Gastrointestinal pain or illness can also cause animals, particularly cats, to eat non-food items.īut a lot of foreign-body ingestions are sparked by stress and boredom. I once had a kitty patient with an immune-system disease who licked bricks anytime the condition was out of control. ![]() And, although troublesome DNA isn’t an illness, some breeds such as Labradors seem hardwired to think they are being starved.ĭiseases that cause anemia or low red blood cell counts can create cravings for soil and clay-like substances. The same applies if they are on prednisone, a drug that increases hunger. If they are excessively hungry due to a medical condition such as Cushings disease in dogs or hyperthyroidism in cats, they might eat just about anything. There are two categories of reasons animals eat foreign objects: medical and behavioural. The only thing more bewildering than how a puppy eats a breadknife is why. And, if they unknowingly eat something toxic because it looks like food, well why not? Instincts only go so far to protect us.īut why eat non-food items such as elastics, erasers, knives, cell phones, chains and staples? All of these were found inside pets across the continent last year. We’ve all made one too many trips to the buffet at some point. When the stuff that’s ingested is at least food-like, it’s not hard to understand why our pets might overindulge. I’ve written it about kitties that cleaned out the butter dish on my table and hounds that nearly killed themselves eating toxic compost. ![]() It could apply to anything from a lab gobbling down an enormous bowl of dog food to that same fellow ripping into a deer carcass found in the forest. Why do dogs and cats eat stuff they shouldn’t?įaced with patients showing gastrointestinal symptoms, vets often write “dietary indiscretion” on their lists of possible causes. In the meantime, you’ll have to keep a close eye on your pup to make sure they don’t have access to any non-edible items.In the wake of a huge Christmas dinner, it seems fitting to consider the phrase “dietary indiscretion”, but here we’ll focus on pets, not our gluttonous selves. If the pica is caused by a nutritional deficiency, they might need you to give a detailed list of the food your dog eats. If pica is caused by a medical condition, your vet can prescribe medication that treats the condition. ![]() Certain medical conditions or nutritional deficiencies can also be responsible for pica If your dog’s mental health does not improve, your veterinarian may recommend putting your pup on some medication to calm their nerves. ![]() Offer them enrichment, make sure their walks are long and stimulating, and use reinforcement training to stop your dog from eating everyday items. In the meantime, you should try and keep your dog happy. They can get to the root cause of your dog’s behavioral issues or separation anxiety and write out a detailed training plan to help your pup. If your dog is bored, stressed, and anxious, it will help to enroll a veterinary behaviorist or dog trainer. Pica is most commonly a psychological issue. The treatment of pica depends on the cause, but we’ve added some of the most common so that you know what pica treatment involves.
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