DO NOT WAIT FOR IT TO COME OUT! I lost my first working dog this way. The only toy he couldnt destroy in minutes was the 3 inch solid rubber ball from England, and it only lasted a month. He ate the top off of an unattended kong left by my new partner and it lodged in his intestine. Two trips to the vet didn't find the problem as he was lethargic. Finally, in his final hours they found the obstruction but it was too late. Peritinitis killed him.

I cant stress this enough. If anyone's dog can tear up a specific type toy, dont ever use it again. It took me over a year to get past Ciro's death.

Dont let your dog end up here prematurely.
http://members.dandy.net/~lulu//mem2003-15.html

Howard

the only thing i'll leave my dogs alone with for their amusement are large beef /buffalo shank bones. they haven't (so far in about 25 yrs of this protocol--knock on wood) ever had one they destroyed, i've never had a dog with a blocked intestine. though i've assisted at plenty of sx for the problem. when they get too dried out, or an edge gets chewed off, into the garbage they go.

i absolutely agree w/howard: get your dog to the vet NOW. and good luck--let us know how everything comes out <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />.

i guess every dog is different. i can't leave shank bones with my dogs because they shatter them. but i can leave the hardest, toughest nylabone made with them safely.

if you have a dog with very powerful jaws (mine is), the best bet is to only give toys with supervision until the dog has demonstrated that he can't demolish the toy. only then would i leave him alone with that toy.

i'm sure my dog could destroy any kong or other rubber product. but i'll never know for sure because he isn't interested in them.

thanks everyone... she's been poopin and pooping and pooping with blk stuff in it (and its solid poop). i was watching her seeing if she was acting any different and she wasn't. i consulted my breeder friend who said to give it a night and if nothing comes out take her in.
i've had her 7 months and this is the 1st time she did that w/the kong. she's a growing girl!
i know i escaped a major deal, & had a wake up call, pay closer attention when she's chewing. thank you again.
Now she'll have a nylabone when i leave her in her crate.
i'll try a shank bone, although ive never heard of that or seen it at the places i buy the treats & toys. (mainly azmira, omaha vaccine & here @ leerburg)
also i don't go back to work til wed so i can keep a close watch on her.

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thanks everyone... she's been poopin and pooping and pooping with blk stuff in it (and its solid poop). i was watching her seeing if she was acting any different and she wasn't. i consulted my breeder friend who said to give it a night and if nothing comes out take her in. .....

I'm with Howard. I believe that an obstruction could be partly obstructing and allowing poop to form and pass. Tomorrow is a holiday and there might be a problem with getting the X-ray tech, etc.

I would at least call the vet today and explain the issue and get the vet's advice (which might be the same as the breeder's, but in this instance I think there's a good chance it will not).

I'm a big believer in that phone call. Often the vet will say to give it the night and then call back, so it can be a source of reassurance. And often the vet can explain possible issues that we don't know until we hear them. The phone call can give us more info. It's still your decision; it's just that you'll have better input.

And ask to talk to the vet, IMO. Ask that the vet call you back, rather than a relay of info through the receptionist. Then ask how long it's safe to wait, what the procedure would be for diagnosis, anything else you want to know.

One of my own favorite questions for the vet is, "If this was your dog, what would you do?"

This is just me, and not everyone will agree. Just my 2 cents.

if she's chewing a kong to pieces, seems to me a nylabone isn't much different (but what do i know?); still synthetic plastic/rubber compound; still tends to be in pieces to cause an impaction.

alice has, i believe, mastiff type dogs, who may very well shatter shank bones. you have a (gorgeous, BTW) GSD pup. you can find shank bones at any smaller butcher (the big chains won't have them); or call/talk to the guys at the big chain meat counters to find out who would carry them. believe me, they pretty much know everyone in the trade in their area!

be proactive: if the first person you talk to about it hasn't a clue, ask to talk to the manager. he/she WILL know. or will at the least have a contact. just DO NOT feed any COOKED bones, ie, ham bones.

and FIRST: please check with your vet ASAP.

good luck...

ok, I have one question. I know about the problems people are having with the edible greenie treats that they have given their pets. But, does anyone know if their product called "greenies smart chews" fall under the same sort of category. It's not their edible ones. I was going to recommend this chew toy as my guy has yet been able to destroy one (what he can get off is just little bits here and there) and couldn't remember the full name, I googled it and saw that it is made by the same company that produces the edible greenies that people have been having problems with (I am not sure why i didn't put 2 and 2 together since they have the name "greenie" in their name). Does anyone know of or has heard of problems with this product???
I couln't pull up anything negative related to this product, only the edible ones, but i thought maybe someone on here might have heard something.

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.....does anyone know if their product called "greenies smart chews" fall under the same sort of category. It's not their edible ones. ....

Here are a few customer reviews:

http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=340318+PET+HRD

I haven't tried them myself.

I wouldn`t trust or fuel the profits of a company that has knowingly kept a dangerous product like greenies on the market. They themselves admit that the greenie is only 70% digestible yet they recommend that you give it to your dog. There`s plenty of other companys that make chews that haven`t been on the 5 o clock news for hurting pets. My lab Einstein went through a stage where he tore his toys to pieces. Once he started to go in our pool for more exercise he stopped. Maybe give your pup some more exercise? And if you still want to use a kong maybe you should try one of those blue ones. They show up on x-ray really well if she does manage to rip it apart. Here`s a link for them http://www.elitek9.com/Kongs/index.htm

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 Quote:

.....does anyone know if their product called "greenies smart chews" fall under the same sort of category. It's not their edible ones. ....

Here are a few customer reviews:

http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=340318+PET+HRD

I haven't tried them myself.

Thanks Connie...again.

I have tried a tonne of other so called "chew" toys, including nylabone, the strongest one they offered, which he had chewed off the end in a matter of days, then proceeded to have diarreah for about 2 days afterwards, in which were the shards of the so called "indestructible" bone. And he only had the nylabone when i was home so that i could watch, but since nylabone stated any bit they managed to chew off would pass "harmlessly" through his system I only took it off him when I noticed that he wasn't managing small slivers, but actual pieces of the bone.
This particular chew toy does not cause him any harm and does not interfere with his health if he does manage to chew off bits of it, those do actually pass through his system harmlessly, or he spits them out on the carpet because i do find bits of it on his blanket. So in his best interest health wise, despite which company produces them and wether or not they're profiting from my $10, I will continue to buy the product, or at least buy another when & if he manages to destroy this one. Which doesn't seem to be at any point in the near future, considering he's had this particular bone for around 8 months now.