Does Your Dog Eat Strange Things?

Pica in Dogs

If your dog has ever chewed or eaten strange things, I’m sure you’ve wondered why and if it’s normal. Pica disorder is the continual consumption of non-food items, and it can be behavioral (learned) or compulsive. Do all stick-chewing dogs have a pica disorder? Thankfully, no. Let’s discuss different causes of and solutions for pica.

Is It Chewing or Pica?

Oh, this is the magic question! Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to note pica disorder is the ingestion (swallowing) of weird things frequently (two or more times). If your puppy accidentally swallows a rock, it could be just that–an accident. If it recently happens again, it could be a red “pica” flag. It’s important to distinguish between pica and chewing because they are two totally different things, but can be linked.

Chewing

Chewing of non-food items is not considered a pica disorder. However, if your dog constantly seeks out strange objects, chews and ingests them, then I would be concerned. It’s important to redirect him to appropriate chewing items.

Let’s discuss a common scenario: dogs chewing on sticks. Most dogs enjoy chewing wood, and sticks are pretty easy to hold with two paws and find in the backyard. When chewing, some pieces are accidentally swallowed while most chards are left behind, which is most common (not pica indicative). This is normal, but should be discouraged by replacing sticks with appropriate chews items. Then, remove all access to sticks by clearing your yard of them. This prevents your dog from learning to enjoy chewing sticks.

Pica

If you’ve ever witnessed it, then you know what I’m talking about. Dogs will seek out strange things to chew and ingest. When one of my dogs has a tummy issue, he will literally gobble up grass and leaves until I bring him indoors. Once his tummy feels better, his pica behavior ends. Yes, coprophagia (ingesting feces) is considered a pica disorder. Dogs either learn to enjoy the taste of feces, have medical issue (illness) or become compulsive.

RELATED: Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?

Causes of Pica

Behavioral

A behavioral cause means dogs have learned to continuously ingest non-food items, such as rocks, sticks, clothes, leaves, grass and anything else they can fit in their mouth. If dogs are allowed to practice chewing or picking up specific items, they’ll learn to enjoy it and seek out specific objects. This usually involves the ingestion of chards or accidentally swallowing the whole thing.

We all know practice makes perfect so it’s important to curb chewing and mouthing of inappropriate items quickly. If you notice this happening, play a game of trade by offering a delicious treat for the inappropriate item. Then, provide an appropriate chew toy, such as a bully stick.

Now, behavior-induced pica is usually more common in breeds of dogs that were bred for retrieving, meaning they instinctively pick up, explore and carry items in their mouth. If you share your home with sporting breeds, you’ve probably noticed your Labrador Retriever touch just about everything with his teeth, lips and tongue. 🙂

Prevention is key!

Compulsive

Sometimes, and thankfully it happens rarely, dogs will have an irresistible urge to constantly swallow specific non-food items. Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to rule out lack of proper nutrition or illness before deciding on a compulsive behavior diagnosis. If your dog routinely swallows rocks and has had surgery to remove the obstruction, then I highly recommend seeking advice from your veterinarian. Nutrition-induced pica usually resolves itself once your dog is provided with needed nutrition. Illness, normally  gastrointestinal based ones, is a common cause of eating strange objects. However, your vet should perform diagnostics to undercover and treat the issue.

Once nutrition and illness have been ruled out and pica behavior continues, ask for a referral to a veterinary animal behaviorist who specializes in obsessive compulsive disorders. Compulsive disorders do not halt if left untreated, and fitting your dog with a muzzle to prevent ingestion of non-food items is like putting a Band-Aid on a gushing wound–it’s not resolving the issue.

Good luck, and remember an ounce of prevention is worth its weight in gold!