ksrocktumbler
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by ksrocktumbler on Aug 26, 2013 23:39:18 GMT -5
Our dog licked up some of the sludge when we emptied the contents of barrel to wash and change "charge" mixture to a finer grit. We were dumping sludge from step 1 heavier grain grit. It looked like cement mix.
Dog probably at - at most-- 3-4 tablespoons...not much. And she's still responsive. So, I didn't rush her to vet - yet.
Our dog seems a bit sluggish and not her usual self...and is sleepy and not hyper. She can still get up and does respond, just not like usual. NO whimpering, crying, barfing or diarrhea yet. Just slow movement and looks like she's not feeling super well.
That was about 5:30-6 p.m. pst. Almost 4 hours ago.
I read some google posts about dogs eating concrete mix. Mixed reviews on that- some people said it's toxic and caustic to the stomach and esophageal wall lining...others said their dog ate a bunch and was just fine and didn't need to go to vet.
Any suggestions on what to expect. Any suggestions on what I could give her? Olive or Rice Bran oil? rice? Pumpkin? Pepcid AC or something?
Thanks...
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,564
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Post by jamesp on Aug 26, 2013 23:59:41 GMT -5
Concrete is stronger than any rocks i have ever tumbled in terms of being caustic. Some rocks are poisonous though.. If you are tumbling agate or quartz i would not worry. Green/blue rocks high in copper would worry me most. I always give them neutral food like rice. If you have handled the sludge and it did not dry your hands out then i doubt it is very caustic. You can give the dog peroxide and it will vomit it's stomach contents up. After 4 hours it may be late for vomit. You can look up the peroxide method on the net. My wife does it on occasion for situations like this. Some people put the slurry on the garden. I think you are safe personally.
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 27, 2013 0:00:07 GMT -5
What type of rocks were you tumbling, and how much grit was still in the sludge ? The grit could be cutting your dog internally, and depending on the mineral content of the rocks you were tumbling, she may be poisoned as well. If you care for your dog as much as I do mine, get her to the vet now. And take a sample of the sludge with you.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,564
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Post by jamesp on Aug 27, 2013 0:02:22 GMT -5
Some rocks have arsenic. It is important you do not have any particularly poisonous rocks though. You could PM Jean-rockpickforever-she is all about dogs and grinding rocks on a large scale.
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rolanstones
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2013
Posts: 95
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Post by rolanstones on Aug 27, 2013 0:02:55 GMT -5
I am not a vet, but I can tell you this. I have a 2 year old lab that likes to eat anything. She eats small rocks, dirt, and has eaten some sludge from off the lawn where I was cleaning. I certainly would watch the behavior for any signs that went beyond indigestion, but i have seen no real ill effects I saw from any of her experience eating this stuff. I no longer dump or rinse where she can get at it, but to my knowledge there is nothing toxic, just abrasive. My dog passed the material without a problem, and without getting to graphic, I can always tell when she has been eating dirt by the stool.
Concrete is a caustic material and would be of much greater concern, but grit sludge does not have the same kind of lye material in it. I would give the dog some olive oil to help keep things moving.
As I said, I am not a vet and if you see any real signs of distress I would at least call your vet for advice. I have seen my own dogs eat a lot of gritty dirt and mud over the years and they had no real problems as a result.
Hope this helps you.
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ksrocktumbler
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by ksrocktumbler on Aug 27, 2013 0:22:36 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for your fast responses! Very helpful indeed. We were mixing a little bit of everything from Northern California Sonoma County general rocks to a (few) colorful rocks from OH. Some of our rocks were brown, some light green, some clear, some pinkish (one or two) and some little ones blue. To the best of my knowledge, these rocks were nothing special or expensive. FOund most of them near our home here in the dirt. (can you tell I'm a newbie?) And we were using a pretty darn small barrel (so there wasn't a lot of sludge coming out total-- maybe 1-1/2 - 2 cups total (if that). She licked probably at most-- I correct myself from earlier-- I'm going to say at most 2-3 tbsp. So, very little I think was actually ingested. What concerned me was not only the rock sludge itself, but whatever is in the Stage 1/step 1 grit/polishing agent that we originally put into the barrel with the rocks. I could go in the garage and peek at the jar...you folks probably have an idea of what makes up stage 1/step 1 polishing agent for rock tumblers... I was shocked that she licked this stuff! I did not expect her to do this. Now I know not to have her around anywhere I dump this stuff. (We were doing a little experiment and pouring it into holes in the driveway to see if it will act as a "filler" like concrete haha. I have no idea if it will harden the same way...probably not? I got some on my foot and it dried and everything...it dried as a pale gray (almost white) and my foot is fine...just wore off after a few hours and didn't bother the skin. MY son got it on his hands/fingers. We just rinsed with water. Everything seems fine with our hands too. Because her well being is important, I am calling urgent care animal hospital just to be on the safe side, and will be watching her carefully. My gut is telling me she is okay. She's a bit under the weather and sluggish (not as peppy as usual)...but other than that-- a tummy ache perhaps? I don't see any urgent signs of distress...she is still responsive like I mentioned. I don't know about dogs though-- HORSES will definitely let you know if they are having digestive tract distress. bad news for poor horses (If a twisted gut). We'll see what the vet says. I might take pics later anyhow and send these pics to this forum to see if you guys/ladies who are very good at this can tell us what these are after all. Hopefully, she'll be on the mend by that time I will ask the vet if they're willing to give advice over the phone if I can give her olive or rice bran oil...it's all I have here other than margarine or crisco In the mean time, thank you so much for reading and responding.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Aug 27, 2013 0:50:09 GMT -5
I don't think you have anything to worry about. Coarse grit is almost always silicon carbide, which isn't poisonous. It would be possible but highly unusual for it to be Aluminum oxide, but that is not poison either. So the only risk would be from either the rocks you were tumbling that were in the slurry, but you say there was nothing unusual, or from the amount of slurry consumed, which you say was tiny. Your dog pretty much ate a few tablespoons of dirt (soil). Keep an eye on them, but all should be fine. -Don
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ksrocktumbler
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by ksrocktumbler on Aug 27, 2013 9:50:15 GMT -5
Yes, I believe you are right-- silicon carbide is what we used. Gave dog rice bran oil and some rice last night. Bathroom breaks and offered water (strangely, she refused water). She's back to normal this morning. Same perky juvenile antics as usual! Thanks for all of the feedback. Have a great day!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 27, 2013 9:59:40 GMT -5
Glad to hear that your dog is back to normal. You can never be too cautious. Wonder what inspired her to sample the sludge? Jean
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Aug 27, 2013 10:48:12 GMT -5
Were you using any Borax or other detergent in your tumble? If so, you should tell the vet, as I know Borax, among other things, is used as a pesticide. Not sure what's in detergent, but it can't hurt to cover all the bases. Good luck!
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