Cherie, I hope Zoey gets passed the temptation of eating her catches. It is a worry. Roxy has spent the past several months bringing her 'prizes' into the house (dead of course) and laying them at our feet. Then she will sit and smile very proudly at us. It is sooo funny. So far she's brought in 2 dead birds, baby bunny, couple of small frogs (1 live/1 dead), 2 dead moles and I think a couple other critters. I sit there not knowing how to react. Do I praise her? Do I scold her? Never know what's the correct thing to do. Nothing is going to remove that instinct to hunt from her. So brace yourself, there could be more treasures anytime she's outside.
So far I give her the 'leave it' command (which she's very good at), get a paper towel to pick up her prize & dispose of it. That works for me, but then she hasn't eaten it. If Zoey is going to eat her catches, ask the vet what all you can do to handle the situation safely in case you aren't able to reach your vet at the time. Good luck!!! |