Beauty & Silverfox]

Cocker's seem to be walking vacuum's they'll pick up and eat most things.
My pup favours horses poo, when it's fresh


Mel.