Our dogs are always finding new inventive ways to make us worry aren’t they! Just remodelled your garden? It was a nice idea to have a bit of outside space to enjoy, wasn’t it? Is your dog not on board with a little slice of tranquillity? Eating non-edible items such as stones, is known as pica. Pica can arise due to medical or behavioural reasons. Obviously, we want to discourage stone chewing or eating as this can cause serious problems such as dental damage or intestinal blockages; but why do they do it?
Table of contents
Puppies
Teething puppies can chew items such as stones to relieve the discomfort of new teeth coming through (teething). They can also be interested in stones as a play object or because they are bored. Puppies’ minds are very active when growing and learning and so especially if they aren’t getting enough stimulation through interaction, play or walking, their minds can turn to objects in their environment. Just like human babies, puppies explore their environment with their mouths. Care must be taken to supervise puppies where they could ingest foreign material leading to a blockage in their intestines, a life-threatening condition.
Anxiety / Frustration
Dogs can experience separation anxiety and be very worried when their owners leave them. Anxiety can manifest in inappropriate, destructive behaviour, urinating or defaecating in the home or through pica. It may be that your dog isn’t adjusting well to a new environment or new routine. So the resultant behaviour is of an anxious reaction or one of frustration. Try to introduce new routines slowly, with lots of positive reinforcement and praise and be led by your dogs’ response if possible.
Puzzle feeders and interactive toys can be useful in getting your dog used to being happy by themselves or self-soothing.
Consider seeking help from a veterinary behaviourist (your vet can direct you to a suitably qualified person if this type of intervention is needed).
Medical reasons
Some medical conditions lead to excessive hunger (polyphagia) and inability to use food as energy and so dogs will begin to see non-food items as edible. Diabetes, Cushing’s disease, IBS (Inflammatory bowel disease), Malabsorption problems, Liver, pancreatic or gastrointestinal diseases as well as some cancers are a few problems our dogs can experience that would lead to our dogs searching out alternative food items / pica. Anaemia, in which a lack of iron in the body causes a reduction in available red blood cell levels in the body, can lead dogs to search out nutrients in soil/ stones in particular.
Some medications such as prednisolone can also lead to pica as a side effect.
Parasites such as worms take away some of the nutrients your dog consumes and so leads to weight loss and polyphagia and sometimes pica.
Diet
Nutritional deficiencies from a poor diet or diet inappropriate for your dogs’ life stage, can lead to your dog searching out that nutrient in their environment and therefore could cause your dog to chew at stones. Not enough nutrition would also be a leading cause of pica.
What to do if my dog eats stones?
Firstly, schedule an exam with your veterinarian
A physical exam potentially in combination with blood tests, urine and stool samples, can investigate any underlying issues with your dog that can be medically addressed.
Secondly, ensure your dog has appropriate nutrition
Again, your vet or veterinary nurse team are best skilled in advising you on your dogs’ diet. A complete diet formulated by veterinary nutritionists will be the easiest way to ensure your dog has the right ingredients for health for their life stage.
Furthermore, have fun
Make sure your dog is properly stimulated. Have lots to do in the office that day? Tire your pup out first, play with them or take them for a walk, then whilst you’re working away, they can enjoy a snooze.
Make sure your dog is supervised in areas that they could get into mischief
Alternatively, remove them from their environment and introduce training methods early. A good clear “no” and redirection of energy will go a long way to keeping your dog safe. Consider rotating toys and keeping some secret so they don’t get boring for your dog. Look into puzzle feeders to make mealtimes more interesting and take longer so your dog is distracted if you have specific tasks to get on with that day. Enrichment is important for your dogs’ wellbeing. It also can help them learn to relax on their own or enjoy time with yourself; leading to a well-rounded happy dog.
It may be appropriate to discuss anxiety medication with your vet if you’ve tried all of the above suggestions, but your dog is still obsessively chewing away at stones or foreign objects.
Further Reading:
- Pica for dogs – Vetlexicon Canis
- Unusual Eating Habits in Dogs and Cats – University of California Davis
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