Hi Everyone
I need to share something and maybe get some advice.
We have an area rug in our living room. There is a 6 inch area all the way around where the hardwood is and the area rug does not cover. There is foam padding under the area rug. Do you have an idea where this is going? Cody has been driving us crazy! He roots up under the rug and tears off pieces of the foam padding and eats it. We have tried to take it from him which leads to us chasing him. This has ended up being a fun game for him and he is doing it constantly now. I have been so scared that he is going to have some sort of intestinal blockage. The good thing is that I have seen him pass this stuff in his poop. Last night DH suggested that we put red cayenne pepper around the edges and under the rug on the foam. The carpeting is brown, so you can't see the red cayenne pepper. This seems to have helped the situation. But it makes me feel bad when I see him smacking his mouth and rubbing his face. I know he got in it and I don't like hurting him. I am hoping this will teach him not to mess with it. What are your thoughts. I am starting to feel like a bad "Mama".
The last 24 hours has been really bad with him. Last night he was chewing on a chew toy. I noticed a weird crunch noise. I moved him and the toy and noticed that he had lost one of his baby teeth. This morning there was already a tooth coming back into that area. I noticed the tooth on the opposite side was also loose. He has been very difficult today and into everything. DH lost his temper and yelled at him and was going on and on. DH got ready to go outside in the front yard and Cody bolted for the door. He ran out in the street and DH could not get him back. I went out there with a squeaky toy and was able to get him. This whole thing made DH even more mad because we had a hard time getting him back. Later, I went outside and the same thing happened with me. He ran across the street to the neighbors house. I had to go get him and he didn't want to come to me. I swear he acted like a wild animal. I got him back in the house and he was playing with the chew toy again. He started licking his mouth in a weird way. I opened his mouth and his tooth was just barely hanging on. I removed it so it wouldn't continue to bother him. He didn't cry and it didn't bleed.
Have either of you experienced this with your dogs? The last 24 hours have been very trying with him and I'm concerned with him not coming when called, etc. He doesn't normally act like this. He is starting to act very independent and like I said, like a wild animal.
Also, what are your thoughts on the red pepper? Is that cruel or is it better than him eating the foam. Us trying to get the foam from him is like a game so he was getting worse with that.
ETA: It almost seems like he's worse today. It's like he's resentful because of the pepper. I am probably reading more into this than it is.
Ugh! I hope things improve.
DH and I have never wanted children, but I thought today that I am so glad that I didn't have them. I don't think I have the patience to deal with all of that. I would also worry myself sick all the time. We do have a couple crates in the house. It does help to crate him at times. We have to crate him when we eat since he won't leave you alone. When he gets crazy and we crate him, he is calm when he comes back out. The red pepper seems to have helped. I think he only ate 2 small pieces of the foam. He didn't really even attempt it much. I went to look at the areas where he got it and there was not much pepper there. I reapplied those areas. 
Again, thank you so much. It sounds like you have been through a lot with your babies. 
