Acorns

[Abbie]

Living in New England in the fall can be lovely, with the leaves changing and the sky a brilliant blue, but it can also have it's problems if you have a cairn! As you all know, those little noses are to the ground every second, an I don't believe there is another creature that can scoop something off the ground faster than a cairn. That makes the walks a real challange during fall when the acorns are dropping all around you. My husband must get so tired of hearing me say "uhuh" constantly. When the "uhuh" fails and the acorn is picked up, the "leave it" is almost as common. If it isn't dropped a treat is offered to get the proper response. Yesterday Abbie swallowed something when I said "leave it". I thought it was a piece of an acorn, but couldn't be sure. At 4:30 this morning she threw up liquid. Again at 5:30, 7:00 and 2:30 this afternoon. As I write this she was just sick again, and this time a whole acorn popped out! I am so happy she did not choke and that she was finally able to purge it. The walks will not be as enjoyable again until the acorns are gone. I certainly hope the squirrels, turkey and deer work fast!

[kjwarnold]

Glad to hear Abbie is okay. This is the first year that Packy hasn't picked up acorns and tried to bring them in the house for later snacking. It got so that we'd have to have a mouth check at the door every time we were out. Eventually, he would just open his mouth at the door before we even reached down!

So no acorn problems, right? Wrong! Kirby is new to us and he loves them just like Packy did. When we checked previously with our vet, he said not to let them eat the acorns because 1) they could choke on the big ones and 2) the acorns have a lot of tannic acid in them which isn't good for little dogs. Back to mouth checks...

[Jessica H]

I am from NH as well and we have lots of acorns. My dogs do not really bother with them but what you really need to watch are all those pine needles that are everywhere. I am not sure about acorns but I am going to google them now.

It is so pretty here right now, I never get tired of the leaf peeping season. What part of NH are you from?

[SparkyJonesMom]

Uggh, Sparky is obsessed with acorns and it's so annoying. They're everywhere, so his daily walks can be quite the hassle at times. I'm glad to hear that Abbie is OK!

[josie&holly]

Strange, we have lots of acorns here especially in country park I take Holly too and she is not interested in them! Hopefully she will stay that way - perhaps when they get older the interest goes.

[Abbie]

I wasn't aware of the tannic acid problem. One more thing to think about. I am happy to report this mornings walk was uneventful. She doesn't seem to bother the acorns in the yard, just on the walk. Holly & me, I hope you are right, and maybe by this time next year she will just ignore acorns. I hope so! Jessica, I am in Bedford, and my name given name is Jessie, lol.

[sheila and Misty]

hmm you get the acorns and I get the sticky pinecones-and they all come from the tree next door- that sticky goo gets all in their hair I try to get most of them but they seem to know how to find them better than me. I wonder if they are bad too.

[Emmadilemma]

Oscar once threw up a whole acorn in the middle of the night in our bedroom, it was huge. The thing is, we hadn't been near a park since around 4 days prior. I was pretty happy things weren't worse....and he seemed fine.....now I am very very very careful in the parks!

[Jessica H]

I am in Bedford all the time. I work in Manchester. I used to live in Amherst until we built a house out in Deering.

Edited October 13, 2008 by Jessica H

[Dianne]

Acorn = $1,882.80

A week ago Sunday, Katie started to vomit and seem in distress.

We took her to the Emergency Vet. An X-ray and Ultra Sound  revealed a small dark mass in her intestine. Next morning it had move into her colon. This was good news as it ruled out surgery! Later she expelled a LARGE ACORN in her feces. 

After a week of medicines and a bland diet for gastric irritation she is her terrorist self.

Two week before this she had had a vomiting episode and distress but was treated over night with our local vet. ($740.00). Vet: "Must have eaten something bad".

On a previous routine vet visit out vet said not to be concerned about acorns as they would pass through or be digested. We continued to try and deter her from eating them. 

We have Oak trees in our yard and all around our neighborhood. Our streets where we walk are littered with acorns. Always on a leash, 3 1/2 year old Katie has surreptitiously ingested a fair amount of acorns...she is so very quick! Like a vacuum! We have made numerous attempts to stop this short of putting her in a muzzle!

Now, we are trying out a new mask/muzzle for her called a "Smuzzle". Comes with 2 pages of instructions for slowly introducing pup to the mask. I have my doubts as Katie the Cairn is so very independent and only sees everything with a "what's in it for me" attitude. Next up would be a "foxtail mask".  We'll let you know. 

This is a cautionary tale. We hope no one else or Cairn will experience these stressful challenges.

Cheers all! Hugs to the furry faces!

 

[bradl]

Oh Katie. Those are some expensive acorns and I bet the worry was even worse! 

That smuzzle reminds me of something like a lace veil. Prim and proper Katie. That might be a hard sell!

[Kathryn]

Oh dear. Katie and Angus are a pair, aren't they? After a nearly $5000 vet bill to "uncork" him, Angus still tries to gobble up inappropriate items in the house and out. His current favorites are the hard little crab apples falling from neighborhood trees. I am a nervous wreck walking him...

Great that Katie managed to pass this though. That was a good piece of luck... Let me know how that device works...

Sometimes I wonder how many times these dogs can "not learn" their lesson. My cousin's dog -- a big swissie -  had gastric surgery twice for various indescretions over his life. Would hate to go through that with a dog even a second time!

[Hillscreek]

So sorry to hear acorn story. My Angus not one for nuts and berries fortunately though we have plenty around. He'd rather bring a bone from a deer carcass off the trail somewhere. Not pretty but at least one knows what he's got hold of!