
Any notable behavior modification may be linked to your dog’s Pica disorder, as well as past trauma leading them to develop the condition. There are so many reasons that your dog may have developed Pica that it’s difficult to list them all. Some dog breeds are more prone to developing Pica than others, too. Identifying Pica is a great first step to getting your dog the treatment that they need. We’ll get into this more later on in this guide, but essentially, Pica can be a symptom of other health conditions that your dog may have. The third major cause of Pica is an unknown underlying medical issue. If your vet suspects this is the case, you can work out a treatment plan that will help your dog feel more comfortable, confident, and safer in their current environment. Behavioral Pica can have an underlying cause that requires your dog to be treated for stress and anxiety and may have appeared due to past trauma. Pica may also be caused by your dog’s anxiety or other negative emotions.

Proper diet and changes to their current dog food can help combat this cause of Pica very quickly. Most dogs will turn to eat objects to try and gain the nutrition they aren’t getting from their food. In most cases, Pica will appear because of a lack of nutrition in a dog’s diet. Behavioral Pica exists, too, and can be the result of compulsive eating or your dog’s anxiety levels reaching too-high states. Pica may or may not be caused by other issues with your pet’s health that you’re unaware of. Some dogs will just lick or chew rocks, which can also be a sign of nutritional deficiency. Pica in dogs is not always so severe as to cause other medical problems. This leads to them ingesting non-food items, which can then cause issues with the dog’s health, including injury to their digestive tract. What is Pica in Dogs?ĭog’s Pica is a medical condition where a canine seems to enjoy eating non-food objects. The information below will help you aid your dog if you find them munching on foreign objects. In this guide, we talk about what Pica is, what causes it, and how it’s treated. The severity and causes of dogs’ Pica can vary, depending on any other possible underlying medical conditions. If you see your dog eating dirt, licking rocks, or chewing on anything other than their own kibble, it’s highly probable that they have Pica disorder. Adolescent and adult dogs can both suffer from a condition that causes them to crave and eat non-food items.
