At present, there are many dogs who like to eat soil, stones, leaves, grass, etc. What is the main reason for this? And how to adjust their pets in daily life How can such a behavior and hobby make them live a better life? It turns out that this is dog pica, what causes dogs to have such a habit?

Chesapeake Bay Retriever

1. Environmental factors:

Excessive feeding density, insufficient air circulation, discomfort of light time and light color, poor mood, depression and irritability, etc., will cause pica in dogs and cats;

2. Nutritional factors:

A number of nutritional factors are considered to be the cause of pica. Insufficient minerals such as sodium, sulfur, copper, cobalt, calcium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium, especially sodium salt, are common causes. Most pica animals like to lick alkaline substances. A lack of sodium in the diet, or an excess of potassium salts, results in increased potassium excretion and increased sodium excretion. Relevant data show that when the cobalt content per kilogram of soil is 1.5-2 mg, pica occurs in this area; and when the cobalt content per kilogram of soil is 2.3-2.5 mg, pica does not occur in this area. There are also data showing that pica occurs when the copper content in the diet or hay is less than 2-5mg/kg, normally 6-12mg/kg. Long-term imbalance of calcium and phosphorus ratio, or long-term feeding of overly acidic food, lack of protein and amino acids in the diet, and vitamin B deficiency in particular, can easily lead to metabolic disorders in the body and pica.

3. Diseases:

Some clinical symptoms or sub-clinical symptoms of diseases, such as internal and external parasites, produce toxins or irritation, and pica occurs addiction; some endocrine diseases, will produce stress and the occurrence of pica symptoms.

Once we understand what causes pica, the next step is what the wider pica looks like, what symptoms it has, and how to prevent it.

Pica usually begins with indigestion, followed by dysgeusia and symptoms of pica. The patient licks, chews, and swallows food or bedding contaminated with feces, hay, cinders, gnawing soil, rags, etc. Suffering pets are prone to panic, the initial sensitivity to external stimuli increases, gradually dull, the skin is rough, dull, bowed waist, teeth grinding, anemia, constipation and diarrhea alternately, progressive weight loss, and finally, severe systemic failure and death.