Canis erectus Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 After letting the girls out this morning I started to call them inside for food when when I noticed China eating something in the yard. She was laying down with her back to me so I first thought she'd dug up a bone or found somehing dead and rotten. Oh no, she was eating dirt, and relishing it. Dirt was going down by the mouthful. Has anyone else experienced this? It's new to me and I'm wondering if it might be assosciated with a diet deficiency of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 true story. next time she's at the vet, have a vitamin panel done. my Golden ate ROCKS...literally...would chew them up into small bits and swallow them, which was ruining his teeth. the vet did a blood panel, and found a MINERAL DEFICIENCY...no joke. put him on a vitamin/mineral supplement, no more rocks... :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canis erectus Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 Ok so I wasn't very far off base. Thanks Courtnek, I'll have to keep a closer eye on her for more dirt eating the next few days. I might just bring her to work on Monday and just have the panel run, though it'll be be just my luck to have the values come out normal and China's just decided that she likes the way dirt tastes now. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lokipups Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 Dirt eating is pica, usually a symptom of an iron deficiency. She like to munch on ice cubes as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 [quote name='Lokipups']Dirt eating is pica, usually a symptom of an iron deficiency. She like to munch on ice cubes as well?[/quote] wait wait....what does ice cubes have to do with it? Both of mine chew ice cubes...... :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canis erectus Posted June 20, 2005 Author Share Posted June 20, 2005 No dirt cuisine today, at least not that I noticed. I'm just going to keep an eye out for a few more days. I'm beginning to get the hunch that there's a perfectly stupid explaination for China eating dirt, because that's just the way things tend to go at my house. I'm not going to rule out the possibilty of a vitamin/mineral deficiency though. I don't think there's many dogs at all that will turn down a good ice cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 if she's not doing it consistently, there may have been something "good" in that dirt...my dogs will eat the kittie poops if given the chance, which they arent... :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canis erectus Posted June 21, 2005 Author Share Posted June 21, 2005 Little update Caught her eating some dirt again this morning, oddly enough from the same exact spot she was eating it before. I asked one of the vets about it today when I went to work and the first thing to come out of her mouth was 'pica', same with her normal vet when she came into the conversation. I guess it's pretty safe to rule out medical problems as she had an exam and some labwork done pretty recently. I was too busy to ask many questions about it today but basically the doc told me to toss some green beans in her food and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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