Your dog is demonstrating what is known as pica behavior, which is the ingestion of inappropriate nonfood materials. Pica occurs most frequently in puppies, but mature dogs also develop this strange penchant for eating inedible objects. The physical causes for this behavior can include intestinal parasites, iron deficiencies or other factors that can be diagnosed only by a veterinarian. If medical examination fails to find a cause for your dog's pica problem, look for ways this behavior may have been reinforced psychologically.

My first thought is possessiveness is causing your dog to "hoard" and "wolf down" any small objects he finds, especially those that have your scent on them, as a sure-fire way of making sure the cats don't get them first! Not that your cats have any interest in the objects being consumed by your dog, but he doesn't know that. Competitiveness regarding objects may be reinforced by unwitting owners who play "keep-away" and "tug-of-war"-type games with their dogs. The problem frequently snowballs when pica becomes apparent and owners begin wrestling objects out of the gobbling dog's mouth.

Things that would not normally be swallowed are gulped down by dogs that are convinced they must be good if the people want them back that badly! I've mentioned in response to many questions how negative attention can be a sought-after alternative to boredom. If a dog has discovered a way to get its family jumping up off the couch to chase it, it may repeat the behavior deliberately just for the resulting interaction. This is a prevent-and-redirect situation, not one that will be resolved by any sort of owner reaction. Getting older dogs involved with daily walks and grooming sessions, and younger ones in training programs, helps them earn positive attention while out letting tensions in appropriate ways. Nearly every behavioral problem is reduced to a great degree by using this simple redirection approach. If a dog is fed only once per day, this may contribute to the pica problem.

I have known cases in which hungry dogs consumed bars of soap and gravel but whose pica problem diminished when they were offered more frequent meals. Consider increasing the number of meals your dog is offered each day. It is not necessary to increase the quantity of food if your vet is satisfied with your dog's weight. Just divide the daily amount fed into smaller, more frequent portions. If a dog does swallow any nonfood objects, a veterinarian must be consulted without delay. Intestinal blockages can occur, and many times require surgery to remove the life-threatening obstructions.

Remove as many small, inedible objects as possible from around your home, and when you are leaving your dog alone confine him in a safe area. Provide him with overwhelmingly attractive windfall objects you can plant around your house, such as sterilized shank bones (available at most pet stores) with bacon grease, cheese, peanut butter or liver sausage stuffed into the marrow hollow. Most dogs will work for hours trying to get the "good stuff" out of the inedible bone. If you notice the bone beginning to chip, replace it so you don't have to worry about sharp fragments hurting your dog. Kong® toys work well as an alternative, especially for dogs that destroy bones.

People who viewed '14-years old Beagle has begun to swallow nonfood items' also found interest in following articles . . .
Category:

• Disease or Condition

• Home
• Educational Library
• FAQ
• Hospital Listings
• Submit
• Contact