Pica?

[LaFlaca]

After 10 wonderful years with Wendy, who ate (barely!) to live but did not live to eat, it is new and exciting to share my life with a chow-hound like Lola. Lola loves food! Yesterday, she ate the greens I put down for our box turtles. Unfortunately, I've caught Lola eating non-food items like aquarium gravel, a live garden snail and a chunk of a pool noodle. I was able to get the poor snail and the chunk of pool noodle out of her mouth before she swallowed. From my limited understanding, pica in dogs can be caused by nutritional deficiencies (doubtful in Lola's case) or behavioral issues due to things like anxiety and boredom. She does have mild separation anxiety. Perhaps she needs more exercise?

 

I'd love to hear advice/thoughts from other GT'ers.

[smurfette]

How old she? In my experience doing loads of those nonsense stuff often is the result of boredom, or just plain curiosity - especially when young. Try some exercises for her little, too clever for her own good brain that include some really fancy treaties.

 

If it is a nutritient related issue you can start feeding green tripe once or twice the week. That stopped my boy Andy from eating poop.

[NeylasMom]

Pica is an actual medical issue, very different from picking up/chewing things out of boredom or a lack of physical/mental stimulation. It's also not particularly common in my experience. If you truly suspect your dog has pica, you need the help of a professional, preferably a veterinary behaviorist, or at least your vet.

 

Here's a resource from a trusted trainer:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/pica-eating-things-that-arent-food

[LaFlaca]

How old she? In my experience doing loads of those nonsense stuff often is the result of boredom, or just plain curiosity - especially when young. Try some exercises for her little, too clever for her own good brain that include some really fancy treaties.

 

If it is a nutritient related issue you can start feeding green tripe once or twice the week. That stopped my boy Andy from eating poop.

Lola is 2 years old and she is extremely curious. She investigates everything, very much like a human toddler. I routinely feed her green tripe;she gets a very varied diet. I agree that her busy brain needs additional stimulation.

 

Pica is an actual medical issue, very different from picking up/chewing things out of boredom or a lack of physical/mental stimulation. It's also not particularly common in my experience. If you truly suspect your dog has pica, you need the help of a professional, preferably a veterinary behaviorist, or at least your vet.

 

Here's a resource from a trusted trainer:

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/pica-eating-things-that-arent-food

What concerns me is that she doesn't just mouth the stuff she picks up, she actually eats it. I've begun providing more physical activity and games for mental stimulation along with the thickest bully sticks I can find to satisfy her need to chew. If the behavior continues, I will definitely consult the vet. Hopefully, it's just puppy silliness and curiosity about her new environment (she's only been home a month).

 

Great info. on the link, NeylasMom...thank you!

Edited October 4, 2017 by LaFlaca

[Remolacha]

At 2, she still has a lot of puppy in her, so curiosity would be my guess. That said, I am constantly telling 12.5 yr old Conner (also a chow hound) “stop eating random crap off the ground!” So some dogs never get over putting things in their mouth

[NeylasMom]

Lola is 2 years old and she is extremely curious. She investigates everything, very much like a human toddler. I routinely feed her green tripe;she gets a very varied diet. I agree that her busy brain needs additional stimulation.

 

What concerns me is that she doesn't just mouth the stuff she picks up, she actually eats it. I've begun providing more physical activity and games for mental stimulation along with the thickest bully sticks I can find to satisfy her need to chew. If the behavior continues, I will definitely consult the vet. Hopefully, it's just puppy silliness and curiosity about her new environment (she's only been home a month).

 

Great info. on the link, NeylasMom...thank you!

There could be a resource guarding component at this point. If she's picking this stuff up to chew on because she considers them items of value and you've gotten into the habit of just taking them away from her (prying her mouth open for instance) then she may be learning that in order to keep her valuable possessions she needs to do something about it. This often starts by the dog clamping down harder, turning away (putting their body in between you and the resource) or running away, but we silly humans often ignore those subtle cues and persist in chasing the dog down and taking the item. Thus, the dog learns those nice ways of telling you aren't working and feels the need to escalate. For most dogs that means growling, and possibly eventually snapping or biting, but for some dogs it's just easier to swallow the object.

[juliemac]

my 4yo girlie (mookie, who sometimes gets called other names) has a preference for my Birkenstock sandals. She prefers the LEFT shoe, and does not like any of the styles currently available on Amazon (only my fancy prints that are not replaceable). With one exception, I was able to remove the destroyed sandal before she ingested the leather, cork, or rubber (?) bottom. For the one that I needed to recover, Mookie left a trail of vomited Birkenstock shreds on every single rug in the house (ew), so I was able to confirm that all of the shoe was expelled. sigh.

 

I've learned that she needs to get the exercise as if she was a 2yo (and of course, I need to keep all shoes resting on designated counters). Since she REALLY likes to chew on things, I now have a stash of beef femur bones that I dole out weekly.

 

Bottom line: young dogs and boredom are not good for your wallet.

[sobesmom]

When you hear hoof-beats, assume horses, not Zebras.

 

You're jumping to Zebras.

 

This is new dog curiosity. Go back to new dog 101. Put away anything the dog shouldn't put its mouth on. Monitor. Train.

Edited October 9, 2017 by sobesmom

[LaFlaca]

When you hear hoof-beats, assume horses, not Zebras.

 

You're jumping to Zebras.

 

This is new dog curiosity. Go back to new dog 101. Put away anything the dog shouldn't put its mouth on. Monitor. Train.

 

Yes, ma'am...no more zebras. I've taught her the "leave it" command and have put interesting stuff out of her reach. Just to keep things interesting though, Lola tried to eat a dove feather she found in the yard yesterday. (sigh).

[sobesmom]

Yes, ma'am...no more zebras. I've taught her the "leave it" command and have put interesting stuff out of her reach. Just to keep things interesting though, Lola tried to eat a dove feather she found in the yard yesterday. (sigh).

Excellent! Give yourself a pat on the back (seriously - we worry all the time, and don't take the opportunity to congratulate ourselves enough. So just do it! )

 

So what if she eats a feather? Even with training, she'll probably eat stuff for a while. Pick your battles. A feather is nothing. Many of my greys would've eaten a feather just out of curiosity. No harm.