My Dog Ate Wood And Is Throwing Up

The purpose of this research is to explain “My Dog Ate Wood And Is Throwing Up“.

I talk about why chewing sticks and wood can sometimes go wrong in this post as its one of a dogs favorite activities.

Then they throw up after they have eaten the stick!

However for those of you in a hurry let me explain the three most common reasons why your dog might chew and then vomit!

Why do dogs throw up after eating wood?

According to some people dogs consume grass and chew it to make themselves sick.

However I do not believe that is the case with sticks.

It is not to make them sick that your dog chews that stick.

What is happening?

There are three reasons why your dog throws up after eating wood.

A piece of wood got stuck in the throat or blocked the intestines 

A dog can splinter wood when he chews on it.

Dogs will sometimes spit out these pieces but they will also swallow them.

In swallowing the wood a piece could get stuck in their throat and cause the dog to vomit. 

A piece of wood sliced through the lining of the throat

In a similar manner to what I stated above instead of a piece of wood getting stuck in the dogs throat the sharp edges of a splinter of wood graze the dogs throat causing the dog to throw up. 

The piece of wood was poisonous

Last but not least some dogs eat wood and throw up because the wood they eat is poisonous.

Many trees are poisonous to dogs and the list is quite long. 

There are some poisonous because of the bark some because of the leaves and some because of the seeds.

The stems bark and leaves of many fruit trees are poisonous. 

Cherries peaches and apples are among these trees. 

There is a possibility that your dog vomited because she ingested bark from one of these trees. 

It is interesting to note that the oak tree is poisonous to dogs. 

Oak trees are not poisonous in their stem bark or leaves but in their acorns which cause vomiting when consumed. 

The dog might have swallowed an acorn accidentally.

Why do dogs chew sticks?

Its not just stuck that dogs love to chew.

There are four main reasons why people chew sticks: taste teeth cleaning mental stimulation and habit

It might seem strange to say that dogs chew sticks for the taste but they must have a musty “je ne sais quoi”. It must be very simple.

Despite the fact that she loves chewing sticks I do not believe she does it for the flavor alone.

During chewing a dogs teeth are cleaned by the stick.

I see this by the way that my dog sometimes chews the stick with her front teeth before switching to the side of the mouth. 

Dogs are also very peaceful when chewing as it relaxes them.

Chewing on a dog is similar to some repetitive tasks that people do.

For example tapping your feet.

Last but not least dogs chew sticks out of habit.

While we are out for our daily walks we often throw sticks at our dogs for them to chase.

In order to play they have to sit down and chew the stick they just fetched. 

Chewing is an essential part of a dogs design. A dogs jaws are among the strongest muscles it has.

The ultimate chew toy for many dogs is an animal bone.

Even though dogs mostly chew on bones because they love the taste can it be said that they chew sticks because they love the taste?

Perhaps but I do not think thats the main reason. 

Sticks even at their best will only provide a dog with a very simple musty flavor.

Can a dog’s stomach dissolve wood?

In spite of the fact that your dog did not vomit after eating a stick you are not out of the woods yet.

There are also other things that can go wrong.

Therefore people wonder if wood can be dissolved in the stomach of a dog. 

A dogs stomach contains very strong acids – at times it is stronger than battery acid.

It has a pH level below PH1 which is perfect for dissolving meat and bones. 

However probably not wood!

Although it may make it softer it would not dissolve it. 

You need to make sure that the wood has become soft enough so that the dog would not be injured as it travels from the stomach to become poop.

What does it mean if your dog poops blood?

Pooping blood is another symptom that you might notice in your dog.

It means that the stomach hasnot softened the wood enough which has caused the dog to be cut while exiting the stomach.

It may have cut the dog on its way down to the stomach! 

You are seeing blood in your dogs poop because of this. 

Is it possible to train a dog not to chew sticks?

Perhaps the next question is whether or not to call a vet if your dog ate wood and threw up?

At what point should you call the vet?

You might have dodged a bullet if your dog ate wood and threw up just once before seeming fine thereafter.

Its unlikely you’ll need to contact a veterinarian.

Nevertheless if your dog continues to throw up you should open your contacts app and find your veterinarians number. 

If your dog throws up and does not seem quite themselves afterward you should still call your vet.

Your dog may still have a splinter of a stick stuck somewhere in its throat or intestines.

Can a dog be trained not to eat wood?

Reading all of this it should not be surprising to realize just how dangerous eating wood can be for dogs.

Is it possible to train a dog to not chew wood or eat it?

As long as a dog is trained properly it can learn this skill.

But it also means that if throwing sticks is part of your everyday life together it may be time to stop! 

There are plenty of other things that your dog can safely chew on and get similar levels of satisfaction from. 

Conclusion

It is very frightening to see your dog throw up. 

The voice in your head can make it seem worse if it occurs after they have eaten wood.

The voice telling you that it was stupid to let them chew on a stick in the first place.

Hopefully your dog will not be seriously hurt and you will use the incident to make sure that in the future your dog chews on objects that are safer than sticks!

If you want to read more about dog health tips read here: Dog Health Tips and Tricks.

My Dog Ate Wood And Is Throwing Up (Watch Video)