Scratching and Eating

We have a 15 week old Miniature Schnauzer and he has a couple of 'bad habits' that i'm getting more and more concerned over. Firstly, he likes to eat anything. Generally in the garden, he will eat anything he can find.  Bark, birdpoo, grass, stones, dirt, plants, etc.  He even likes to eat things like string and cotton if he sees it.  He just acts like he has never been fed before! The second thing is his scratching.  He started out scratching/itching a little, but now it is becoming more and more excessive. I think he eats healthy and well (not too much or too little) and we feed him a nutritious dry kibble 3 times a day.  Some healthy training treats but no snacking on rubbish. I've inspected for fleas and found no evidence. (he also wakes at 5am EVERY morning no matter how late he slept or how tired he might be...but i guess this is just because he is a puppy!). Before i drag him to a Vets, maybe i can ask in here for the general view and/or whether i may be overthinking :/ Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Stuart

Hello Stuart.  Growing puppies need small meals often, so it may be that feeding a small amount more often is helpful.  Puppy food has a higher density than dog-food because puppies grow at a rate of knotts and need a higher calorie ration in their food, so thats worth checking.  However, some dogs do get ill, eat for England and lose weight - for example if they have diabetes or liver disease.   The way to settle this would be to visit your vet nurse, have them check that his weight and food intake is appropriate to his age / breed and lifestage (they can tell roughly the age of a puppy by checking the teeth if you arent sure).   It is also worth them checking on his dental development as that may explain it - puppies go throw 'teething' like babies.  Make sure that he has something safe to chew on - string makes for a notoriously dangerous foreign body, for example.

(therefore ought to be avoided).

Regarding scratching, always assume that your dog has fleas unless proven otherwise, because they are virtually impossible to rule out.  They don't live on dogs, but in the enviroment.   Dogs can scratch for other reasons, too - in particular pain, mites or nervousness.  Fleas can be easily treated, so they're a good one to hope for.  Your vet will start with a quick examination and take it from there.

I am going to write that again, so that it's clearer, with apologies.  It sounds as though you are happy with your pup's food  intake, so I won't repeat all that, but vet nurses run clinics and are very good at checking that a puppy's diet and growth are appropriate.   It's also worth checking that your pup isn't terthing - and if so, to consider providing something appropriate for mouthing on, because they can tend to cause damage to themselves eating / chewing / swallowing string or other inappropriate objects.   Scratching can be caused by a myriad of things, but the first thing to rule out might be parasites.  It only takes one flea to cause quite a lot of scratching and mites are tiny, so owners won't always find them on their dog, even when they are responsible.  Furthermore, some pups scratch when they are in pain, so your vet might examine them to rule this out.   I hope that something there is helpful.

The five am thing may just be a puppy sleep-cycle thing; it's often connected with light early mornings.  Its not just dogs either;  my baby used to do exactly the same!  Again, ruling out dental or other pain might be worthwhile however, just in case!