Nutrient imbalances can be linked to hormonal issues which stop your dog from absorbing the nutrients and minerals from the day to day food. Mud eating could be linked to Pica and thus behavioral reconditioning, environmental enrichment, reducing anxiety and stress, and keeping mud away from the dog would be the answer, however please also ask your vet to run some bloodwork to check for Anemia or a Nutrient or mineral imbalance first. Dogs with pica often have some type of digestive disturbance as reflected in their abnormal dietary preferences, and improved levels of nutrition can help. This is usually a compulsive behavior issue for dogs, but that is not the only reason dogs can develop these issues. As you can imagine, pica can cause several underlying problems and is very unsanitary. The most common form of it is coprophagy, which is when a dog eats feces. However, if the dog is particularly stressed or anxious then pharmacological intervention may be required in the form of SSRI'S or TCA’s. Pica is a condition where dogs consume things that are not edible. If the behaviour is associated with hypokinesis and compulsive behaviour then this is often brought about by stress or lack of mental stimulation, so it would be necessary to reduce stress. For example with ‘leave it’ and ‘drop it.’ Train an alternative response to refocus attention away from risky objects. Eating non-food materials may be associated with behavioral issues or health. Manage the environment to prevent your dog accessing dangerous items. The medical term for eating dirt, rocks, or any other non-food materials is pica.
Pica often presents with compulsive and hyperkinetic disorders, therefore: “The appetitive seeking system may be overly active, resulting in hyper arousal and excessive exploratory activity, chewing, and eating of non-nutritive items- signs consistent with hyperkinesis.” (Lindsay, 2005). Dogs with pica often have some type of digestive disturbance as reflected in their abnormal dietary preferences, and improved levels of nutrition can help to reduce that behaviour.’ Three or four small meals daily are physiologically easier for the body to digest, absorb, and assimilate as opposed to one or two larger daily meals. If the problem is to do with parasites say, then that could be treated and if nutrition, then Black (2018) suggests changing diet, taking a supplement, probiotic and some antioxidants may be used alongside looking at a change in frequency of feeding: The source could be both medical and behavioural and so assessment from a vet should be obtained in the first instance.Īccording to Veterinarian Dr Kelly Black (2018), ‘anything from starvation or nutritional imbalances to hormonal imbalances and diseases such as diabetes and thyroid problems can all contribute to the condition’ and so blood, urine, stool, and other tests to check for improper digestion/malabsorption, the presence of parasites, and more, should be done before approaching the problem from a behavioural perspective. Puppies are especially fond of eating things they come across, such as leaves, trash, stones, and dead animals. Pica may be defined as scavenging forbidden food and eating non-nutritive objects.
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