[Colonel Blimp]

I've refrained from posting about this matter until the legal issues were resolved. Now they have been, to my satisfaction, I feel free to go public.

Around Christmas last year I purchased a "flat pack" triple dog kennel from a well known UK manufacturer. The pop holes into the three doghouses were covered by overlapping strips of flexible PVC curtaining. Some may be familiar with similar stuff used as factory and warehouse bash doors.

My YLM "Ross" not only ripped them apart, but swallowed the shredded remains. He was found in the morning bleeding from his anus and vomiting. After some speedy and excellent work by my Vets, Trefaldwyn Veterinary Centre he was cut open and around 6 ounces of the stuff removed. He survived but a good section of my bank balance didn't. On the last day of the 2006-7 season he was back doing some gentle work.

All doggie folks should be aware of the changes in the physical properties of PVC brought about by gastric action. What was once a flexible translucent blue material becomes brown, hard, sharp and brittle. Without much effort you can cut yourself with it; I tried and I did. As a one time industrial chemist I wasn't surprised; the layman certainly would be.

Here is a pic of "Ross"s tummy contents with a foot rule for comparison.

Avoid this stuff like the plague.

Regards
Eug

 

[spaightlabs]

I avoid putting anything that can be easily shredded/mutilated/swallowed in with my dogs when I'm not around. In my experience, if it can be swallowed, it will be swallowed. Had one eat a coffee cup he knocked off of a counter...

 

[John Lash]

My dog had a rope toy, big knotted cotton rope. I thought they were harmless and good to clean his teeth. I watched and when the knots were getting untied I threw it away.

A good while later, days anyway, we had a plug in air freshener, new in the box, just brought from the store, sitting on the floor with other groceries to be put away. The dog probably liked the smell. It had a hard plastic cover on it to hide the inner workings. When I found him he had opened the box and chewed the plastic into pieces. Looking at it, most of the pieces looked like they were accounted for.

You guessed it, in a couple days he stopped eating. I took him to the Vet, he found a small wad of long rope strands, tangled around a couple small pieces of hard plastic, at the beginning of his intestines. He said one or the other foreign objects might have passed but the two clumped together caused a blockage.

John

 

[FOM]

Do you have a picture of the kennel?

FOM

 

[larrynogaj]

PVC

Thanks for the heads up Eug. I've been using the same stuff for 4 years with no ill effects. (pun intended) I have three 6" strips overlapping each other over the door of her house in the kennel. I'm a little torn as to what to do since she's never shown an interest in it. I'm afraid if I replace it with something else, she might get into the replacement. I don't think there's anything on the face of this earth that a puppy hasn't gotten into trouble with at some point in time. I'm glad your dog has bounced back, and sorry that the both you had to go through the ordeal.

 

[nguyendinhtruong1991]

I think pvc screen will not tolerate long by his pet

 

[crackerd]

I think pvc screen will not tolerate long by his pet

OK, out with it, Eug - You and Art Vandelay cooking up a new import-export deal?:2c:

MG

 

[Colonel Blimp]

It would appear that there is indeed life after death, this thread proves it ;-)

Eug

 

[1tulip]

Panties*. Pantyhose*. Plastic that covers dry-cleaned clothing. Rope-chew toys*. Socks. Lavender scented soap**. Very expensive facial wash. Very expensive body lotion. (Never cheap stuff. If the cosmetic comes from Walmart... completely safe.) Rawhide chew*. Rocks*. Too much food too fast from food bin with insufficiently closed lid.* Sticks**. Rotten apples** or apples pulled off the tree while green**. An entire pear tree. Pine cones**. Christmas tree decorations**. Anything paper, especially snotty tissues, or toilet paper rolls, even toilet paper retrieved from the toilet.

If I sat here long enough I could come up with at least 50 more things they have eaten, destroyed, and or which they have nearly killed themselves.

*Caused obstructions requiring laparotomy at a minimum of $2K. ** Puked up on the carpet. Otherwise found in pieces and presumed eaten or found a few days later obviously eaten.

 

[Gold Strike Labradors]

Agree with the above, except I stopped wearing panty hose years ago. I found that if I think it will happen, it will. My yellow boy swallowed and regurgitated a plastic 'safety' plug, the kind you plug in an electric outlet to keep inquiring grandkids from putting stuff in an electric outlet and getting zapped. Apparently there was one not in the socket and he found it and swallowed it whole, prongs and all. Yikes! The next day, he vomited it up completely intact, no chew marks whatsoever. I can only imagine the blockage this would have made. I was lucky, this time.

If you think it will happen, it will. Lesson learned for all.