CANINE
Compulsive Eating
Maureen Tay looks into the motivations for unusual eating patterns in dogs and highlights
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possible solutions and management options
lso known as compulsive eating disorder, compulsive eating is a disorder where a dog tends to eat everything - from food items to non-food items. The specific practice of eating nonfood, non-nutritive substances, such as wool or paper, is known as pica. Stool eating (coprophagia) can also be categorized under pica.
digestive disorders or parasitic infections, can also cause the problem.
Behavioral Issues: Boredom is often the biggest factor in the behavioral aspect of compulsive behaviors.Your dog may have been left alone all day and managed to find joy in chewing and eating the rug or the newspaper. Or he may have learned that going outdoors gives him the opportunity to eat a variety of items which he has started to find reinforcing.
Common among Puppies
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Puppies are curious animals. They eat just about anything they can find, including things that are inedible. Puppies love to investigate their surroundings. An excellent way to do this is for a puppy to put unfamiliar items into his mouth. Puppies will chew and quite possibly swallow anything, purely out of curiosity. At six months of age (this differs from dog to dog), most puppies will grow out of this investigative behavior phase. Others may stop because of discouragement from the owners. Some dogs, however, may continue to consume inedible items after the puppy investigation stage. This may be the first sign of a compulsive eating disorder, or pica.
Recognizing the Symptoms
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You will notice that your dog seems intensely excited to seek out and eat inedible objects, such as rocks, plastic bags, wood, clothing, leaves, paper and stool. If the dog swallows things that are not really food, you will need to help him overcome the problem. Compulsive behaviors are unlikely to go away without intervention. Chew toys are an ideal way to keep a dog occupied and keep his mind off eating less appropriate fare
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Possible Causes
There are two main reasons why adult dogs eat items that are non-consumable. It is either a physical issue or a behavioral one. Physical Issues: These may include a lack of nutrients in the dog’s diet. Illness, such as
BARKS from the Guild/September 2015
Possible Solutions:
Wool and fabric are some of the inedible items favored by dogs with pica
Medical Issues Always consult a veterinarian to rule out medical issues. A digestive disorder or parasitic infection may be at the root of the behavior.
Mental Stimulation Once medical causes or nutritional deficiencies are ruled out, stock up on chew and feeding toys such as Kongs, Nylabones and antler chews to keep your dog occupied. Toys made of a harder material are not easy to disintegrate and are in turn less likely to be swallowed. Engage in fun activities such as fetching, tugging and even agility. These activities help to burn off that excess energy, engage the brain and decrease boredom. It goes without saying there is no place for punishing the dog for the compulsive behavior. Here, as in any other case, this risks making the problem worse. Another strategy is using a kibble/treat dispenser. This also helps with mental stimulation and it gives the dog a job to do. If the dog is mentally tired, he will be much less emotionally reactive and will no longer have all that energy to look for something to do, or even feel the need to. A bored dog will most likely be up to no good. There are many brands of treat dispenser available. Some even have a wifi function so you can control the feeding even if you are not at home. Training Teach your dog to “leave it,” as well as a reliable "recall." This is so that, if the dog is off leash and manages to find an object to chew on, you can easily call him to you and away from the item. Should you be walking your dog and you spot him eyeing some tasty leaves or rocks, you can also use the "leave it" cue. You can also teach your dog the "watch" cue so he will learn to check in with you from time to time on