Why Does My Dog Want To Eat Mulch. Mulch can be made out of various substances some of which are toxic to dogs such as cocoa beans. Add something to the wood that will keep them away bitter apple or a spray designed to keep dogs off furnitureBe sure to spray it on the object NEVER on a dog especially not in its face. In some cases pica is caused by a mineral deficiency in your dogs diet or a parasite infestation. Rock eating can be the result of a medical behavioral or psychological problem.
If they dont stop the behavior you may want to consider. To be fair mulch is just chopped up sticks-a dogs favorite toy. Mulch poses as large of a threat as sticks and wood of other kinds. Coger DVM explains Dirt eating is a form of what is termed pica the ingestion of nonfood materials. A dogs sense of smell is up to 10000 times better than ours so theyre just attracted to everything Canberra veterinarian Michael Archinal said. My Dog Wont Stop Eating Wood.
However pica is often the result of a medical problem such as a dietary deficiency.
The danger of ingestion lies in the compounds theobromine and caffeine which are also found in chocolate. Its unlikely that your pet will have a chance to eat the mulch but with such high risks its better to be safe than sorry. Dog owners are urged to use dog-safe mulch materials such as pine and cedar even if the dog doesnt eat it. If your dog is a mulch eater precautions should be taken as complications can result. The eating of substances that have no nutritional value is a disorder known as pica and it is common among puppies and certain dog breeds such as labradors and dachshunds. And grass - eating doesnt usually lead to throwing up - less than 25 of dogs that eat grass vomit regularly after grazing.