Treatment of pica can vary depending on whether it is a behavioural or medical problem. This may then require you to go to a dog behaviourist to help you further. If nothing unusual comes back from these tests, your vet may diagnose it as a behavioural problem. An ultrasound can also be helpful to assess organs like the liver, pancreas or bowels. Your vet may alternatively recommend an ultrasound to check for foreign objects, especially if the object is a material that might not show up on x-ray. This will also help them to locate the object and assess how severe an obstruction it might be. This may be carried out if your dog has potentially swallowed a foreign object, which in many cases will show up on the x-ray. This may include a blood count, faecal check, urinalysis and serum chemistry profile. Lab work will help determine certain medical conditions and can also show if your dog has ingested a non-food item. Other tests will be required to see if pica has been caused by another health problem. If you don’t know whether your dog ingested something, they may need to check for that first, and if a potentially harmful object has been ingested, they may also need to run tests to locate it so it can be removed. There may be quite a few tests your vet will do to rule out certain medical issues. It’s important to note that these should only be temporary behaviours and if your dog carries on having pica it may indicate an underlying issue.ĭiagnosing pica in dogs can take a bit of time. Puppies may also do this due to separation anxiety. This is because nursing females will lick the bottoms of their puppies to encourage bowel movements. One of the common forms of pica is coprophagia, the eating of faeces, and this is common in nursing females and puppies. Some dogs may get pica for other reasons that are natural. See your vet as soon as you notice abnormal eating behaviour. Steroid treatments and some other medications can cause an increased appetite in your dog and therefore lead to pica. There are many medical issues that can cause pica such as anaemia, liver or pancreatic disease, hormonal conditions, gastrointestinal disease and many more. If your dog doesn’t have any significant medical issues but still has pica, consulting a dog behaviourist is a good course of action. If this is the case, it may be hard for a vet to definitively diagnose. If your dog isn’t getting enough mental and physical stimulation, they can resort to pica out of boredom. This can also be the case when around other dogs they are unfamiliar with. What are the causes of pica in dogs?ĭog separation anxiety can cause pets to chew and ingest objects to soothe themselves when you aren’t around. Any object eaten could potentially make your dog very sick and it’s better to know about pica early on so you can prevent it from getting worse. If your dog is eating things they shouldn’t repeatedly, ask your vet for help. For some items, inducing vomiting as soon as they’re eaten is the best option. If you think your dog is eating things they shouldn’t, look out for these symptoms:Īny time your dog eats something they shouldn’t, you should speak to your vet to find out whether they need urgent treatment. Dogs can choke, develop an obstruction or even poison themselves if they eat the wrong thing. What are the symptoms of pica in dogs?Įating objects not intended for ingestion can be very harmful. They can work with you to get to the bottom of your dog’s pica. It’s important to speak to your vet, as it’s usually recommended to rule out potentially serious medical issues before diagnosing a behavioural cause. It can be hard to know what causes pica in dogs. Pica can often occur as a result of behavioural issues such as lack of socialisation, boredom and anxiety but can less commonly be due to medical issues including a poor diet or nutritional insufficiency, illness and parasites. Pica in dogs is a condition where a dog attempts to chew and swallow non-food objects, such as clothing, rubbish or dirt. Keep reading to find out some of the most surprising facts about this condition. So, it’s best to know all the signs to help you identify the issue quickly and get your pet the help they need. Pica in dogs can become quite a serious problem if not taken care of.
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