Question:

my dog had surgery then was given a 3 yr rabies shot at distemper shot…now he wants to lick dirt and eat cardboard!he wined a lot 1 wk crying ma…mamma..heart wrenching.he also has more \’lumos than b4.i\’m giving him a good vitamin with shark cartillage…it\’s supposed to rid thier body of all lumps,bumps,and tumors in 8 wks…we\’ll see.shots make them do weird things or make them feel ill…after 2 weeks witha urinary tract infection?or erction blood? ( i have a female dog starting to go into heat now also egad)anyway we had his stomache x-rayed and there were 10+ stones in it!i watch him good outside and missed him eating them for sure! i caught him licking dirt 2x…anyway they are mostly out of the stomache and in the intestines now..i gave him 2 stjoseph baby aspirin 2 night and put heat down there and he\’s resting.my vet said give him mashed potatoes and whole wheat bread to get it all to move.i hope he poops it out ok…any other suggestions?he\’s a beagle/lab mix and 11 yrs old.budweiser,ba-bwad,biddie,bud,ba is his name…he was a very strong healthy dog b4 now he\’s going down hill a little. any advise is appreciated. Bobbie

ANSWER:

Hi Bobbie,

I wish you had said what the surgery was for but I am going to guess lump removal – Budweiser is the right age and both Labs and Beagles are prone to benign bumps and lumps as they age.

Let’s start at the beginning and work through all of these problems.

Budweiser had surgery and then was given a 3 year rabies shot and his yearly distemper vaccine. He spent the next week whining, licking dirt and eating cardboard. The whining is awful but understandable for most surgeries and your vet should have sent you home with some sort of analgesic (painkiller) for him. Post-surgical pain control is difficult in animals because the pet cannot tell you how much pain they are in and whether they need more medication. Dogs that are stoic and seem in no discomfort whatsoever in the hospital turn to jell-o when they see their owners, making the owners think that the doctor and staff turned a blind eye to their pet’s suffering. In these situations, it is up to the owners to contact the vet and request either a painkiller or some other solution to their pet’s discomfort.

Eating dirt and cardboard is a strange one and it is hard to say what caused those particular cravings to develop. Anesthetic can cause an upset stomach in some animals, leading them to eat strange things like grass but I have to admit I am stumped on the dirt and cardboard. Thankfully, the rocks are passing without upset and the problem will resolve itself. If the dirt and cardboard eating continue, I would consider feeding him small meals more frequently so that it is not hunger that is making him choose this odd appetizer and, if necessary, put a soft muzzle on him when he goes outside without supervision. I would guess that increasing the quantity of food would make a difference too as his need for protein while recovering from surgery is greater then under normal circumstances. Rock eating is not good for their teeth nor their innards – best to guarantee that is diet is ‘stone-free’ even if the muzzle is a bit distressing.

As for strange behavior caused by vaccines, the only thing I have witnessed with rabies vaccines is extreme lethargy for a day or two. This is normal with both young dogs as well as senior citizens and should resolve itself within a few days. I would guess his erection is from the bitch in heat and a good portion of the whining is due to her ‘come hither’ scent. If there is blood involved with the erection, I would watch him to make sure he is not licking himself or rubbing up against something until he is raw. This behavior is unusual in older dogs but I have seen it in young dogs with or without a bitch in season around to add to their crazed hormones.

In the future, I would let him fully recover from the surgery before giving him any vaccinations – that is a lot to put a body through especially a senior citizen. Veterinarians recommend it as it saves a client a few dollars but its not always the best thing for the dog.

The deterioration in his overall health is probably from all of the above – surgery, vaccinations, a belly full of rocks causing indigestion and now a rather provocative smelling young lady. All in all, it is a lot for an old man to take all at once! I would try, for his sake, to have a calm few months around the house to let him fully recover and if he is not back to tip top condition soon, take him to the vet to make sure those rocks have left his system entirely!