What are the medical causes of pica in dogs?


medical
Bob asked:


I’ve been trying to find more information on this disorder, but the sites that I’ve found say “rule out medical causes” without actually stating what the medical causes are. Anyone know?

Thanks!
I’ve been trying to find more information on this disorder, but the sites that I’ve found say “rule out medical causes” without actually stating what the medical causes are. Anyone know?

Thanks!

I’m looking for info regarding pica, not coprophagia, thanks.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Dogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “What are the medical causes of pica in dogs?”

  1. Replace Says:
    January 16th, 2009 at 2:47 am

    Pica is defined as the eating of anything not usually considered as food. In dogs, it often means the eating of stools.

    Regarding that, there is evidence to indicate that:
    1. May be lack of minerals in diet
    2. Eats & digests rapidly; food in not completely broken down and
    then seems like food in the stool.
    3. Emotional problems

  2. W. Says:
    January 16th, 2009 at 3:11 am

    Do you want to know about pica or coprophagia (canine poo eating)?
    Pica can be due to boredom,nutritional deficiency (rare) or neurological.
    Coprophagia can be due to the same reasons but is most often done out of boredom. You can stop poo eating by either picking up the poo before it can be gotten to,redirecting the dog to a more acceptable behavior or add a spoonful of fresh pineapple to the dog food. The pineapple is tasty to eat the first time but unappetizing the second time around.

  3. pugbug Says:
    January 18th, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    The first link …
    I realize the link begins with coprophagy but it discusses pica. From everything I’ve read, they really don’t know why an animal eats rocks or items other than food. They speculate that perhaps it’s boredom or to receive attention from the owner, frustration, anxiety … It is difficult to stop this behavior.

    I found this at the second link …
    Pica in dogs or cats, pica may be a sign of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, especially when it involves eating substances such as tile grout, concrete dust, and sand. Dogs exhibiting this form of pica should be tested for anemia with a CBC or at least hematocrit levels.

    The third link also talks about possible medical problems …

    good luck with this

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