PET ARTICLES BLOG

Dogs have great appetites and these animals have the inclination to eat questionable (at least to us humans) things. Dog experts call this habit of ingesting non-edible things as pica. Although dog owners find it hard to understand the dog's propensity to eat non-food items, pica is a normal behavior of dogs. Most dogs would love to gnaw and eat rocks.

Puppies are more inclined to eat rocks. Puppies have a very curious nature and the mouth is used to learn about their environment. These "baby" dogs would chew rocks as if the stony fragment is a fruit flavored bubble gum. Eating rocks though is dangerous. The soft tissues of the mouth can be wounded by the hard rock. Moreover this object is not meant for the dog's delicate digestive tract as ingestion can result to diarrhea. A blockage in the throat or on the intestinal tract that can be created if a large piece of rock is swallowed can be the cause of death of the pet.

Dogs are voracious and indiscriminate eaters. Pet owners would do anything to have the most well behaved pet but of course this is not possible as dogs are known to adapt dangerous and abhorrent behaviors. Nevertheless we would still be puzzled why dogs eat rocks. A brain disease can be one of the reasons why the dog eats rocks. If an underlying medical concern was ruled out, the rock eating habit of the pet can be attributed to behavioral problems.

Boredom, stress or anxiety can urge a dog to feast on rocks. Being social animals, dogs would need interaction with the family. If contact with humans or with other animals are not provided the dog will be bored. Bored dogs will develop destructive behaviors. Bored dogs eat rocks. Eating rocks can be the dog's effort to get the attention of the master.

For proper diagnosis, humans have to have a series of laboratory tests. Dogs don't need any of these test as these animals can recognize what is wrong with their system. Rock eating is associated with the effort of correcting a nutrient deficiency. The habit of eating rocks can be the dog's way of calling the master's attention to the nutrient deficient diet or to the attention that is being missed by the dog.

Learn more about why dogs eat rocks, first aid for dogs and other interesting dog behaviours.