01
Oct
Why Do Dogs Eat Soil And Grass. No matter why your dog decides to eat dirt and soil its not a good habit to encourage. Gastrointestinal parasitism may be a cause or an effect of dirt eating. Grass dirt leaves sticks feces from geese rabbits deer and other animals and sometimes rocks garbage or anything else they find when on a walk or out in the back yard. Your dog is searching for the necessary nutrients his body naturally craves.
Some dog owners and veterinarians assume that grass eating is a form of pica or eating strange items sometimes caused by a diet deficiency. Some dogs may choose to start eating grass if they are experiencing issues such as intestinal parasites enteropathy gastritis gastroesophageal reflux also known as GERD or heartburn or other. For one thing dirt may contain harmful bacteria that will make your dog sick. No matter why your dog decides to eat dirt and soil its not a good habit to encourage. Other suggested reasons why your dog might be eating grass include improving digestion treating intestinal worms or fulfilling some unmet nutritional need including the need for fiber. For more read about hemolytic anemia in dogs here.
Whether dogs are bored lonely or anxious it is often noted that the grass eating increases as owner contact time decreases.
Lastly a dog that eats dirt is prone to digging and other destructive behavior. No matter why your dog decides to eat dirt and soil its not a good habit to encourage. You may have a dog that eats grass because your dog has been used to being on his own for long periods and eating grass is the only thing that he can do to survive. 1 Most experts agree however that grass eating is normal canine behavior and that this type of pica usually doesnt cause too many if any problems. Grass dirt leaves sticks feces from geese rabbits deer and other animals and sometimes rocks garbage or anything else they find when on a walk or out in the back yard. A common complaint among those living with puppies is that they eat everything they can when outside.