Question about dog house bedding

BlacktailsNBobtails · Post by **BlacktailsNBobtails** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:30 pm

I built a pretty trick dog kennel with a drain. I use straw bedding but it gets all over te place and clogs my drain. Any suggestion for something else as the weather is about to turn up here. Something the dogs won't chew up that doesn't get all over the freaking place. Thanks

cowgurl_up01 · Post by **cowgurl_up01** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:50 pm

Good luck with that lol if u find something please share with the rest of us we use straw they make a huge mess but its pretty cheap and not bad to clean up but with ur drain I would say put a small screen in it to catch it then u just have to clean ur screen not ur whole drain u might try ceder chips with the screen there bigger then hay and it keeps the fleas away

Dale T · Post by **Dale T** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:07 pm

I use grass hay it doesn't break down like straw also we have a 6in lip at the front of the dogs house's to keep the dogs from pulling the grass out when they come out of there box's.

Unreal_tk · Post by **Unreal_tk** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:42 pm

I've been using straw with a good size lip like the last guy stated. I really don't get much straw out of the houses.

cowgurl_up01 · Post by **cowgurl_up01** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:06 pm

I gotta lip on mine to but two of the girls are pigs they pull every bit out lol

zachvu · Post by **zachvu** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:26 pm

Haven't tried it, but sawdust might work? I'd imagine with a little pressure it would wash right down the drains without causing much of a mess.

captd · Post by **captd** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 11:37 pm

For barrel houses use a few inches of fine sawdust under the straw, adds some insulation and seems to hold the straw better

driftwood blue · Post by **driftwood blue** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 12:03 am

If you use Sawdust-- Be VERY, VERY certain that it has no walnut in it..

that is from a very sad experience-- lost over 1/2 a litter in about 93 from that.

Fitz · Post by **Fitz** » Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:16 am

Drift wood- what's the walnut do? My buddy just used it as the only bedding for his last litter of walkers. None died though. Should I tell him not to use it again? He cut a ton of walnut and sold it as fire wood so he had plenty of sawdust left over.

redheadw/redtick · Post by **redheadw/redtick** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 11:55 am

It has some sort of oils in it. I work in a cabinet shop and a big horse operation. The stables would take all our shavings but told me to let them know if any walnut was run so they could throw that trailer load away. I guess the oils absorbed don't even have to be eaten to be lethal.

Fitz · Post by **Fitz** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:49 am

Wow I had no clue!

driftwood blue · Post by **driftwood blue** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 12:56 am

Do not know about English Walnut-- we do not have them here-- the regular Balck Walnut has like was mentioned an oil "juglans that can be toxic to some animals.. the litter I had was in about 93 and was born while I was working at Rosenberg TX... the fellow I had checking on things called me and said something was seriously wrong... 4 were already dead. noses,lips and eyes swollen and infected.. mover them to a small doghouse with straw and gave them pen. shots brought 3 out of it.. you might want to google walnut toxic problems and see--- I know a good many years back there was a fellow near where I grew up that had some gates made of walnut lumber-- had a horse that started cribbing-- GRAVE YARD DEAD-- broke that sucker of stump sucking!

Fitz · Post by **Fitz** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:32 am

Ha ha ha that's one way to break em of suckin air or cribbin! It's kinda counter productive though.