Lab eating rocks

I have a recurring problem with my lab. She did this when she was a pup, but stopped and hasn't done it for at least 2 years and all of a sudden she has started doing it again. She's 3 years old.

Misty is eating rocks. I know cause she is throwing them back up (thank dog) and I find piles of them around the house.

We figured out when she was young, that she did it whenever I left town (I drive tour bus). I haven't gone away, really except for 2 nights last week. We did get a new dog, Koda, but that was 5 months ago. I have been changing their food, however, from Natural Balance to the Evo.

Anyone with any ideas? I don't want her getting herself into deep trouble, heathwise.

My only advice is the obvious, don't let her out without supervision. If you catch her doing it, correct her and bring her inside. . maybe give her time alone in a room. If you must have her outside during the day, maybe consider building a dog run or fencing off an area of your backyard that doesn't contain rocks. :( It must be very difficult to deal with, but its better to be safe than spend $1000's on invasive surgery.

Where is she getting the rocks from? Are they landscaping rocks or just random pebbles everywhere? If they are part of your landscaping sceme, I would say remove them and like BC said, supervise.

I'm not letting her out without watching her, but this won't solve the problem of WHY she's doing it. We're going to cement the remaining area, but I was hoping someone might have an idea of why she's doing it.

I wish I knew. Maybe she thinks she's a chicken? ;)

It might be that somthing is missing in her diet. Does the dog
take any supplements or vitamins? If a Vet gives her a clean bill of
health, then it could be just boredom.

She in all likiehood does it because it's a habit. She might be bored. And because she's a lab. They have a reputation for eating anything they can--edible or not!

Preacher used to eat rocks when he was younger. He only did it when he was bored. If he was left alone for too long, he'd find a rock to eat. His last owner had to have surgery done 3 times to remove rocks from Preacher's intestines. He's outgrown it as he's aged.

Watch her for signs she's blocked up. Eating rocks is also extremely bad for their teeth so check them too for cracks or broken teeth.

I'm thinking it's probably because daddy went back to work and she misses us. She used to be allowed on the bed at night for "cuddle time" but there just isn't enough room for 2 dogs, 1 cat and us even in the king sized bed, so we had to stop that. I have now overruled hubby and am letting her back in. She only ate them twice, so maybe that's all it was.

I'm pretty sure she isn't missing anything in her diet as she is getting Evo and NRG mixed, plus frosty paws and yogurts and bananas and anything else good I can think of.

I'll keep on trying to figure it out.

Our pet Lulu also likes to pick up and chew on sticks as we walk her. She even picks up rocks sometimes too! Unfortunatly she was recently operated on because she had some carpeting and hair backed up and then again operated for an ulcer. She is only a year old now! So, at Petsmart they sell this little tie around velcroe and we put it around her mouth when we go on walks with her sometimes. But since her surgerys she hasn't tried picking up much stuff lately. So, It sounds cruel, but she got used to the velcro.

Check out Lulu's page www.dogster.com/?85406