Ram, maybe teaching the yuck command is in order?

Look up the plant on the internet. I've got no clue what plants live where you are, but the fact that the native dogs don't eat them suggests to me that whatever the plant is the native dogs have "inside knowledge" about it, possibly because dogs who develop a taste for said plant all died generations ago.

Ben McDonald>> This plant is in my yard in which my dogs run freely all day. I have about 50-60 plants in my yard.

Anyway, I have cut that plant off. However the fig tree cant be cut(I need it) and I have trimmed it all the way upto 6 ft.


I have taught them the "Yuck" command and they obey. But they get into these plants when I am not around.


Betty>> My options are to (a) Muzzle helga and let her roam free (b) Confine her

Which is a more humane option.

Ofcourse she will get her supervised exercise time etc.

I have limited experience with muzzles, I can't give a good answer.
Could you perhaps spray the plant with a very strong spice?

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

I have limited experience with muzzles, I can't give a good answer.
Could you perhaps spray the plant with a very strong spice?

So, you want him to season it?

I'm confused. Ram, I thought you said you cut down the offending plant and trimmed your fig tree up to six feet. The one you cut down was the one you believed was causing the bloody stool, right?

So are you saying now you're not sure which of the 50 or 60 plants is causing the problem? Are these plants that are planted in soil in your yard, or are they in containers? Just trying to get the complete picture here so we can hopefully offer some helpful advice.

All of them are in the soil in the ground. I have hot peppers, aloevera,figs, lemons, jasmine, pine apple , zapota etc etc etc.

Predominantly they eat the fig and coral jasmine leaves. I have taken care of both today morning.

Usually all my dogs are separated and each has it's own section of the yard , but each section also has plants and herbs and trees.

It is just the dobes that do this. The natives dont. Plus Helga is far far worse than kaiser.

 Quote: michael_wise

CJ, you readin' this? Na-nanna boo boo!

LMAO… Michael!!

Just sitting down with my morning coffee (gotta love holidays) and I’m always open to learning new stuff. Wish that was the case here.

Not only have my dogs never had “bloody” diarrhea I can’t even recall of a single incident where the random, “casually chewed grass” has resulted in the stringy, dangling poop that’s been mentioned. I’ve seen it in the poop but not hanging from their butts. (Even asked hubby a while back and got one of those WTF looks).

We have exactly 7 trees and 1 plant in our yard. We’re pretty deserty in the summer and even weeds have a hard time growing here. The leaf shedding trees get raked up pretty quick in the fall.

If I found out that one of our yard adornments was in any way causing my boys to become ill, and we’re talking one single occasion, Bob would be playing George Washington quicker than I could say apple tree or cherry or whatever it was he chopped down.

I walk my yard every morning doing poop patrol and looking for foreign objects (possible sprouting ground cover included – prickly cactus type things do tend to do well here).

 Quote: michael_wise

Ram, if it is as you say, and there is a "plant whose leaves cause the diarrhea", then this is really a no brainer.

If you know the answer, what more do you need?

I got to this post Michael (totally concurred) and almost didn’t read any further but just had to check it out (you know how that goes. ")

Michael….my dogs chew on the odd bit of GRASS, mainly in the spring. Trust me, they have a “Bucky” command and know it well.

Ram… I have to agree with Michael, a bit of no brainer to me too. Get rid of your shrubbery.

PS: Michael... that "seasoning touch" has me cleaning coffee off my keyboard as we speak.

Three years ago, when I acquired my two current Dobermans (maybe Dobes are just prone to strange eating habits), they developed a liking for eating tree bark. I have seven mature trees in my fenced yard, and I did not want them eating tree bark, for their own as well as the trees' sake.

So I'm going to tell you how I broke them of the habit, and I'm sure some of you may be shocked, but it worked for me. First of all, I had heard that one way to cure a dog from digging holes is to put their own feces in the holes they dig and cover it back up. When they go back to the same place to dig, they get a nasty surprise and they won't dig there again. Way back when my dogs first got the idea to dig, I did this and they never dug holes in the yard again.

So I decided to apply the same principle to the tree bark issue. It took a month or two over the summer, but every time I collected the dog droppings from the yard, I dumped it in a ring around each tree. Any tree that had dog poop around it, they left alone. I would periodically replace the old stuff with new (stinkier) stuff. After a month or two of doing this, I stopped, and (knock on wood) they have not tried to eat tree bark since.

Now, I realize this solution will not work for everyone, and I can certainly envision circumstances where it is totally inappropriate. There are no children who play in our yard, the neighbors are not very close, and truthfully, about the only thing the yard is used for is an exercise area for the dogs. My husband and I might sit out on the deck occasionally, but the yard is big enough and the trees far enough away that there was never an offensive odor, etc. I'm sure if we were people who often had others over for a backyard barbecue, we would have gotten people who didn't want to come back!

So I'm not saying this would be a solution for everybody, but it worked like a charm for me. Now if I could only teach the dogs not to rip up grass and eat it roots, dirt and all (a new habit just begun recently -- I'll have to start another thread).

Many times dogs eat weird stuff because their stomachs are upset. In a dog who does this compulsively the first thing I would do is have the vet check them out, then try adding probiotics to their diet. However, you mentioned you are feeding them yogurt so chances are they are already getting this. If the vet doesn't find anything wrong, my next step would be to try an antacid.

Until you find the cause of the problem I would keep the dog confined, or try the muzzle. A properly fitting wire basket muzzle will allow the dog to drink and pant, and even play with toys. I wouldn't consider this the long term solution, but a temporary measure until the real issue is found and resolved. Otehrwise you are risking an obstruction, if she eats that many weird things I think it's just been luck she hasn't already obstructed.