# Eating sticks and leaves



## cathryn (Apr 5, 2013)

With the thaw this past couple of days, some sticks and dead leaves were uncovered in our little backyard. We caught Lulah chewing/eating them. We did our best to get them, but she is a pro at playing tag, and we're always "it", so at times there was just no catching her! 

Today, she had some loose stool, and we were wondering if this was the cause. Well, she must have vomitted earlier today too, because I just found it and it looks like mulch! Poor thing, it must have felt awful coming back up!

So my question is, is this dangerous? Obviously we're trying to stop her from eating this stuff, but I'm worried we won't always see her doing it.

Is this a rite of Hav puppy passage? Is this a novelty that will wear off?


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

I will be very interested in the responses you get to this topic. My 12 week old puppy Molly has been doing the same thing. Any leaf, piece of mulch, or other things she finds in the lawn have been going in her mouth. I have to watch her like a hawk and take things constantly out of her mouth. So far no vomiting or diarrhea for her, so maybe I got most of it before she swallowed any.

Diane


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

Some plants are very toxic, others not so much but can be choking hazards or cause obstruction. You can't stop all chewing....so I've pulled out everything that I know is poison because they will eat anything they can. I was sad to loose my lovely Digitalis but I'll get over it.


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

Emmie used to love to eat leaves and sticks when she was a puppy. I don't recall when she stopped the behavior but she's 2 years old now and doesn't have the same obsession, thank god. Hopefully your furbaby will outgrow it too. Good luck! 

-Jeanne-


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## DawnH (Jan 21, 2014)

Manny's last act before coming inside is to grab a mouthful of leaves or a stick in hopes that he can sneak by without anyone seeing him.


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

These dogs are fast and always working on a plan!


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## cathryn (Apr 5, 2013)

I have 7 & 8 year old boys that have a trampoline, slip-n-slide, who play soccer, hockey & destroy-everything-mom-holds-dear...the only plants in my backyard are grass, dandilions and a maple tree. I tried planting flowers once...they didn't last long! I gave up a long time ago. So I know she can't get a hold of anything exotic in my yard.

I think what worried me the most is the fact that she vomitted, and it looked like mulch! So the poor thing had to throw up bits of sticks and stuff!

She's fast...wait...no...fast doesn't cover it. She moves at Mach 12! And, as I said, as soon as she knows I'm trying to get something away from her (and she ALWAYS seems to know!), she's gone in a flash.

Whenever I see something poking through the snow, I chuck it somewhere she can't get at it. But she'll have access to it eventually, so I'm not sure if I'm just delaying the inevitable.

My husband looked at me and said "Well...Spring is gonna be fun!"


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## dianaplo (Dec 30, 2013)

Loll, now you are back in toddler stage with a cute puppy. 
At least you only have to watch the boys and the puppy, and not worry about the landscape.


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## cathryn (Apr 5, 2013)

dianaplo said:


> Loll, now you are back in toddler stage with a cute puppy.
> At least you only have to watch the boys and the puppy, and not worry about the landscape.


There is that! LOL


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## Atticus (May 17, 2011)

Oh yes those puppies!!! You might want to start doing some trades. You drop the ball/ stick/whatever, I'll give you a treat. When I do this with Atticus I try to be able to then give him "his" thing back too (unless it's dangerous) . Playing the" trade game" will serve you well if she does have something you NEED to take away in the future!


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## Den&Barb (Dec 6, 2013)

Ginger will pick up lots of different things on our walks or from the back yard, but she rarely tries to eat whatever it is (except rabbit turds). Thankfully if I yell "drop it" she does. I taught her that early on and it works about 90% of the time. She likes to carry stuff along her walks like a retriever. It's ok as long as it's not something I consider toxic.


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## Nicm (Feb 28, 2014)

Hello Im new here but wanted to share a story about my daughters lil hav Summer she was 2 at that time, she's 3 now but anyways like your lil one was chewing on a stick in the yard and my daughter of course said Summer drop it drop it and she dashed away quickly. Summer is trained to stay in her yard which took a lot of work , but she knows the command stay in your yard Summer and she doesn't sprint away at all thank god. 

My daughter can take her anywhere and if she thinks her pup will run she just says stay in your yard LOL weird but true:focus: Ok to my point she got very sick from the STICK yep evidently she contracted a parasite and it literally almost killed her. We were like what did she do to get a parasite and my daughter told the vet she was in the yard chewing on a stick and the vet said oh wow ok so more tests etc... after about a month after a few trips to the vet(costly) she was back from that poor little sick thing to a healthy vibrant havanese ,So now my daughter freaks if she's in the yard and clears any sticks out of the yard because of the unknown on debris etc.. 

Oh and also from the stick she got an internal bleed from part of the stick splinter I guess and it cut her in her throat area so we don't like STICKS only stick that lil girl loves are her bully sticks!! Id be careful of sticks just saying


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## Naturelover (Nov 30, 2013)

Ack, scary- I have just started taking my 10.5 week old out into my friend's yard and my patio and he finds EVERYTHING. He ran back in the house full of glee with a snail he found on my patio!! And I am trying to pull the things out of his mouth but today he ate a leaf and while trying to yank it out of his mouth I swear I was going to choke him, so I had to let him eat it... I was kind of wondering how stressed I should be about him eating leaves & sticks. :/


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