Many dogs love to chew on sticks, cardboard or even stones. Unfortunately, swallowing inedible materials can lead to dangerous conditions such as bowel obstruction which can be life-threatening!
Dogs should only ingest food. Do not allow your dog to shred branches in your backyard and eat them. Even if they do not cause gastrointestinal problems, they can become stuck in his gums and lead to painful and expensive oral infections.
Small dogs usually do not try to eat too many inappropriate items after they leave the puppy stage. Many large breeds however are prone to trying to eat everything they can find.
Breeds that are especially bad in this respect are:
– Retrievers (such as Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and also many Doodle mixes)
– Bully breeds (French and English Bulldogs, Pitbulls and American Staffordshire Terrier)
-Big shepherd breeds (German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois)
Pay close attention to the things your dog chews – and intervene if he tries to swallow anything dangerous!
