Eating Dirt??

OK guys, try this one. My husky/shep Cody has taken to digging in one particular area of the yard and eating "dirt!" As a nurse, I am inclined to think that she is suffering from some nutritional deficiency she's trying to compensate for. (In pregnant woman, there is a condition called pica, which compels them to eat soil or clay and is believed to have a nutritional cause!) The vet seems unconcerned, saying that usually dogs will do this if they have an upset stomach. Actually, I think eating the dirt is GIVING her an upset stomach...she seems to be constipated! She recently had xrays to diagnose hip dysplasia and they showed "hard stools and sand" as the vet explained. Still, he said not to do anything particular, except of course, trying to keep her from eating it. Anyone had this experience with their dog? Also, any suggestions for treating her constipation? Her diet consists of Eukanuba large breed dry with a tablespoon of canned Iams or cooked chicken. She loves and eats raw veggies and fruit as treats. Thanks

My shephard/akita mix Felice eats dirt too. but not that often. I call her a cow because she is always eating grass

My sister-in-law's dog, part husky/german shepherd loves to lick the concrete patio and edge of the fireplace! Maybe she's sanding down her tongue?? http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

I'm inclined to agree with you, Sandra,I think something is missing if Cody is eating dirt. Mine dig in the dirt and of course, bring it inside, but I've never seen it eaten. Could you add some kind of oil to her diet (fatty acids have lots of fish oil) or something to help everything come through better?
I think you need to do exactly what you are doing and ask the question to people who might know the answer. I'll post in on the Golden Retriever site on MSN too and see if I can get a good answer for you.

Wow, you guys are fast!! And thanks. I was thinking along the line of fish oil as you suggested Logan and will try that. Any other info. you might stumble upon would be great! Thanks Sandra.

My neighbor's GSD eats rocks! They have reddish small rocks in their flower beds and this dog is constantly eating them. The vet suggested a "mineral" lick which my neighbor bought, but the dog wouldn't touch it.

Our mini schnauzer eats sand don't know why. I am also a nurse and I think dogs just like the taste of dirt. If they are missing something in their diets what could it possibly be what nutreints are in dirt that would be beneficial to a dogs health? How abouy sand? My chickens eat sand and small stones to help grind their food as does most all birds. Maybe the dog has thought he was a chicken all this time?haha

My best friend's dog (also a Basset named Daisy - LOL now isn't that creative!?) used to eat rocks too, but you shouldn't really let them do that! Poor Baby Daisy ended up having to have surgery to remove them. They were causing some kind of problem. Poor pup! As for eating dirt, I've never heard or dogs doing this... however... not sure if this is relevant... when my little cousin Ben was a baby, he always used to eat sand at the beach and the doctor told his mother he shouldn't be allowed to do that since there were germs in the sand/dirt that weren't very good for him. Not sure if the germs are harmful to dogs too. My aunt just provided him with other things to eat while at the beach and he ended up stopping... although at first he'd dip his pretzels into the wet sand!!! It was pretty gross http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/wink.gif Anyway I know I am not really much help here but that just reminded me of that story!

I used to have a GSD that was obsessed by stones. If you kicked one as you walked along she would go through anything to find it! My sister made the mistake of picking one up that Kaila had dropped at her feet and throwing it over a dry stone wall topped with a hedge (about eight foot high) just after putting her lead on her. She was a very small bitch (the dog, not the sister.....) but dragged my sister over the wall, through the hedge and back again to get that stone! I laughed so much it hurt - redirected the dogs obsession very quickly though!
It's interesting that the dog only digs in one place. Can you put some paving slabs over the hole? Have you got a friendly veterinary or college nearby that could analyse the soil from this spot for you? There is always the chance - sorry to yukky - that someone has buried a pet there in the past and that is what is attracting the dog.

Carrie. I was just thinking that today; having the soil tested that is. She started to dig through a LOT of snow (we had a big storm yesterday) at that same spot to get at the soil. I don't think any creatures are buried there, but, of course, it could be possible. Cody was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago with bilateral hip dysplasia and severe arthritis in the right hip, as a result of it. I am doubly concerned now with this dirt thing. She never refuses food, but every few days or so she BACKS OFF from her breakfast when I put it in front of her. By noontime, she'll eat. When her hips were xrayed, the Dr. showed me on the xray that she has a rather large amount of hard poop and perhaps sand in her digestive tract. Now I'm worried about impaction, constipation, obstruction, etc.!! (Sorry to get graphic) The vet said if she were, I would notice her trying to go constantly and not to worry. I'm trying to watch her constantly, but oft times she is out in our backyard (which is 2 acres) and it's not always possible to see everything she does. (I do see her "going" pretty regularly) She has also been acting a little lethargic. Maybe because she's in pain, certainly. The vet put her on Etogesic, but it doesn't seem to be helping much. With or without it, she's limping most of the time, even though she's been pretty much on severly curtailed physical activity the past 2 weeks. She is only 6, and the vet said that a femoral head osteotomy may be required. I just lost my precious kitty Lizzie VERY unexpectedly and in a very upseting way, 2 days after Christmas and am particularly sensitive to another one being ill right now. As you know Carrie, I worry CONSTANTLY ABOUT EVERYTING AND EVERYONE!! LOL!! Sorry for babbling on. Thanks for the replys. Sandra

[This message has been edited by tatsxxx11 (edited January 22, 2001).]

Sandra, Poor you!
I think soil analysis is the way to go with this - at least you'd have some idea of what the dog is after in the soil - be it nutrients or dead things. I think blocking access to the site is a priority - your vet is right to say that as long as things are moving along it's all Ok - but....eating lumps of dirt and stone aren't the best things to keep the digestive tract open and functioning!

Try adding a teaspoonful of vegetable oil - or even better - a capsule of cod liver oil to the food every second day. If you can get access to a swimming area for the dog use it - not open water in the winter, a swimming pool - but that excersise without impact is brill! Giving the dog time to stretch and warm up before excersise is useful, so a walk, increasing gradually in pace, is a good idea before free running. It is also useful to cool down after excersise. It may help joints and muscles relax and be less stiff.
Good luck and let us know if you get anyone to look at your soil - most interesting!

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Originally posted by tatsxxx11:
. Cody was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago with bilateral hip dysplasia and severe arthritis in the right hip, as a result of it. I am doubly concerned now with this dirt thing. She never refuses food, but every few days or so she BACKS OFF from her breakfast when I put it in front of her. By noontime, she'll eat.

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I was thinking about Cody after I went to bed last night. Periodically I get a little flare up of arthritis and it is always the worst in the morning when I first get up. Maybe it is the pain that has her refusing to eat in the morning. Then I was wondering if you had a raised feeding area for her. These are very helpful for a bigger dog so she doesn't have to bend down to eat. They have special dog dishes for this but you can make your own just by putting her dish on a small stool.

Did the dirt eating start at the same time as any other event - e.g. her starting the medication? If not, Carrie may be right, she may be obsessing about it. It is a puzzle.

I talked to the vet this morning. I checked out some dog health sites last night and got myself in a twit reading about the side effects of Etogesic. I know many dogs who are on it, and thought it to be a realtively safe anti-inflammatory. It ususally is, but lethary and GI symptoms can occur and it should be used cautiously and at the lowest possible dosage. The vet said to stop it for now, see if the gastric symptoms subside, and keep her extra quiet for the next week or so, walking her only on the leash. We have a pool, but it is, of course, closed now. He also suggested wading through waist deep water, but the ocean is a BIT cold now, and although she would go in, I don't think the extreme cold would be good for her. Buffered aspirin and Rimadyl are alternatives to consider, he said. I worry about liver toxicity with the Rimadly, but he said that it is rare and almost exclusively seen in labs! I covered up the hole with a slab of slate, and took out a soil sample to bring to the County extension service tomorrow. The dirt eating started before she started the medication. I will buy a raised bowl and already got her an orthopedic egg crate type bed! AND I started her on cod liver oil today! As an aside, and to help preserve what's left of my sanity, let me share with you just a brief synopsis re: what a bad girl Star (Cody's sister) has been today! Suffice it to say it started with garbage raiding at 7:00am (filled with LOTS of onions and corn) and escalated later in the day to an episode of counter surfing, netting a booty of half a loaf of wheat bread and a stick of butter left out for baking. I managed to wrestle 1/2 the stick of butter out of her mouth, the bread was a draw, and I am currently in my bedroom refusing to acknowledge her existence!! I know Carrie, MY FAULT!! I haven't trained her well in this regard...I left the food out....BUT she is so fast, so stealth!! Fear of food poisoning, bloat, at least a sleepness night with bouts of puking and diarrhea. AHHHHH!!! What a way to spend a day off! That's my story. Better go tell Star I'm sorry. Starting to feel guilty! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif
Thanks for all your suggestions! Weary Sandra

Poor Weary Sandra!! I think we may have been joined at the hip in a previous life. Are you related to me?? Besides the worry about everything part, our dogs are similar too! My part lab Cody had hip dyslasia too. He is 9 and had had it as far back as I can remember. He lost 30 pds and it has helped considerably (not implying your dogs need to do that,my Cody is a piggy). For years he has been taking Cosequin, which is glucosemine (sp) (the cartilage repair stuff) and on occasion, Maalox coated aspirin when needed. Recently, due to the weather, I reluctantly put him on Rimydal (the vet did) but only at night for 2 weeks. I was assurred and promised that it would not hurt his liver for that short period of time, but he now has arthritis in his front paws too. Otherwise, he walks an hour every night and seems fine. The trash thing is another topic. No counter surfing but the kitchen table is a free for all..yum yum napkins or an unguarded (for a split second) morsel of food. Quick? Stealth? Like lightening! And then quickly hide under the kitchen table where nobody can reach you! And wag the tail too! Just to show who's boss!!! Don't ya love it? Clever? Gesh! Thankfully it isn't every day. I know, I know, I try to ignore him but he winds up ignoring ME so I apologize causd I miss his attention..and yep, Carrie can now lecture us both on one session! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif I'm with ya babe!!!!!

Sandra,
Wondering how Star is doing today? Those onions she got into had me concerned.