I do rescue and have rescued several breeds but this is my first. I was called to a vet office on a "scary" wolf a few months back. He was hit by a truck and managed to live through that with his front leg dangling! he was finally picked up and still left unattened for the 3 day "waiting/claiming" period- long story short, when I went out to look at him I couldnt leave him there! Already loved enough to have been altered, but couldnt be claimed- its illegal in that city- so his leg was ampuated and between the horrible prior infection and few set backs, he is doing great... on that part! ok, my problem is, he is an indoor/outdoor guy now- house trained, the works- BUT he wouldnt eat much right after he started getting around... I took him in and they couldnt find anything. Heartworm neg- all bloodwork fine, but he wouldnt eat we tried everything. One night he threw up, A HOT PAD!!! I was devastated- I have dobes and we are a doggy family and now how things disappear, LOL- ok, thought is was a one time thing. He started eating great, doing awesome, BUT WE KEEP catching him trying to eat rags, towels, socks- its so weird. He looks for them! everything gets put up, we have rescues that come in and out and this is the first time in 8 yrs I had this happen! He can reach up to 7ft and open doors, he eats doggy toys- so we have to watch when the others play. what should I do! The vets have no clue, is he lacking something? I mean we have done many rescues and puppies, chewing, but this guy is gonna eat something and get hurt. You can dry your hands, put the towel on the counter and its gone! I am chasing after him to get it away, hes not playing, he eats it! HELP PLEASE! I know this is weird and I dont want negative feed back, we have really tried everything.
HELP! with my wolf hybrid rescue
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Would it make any sense to put a muzzle on him when he's not eating? (regular food, that is)
Maybe he just needs to break the habit; eat just dog food for a couple of weeks and see that he survives.
Maybe he just needs to break the habit; eat just dog food for a couple of weeks and see that he survives.
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How much experience do you have with hybrids?
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I have one (and he's not a wolf hybrid....he's a shih-poo!) that hunts and eats weird things, too. He is the dog that always has to have something in his mouth. He has eaten socks, underwear, plastic, toilet paper, paper towels, regular dish towels, sticks, charcoal, grasshoppers, other bugs, lots of dog toys and the list goes on! But the funny thing is, he's never chewed on his dog bed...but I digress. He has been to the vet. They have tested him for thyroid disorders...negative. He definitely has pica and ocd. He is not on any medicines. Sometimes, I'm at my wits end! Nothing has helped. We just have to watch him like a hawk...it does get trying at times as I'm the only one in the family that really does watch him (sigh). We do love him and he's only 6, tho' how he has made it this long is a mystery. Recently, he got into some trash and the cats Orijen cat food. He also ate a doggie toothbrush with bristles on the same day! Well, he finally got sick...ended up at the vets with pancreatitis. BUT...what would have "done in" any other dog only laid him up for about 3 days. He was lucky this time. My other two dogs are angels! Oh...I've heard you don't get the dog you want, you get the dog you deserve....so, I feel I've done my time for eternity haha! I know this is not much help, but in our case the only thing that we can do is WATCH him as much as we can and sometimes crate him when necessary. I've tried calming tabs. a few times, but not really sure they helped. Good luck, my prayers are with you and your dog.
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with hybrids...they have somewhat different needs generally than a purebred dog.
that is..if he's actually a hybrid...often dogs are mislabeled as hybrids.
if you could post a picture?
anyways Hybrids..especially those that have inherited more wolf traits than dog traits are kind of high strung and need FAR more stimulation than your average dog. they need to be treated with as gentle a hand as possible and tend not to do well as indoor animals. They need a highly secure out door enclosure. eight foot heavy gauge fencing with dig guards, lean ins and electric wiring is bare minimum. they tend to thrive better with a companion animal and also oftentimes do not thrive on dog food, needing actual meat in the diet.
post a photo. if this is a hybrid, I can give you a general idea of his content.
Also look into books by Nicole Wilde.
and check with your vet about the rabies vaccine issue.
hybrids take a LOT of work to maintain properly. Try some training games to see if you can keep his mind stimulated.
that is..if he's actually a hybrid...often dogs are mislabeled as hybrids.
if you could post a picture?
anyways Hybrids..especially those that have inherited more wolf traits than dog traits are kind of high strung and need FAR more stimulation than your average dog. they need to be treated with as gentle a hand as possible and tend not to do well as indoor animals. They need a highly secure out door enclosure. eight foot heavy gauge fencing with dig guards, lean ins and electric wiring is bare minimum. they tend to thrive better with a companion animal and also oftentimes do not thrive on dog food, needing actual meat in the diet.
post a photo. if this is a hybrid, I can give you a general idea of his content.
Also look into books by Nicole Wilde.
and check with your vet about the rabies vaccine issue.
hybrids take a LOT of work to maintain properly. Try some training games to see if you can keep his mind stimulated.
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3,174 Posts
Same here...I have a border collie that eats anything he can, his favorites being cloth things...some things he's eaten are oven mitts, a light bulb 
, rubber bands (that one ended in a trip to the vet), DH's paycheck, doll clothes, bedding, pillows, earrings, various paper and cloth items...he barfed up an entire stuffed animal in his crate once...it's definitely like a compulsion for him, he'll walk past a table with something on it, I saw this with the earrings he ate, and just turn his head and snag something super fast.
He has been to the vet, but all we've done so far is try to manage it, watch him all the time and crate him whenever we can't. He's 2 1/2 now and it's better than it was a year ago, but I think it'll always be something we have to manage. He's a perfect dog in every other way at least.
, rubber bands (that one ended in a trip to the vet), DH's paycheck, doll clothes, bedding, pillows, earrings, various paper and cloth items...he barfed up an entire stuffed animal in his crate once...it's definitely like a compulsion for him, he'll walk past a table with something on it, I saw this with the earrings he ate, and just turn his head and snag something super fast.He has been to the vet, but all we've done so far is try to manage it, watch him all the time and crate him whenever we can't. He's 2 1/2 now and it's better than it was a year ago, but I think it'll always be something we have to manage. He's a perfect dog in every other way at least.
thanks a bunch, stellalucydesi and sheltiemom, I was thinking the same thing. I really dont think its bc he is a hybrid, I just wanted ppl to know putting things "up" doesnt work bc he can reach as high as us. as far as muzzles- no! I can tell you when he was crated the entire rehab time after his surgeries- he didnt eat his bedding, or anything else in the crate- so I dont think it would matter. He doesnt eat his blankets now, while out. I think when he gets more stable on 3 legs, he still falls at times, (front leg) that getting out more and being able to do more might curve or even stop it. For all I know, he started it while he was fending for himself prior to him getting hit... who knows. thanks again.
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