Why do dogs eat dirt | Love My Pets GPS Pet Safety Products - GPS ...

August 12, 2012 ? Jerry Welsh

Any dog owner would tell you that these animals are kind of addicting. The outstanding qualities of dogs encourage people to have more than one dog for a pet. Dogs? loyalty and affection to the human family is what made these animals gain the title of being man?s best friends. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. Despite the long years of association these animals would exhibit behaviors that are puzzling to man. One of these bizarre behaviors is eating dirt. An interesting question then is; why do dogs eat dirt?

Dog owners must understand the reasons why the pet is eating dirt as this habit can have harmful repercussions on the health of the dog. Dogs owners take measures to save the dog from parvovirus because this is a fatal canine disease. The Parvovirus is highly contagious as the virus shed by an infected dog through the feces can be transmitted to a dog that eats dirt.

A dog that has the habit of eating dirt can be infested with whipworms. Dogs that have a fondness for eating dirt can die from poisoning if the dirt eaten has poisonous substances. Because of these dangers to the pet?s life, it is very necessary for a dog owner to know why the pet has a partiality for dirt.

Dogs have gained the reputation for being rapacious eaters and when a dog has resorted to eating dirt it is highly possible that the dog does not have enough food to eat. Dogs though are pampered pets thus it would be impossible if owners would let the pet go hungry. What would be a more valid theory is that dogs are inclined to eat anything. Eating non-food items is known as pica. Pica, similar to other unwanted habits can develop from a behavioral concern. Dogs that are not provided with opportunities to socialize become problematic and hard to manage pets. The bored dog may eat dirt.

The pet that eats dirt may be suffering from a gastrointestinal concern or from a nutritional deficiency. Stomach upsets are not uncommon given the indiscriminate eating habits of dogs. Vitamins and mineral deficiencies would be the outcome of giving the dog poor quality commercial food. Dogs have an uncanny ability to correct an imbalance in their system. The inclination to consume dirt is a dog?s effort to correct the nutritional deficiency that results from a poor quality diet. The dog?s dirt eating habit must be stopped because of its potentially dangerous effects. The habit can be a wakeup call for the dog owner to devote more attention to the well being of the pet.

Learn more about why dogs eat dirt at Sarah?s Dogs.

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Source: http://lovemypetsgps.com/blog/2720/why-do-dogs-eat-dirt/

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