Eating Dirt

[spottydog]

My grey Django has started eating mud recently, but only in a couple of places in the yard, under fruit trees. There had been rotten crab apples lying around in these areas but the fruit has long since disappeared. The melting ice covering these areas probably had traces of alcoholic rotten fruit and has permeated the soil. Is it possible he's after the lingering smell of the alcoholic fruit? Or is there something lacking in his diet? He's on a limited ingredient food, Wellness Turkey and Potato. He seemed to get an upset stomach after his dirt snack and was pacing in the night until I let him out, and of course, he had the trots. Anybody else's dog do this? Thoughts?

[juliemac]

Riley has two holes that he's dug (and dug, and dug) ... he likes the dirt from THOSE HOLES.

 

I think there were bodies in those holes at some time in the past.

[TheFullHouse]

I had one who would eat dirt and get sick. A muzzle with a stool guard solved the problem.

[cleptogrey]

annie eats dirt looking for grubs! she must have watched too many bizzare foods episode w/ us.

it seems as if some dogs are dirt eaters, some poop eaters. there has been a dirt blog in the past. if you dog gets sick then judy's advice is the best.

[spottydog]

Thank goodness it's only dirt he likes, excepting bunny poop - come on, who can resist that stuff? My mixed breed has the other Bad Habit, so I'm pretty swift with picking up...

[TINMANPDX]

Both of mine do it from time to time (if I recall correctly it happens in spring/summer) - there are a couple of spots in the back yard that they think are pretty tasty. They also eat the tips of the tall grass at this time of year, which I figure must be fresh and sweet. Neither the dirt or the grass gives them tummy issues - actually seems to firm up their poo a bit, and if they've been eating grass, it goes straight through without any digestion .I have seen them try to eat dirt at the park and I stop them from doing it there because of other dogs.

 

It made me crack up that you think Django might be going after that crabapple hard cider dirt :-)

 

[Guest Jcanone]

My 10 year old greyhound likes to eat the dark clay mud like it's ice cream. I've been reading about the reasons here and other websites and will try to supplement his diet. He has pancreatitus which limits us to what he can eat safely. Last year the mud seemed to be the cause of an intestinal infection which made him very ill. I am wondering what can I give him besides carrots that might help fulfill what he is missing from his required (prescribed) bland diet?