When will this dog stop chewing? I posted that a few days ago, within two day, he chewed Vince’s computer cord and then my computer cord and before you say “keep them away from him”, we had tried. I’ve been leaving my cord in the bedroom and plugging my computer in at night when Oscar is in his crate. But, Vince was sharing my computer cord til we got another one and it was out, though it really was out of sight til . . he jumped up in my chair, was peacefully chewing his bone. I was using the computer with it plugged in because I have to grab the cord when Vince isn’t using it. I heard Oscar chewing on his bone and then . . it no longer sounded like him crunching on his bone. Nope – it was my computer cord. Vince was able to put it back together and put tape around it.
The very next night, we were sitting not 3′ from Oscar and Vince and I were watching football. I pride myself in knowing what he’s doing every minute but obviously, the game was more interesting than keeping Oscar safe and out of trouble.
We’ve been using this little heater downstairs to keep the chill away when we’ve had to keep the windows open due to radon. I have a bin of cross stitching charts and then the black ottoman against that wall so he could not get to the cord . . but he did. Neither of us can figure out how he got to the cord. He chewed it and he got quite a shock. Then the heater fell – not on him but close enough to scar him half to death. Then I was yelling for Vince “He needs help”. Oscar was screaming like he was really in pain. I finally got him to stop screaming and looked in his mouth, around his mouth, everywhere on his body, and I couldn’t find any burn marks. His heart was beating so fast – for almost an hour and he was taking about 45 breaths per minute. I called our vet and she felt like it would have taken more of a jolt than he got to cause internal damages. She said that even though he likely got a shock, there would probably be burns around his mouth if he was injured. She told me if he was still hyperventilating in the morning and his pulse was still very high, to bring him in.
The rest of the night, he sat very still and kept looking over at the wall where the heater had been. He would play, He had to be sitting with one of us. He was happy to eat his treats we offered and he drank water. The entire night he was quiet and very still. We let him sleep with us because I didn’t want to leave him alone all night in case he needed help .. like I could have done anything to help him.
By the next morning, he was fine. You can see from the picture that the cord is now inside PVC pipe. I’m going to say this . . knowing I’m wrong . . but there’s no way Oscar can move that ottoman to get to the small part of the cord not in PVC pipe. I can’t move that ottoman (it’s stuffed full of charts/linen0) plus there’s three tubs of charts/linen on top of the ottoman.
There are no other cores in the family room. The computer cords are back in the bedroom, as are the phone and table cords. Everything goes into the bedroom to charge at night. The door is closed at all times.
I definitely felt like a horrible puppy mom but I’m so glad he doesn’t appear to have any injuries.
Nancy H says
We had a dog that chewed cords. We lost so many. I had a lamp next to my chair that he got one time. My husband fixed it and I used it for years but recently I noticed the plug was overheating when I had the lamp turned on. Out she goes and I had to buy a new stitching lamp. But the time my 2 year old son decided to plug in the vacuum cleaner for me was the scariest thing. He had a finger between the prongs. He got shocked. Luckily he was not hurt but he would not walk past that plug in for years. He would walk around the table as far away as he could get. He still has a very healthy respect for electricity and he is now 46.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Oh, goodness. That had to have been scary. I’m glad your son was ok.
justquiltin says
Many many years ago (because I had a waterbed at the time so long ago) my first dog crawled behind the headboard (which I didn’t think it could even fit into that space) and chewed on the heater cord one night. He had never been a cord chewer before and never was again but I awoke to a bright flash, and a dog screaming – a sound I have never heard before or since and never want to again – as he flew out of there and jumped on the bed by me. Checked him all over and finally found a divot out of the side of his lip (he had black lips) that was missing and cauterized. No other ill effects but not fun to experience for the dog or me!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I can only hope that Oscar will remember this and stay away from cords but I’m not optimistic.
Cheryl B says
We painted our exposed cords with Tabasco. Yes it was messy but once he decided the hot was not tasty we cleaned them up and watched to make certain the cords were off the menu. Several weeks I think. Worst part was the Tabasco smell.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We did the same thing with the wooden barrier we didn’t want him to chew through. The first few times, he sniffed it and walked away but after about a week, it wasn’t even phasing him. He chewed enough spindles from the “fence”, that he can now walk right through it.
Rosalie says
I ordered some bitter orange spray from amazon to keep my donkeys from chewing on the trees- you might try that. At least it isn’t as bad as Tabasco in odor.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I have bitter apple and that doesn’t stop him. It did for a while but I think he got immmune to it. I’ll try the bitter orange. Thanks.
Nelle Coursey says
There is also Bitter Yuck that is meant for cats and dogs. You can even put that on them to keep them from chewing their feet, etc.
I may have told you this story before, but we had a cat who did this and she did it one too many times! She was not hurt but she never went around any cords again!
Also, way back in the 1950’s when I was a youngster, mother had been washing that day and we had a wringer washer, We just let the water go out on the back yard. Daddy had a light on the end of a cord and I had left my doll bottles outside. You guessed it, I walked out in the back yard with no shoes on and right through that wet grass! I had no idea there was a frayed edge on the lamp cord, but I soon found out!! I knocked the lights out in the house and that was all that saved me. I had blisters in my hands and on my feet bottoms! My mother put olive oil on them. She had called the ER doctor to tell them and they told her what to do. They said if I was still having problems the next morning to bring me in. I guess I wasn’t because I didn’t go in! LOL Now you know what is wrong with me.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
There’s NOTHING wrong with you! 🙂
I bet that hurt like crazy and scared the heck out of you.
Angie says
I have three doxies and they never ate cords. But my oldest one, Emmie Lou would take bites out of her blankets. Brutus Beefcake loves chew toys. He chews holes in them to get squeaky out. He still plays with them without stuffing. Raven is the sweetest laid back pup. She doesn’t chew or tear up anything. Eventually he will stop chewing. Maybe this shock will put a scare in him to leave cords alone.