Is it okay for my dog to eat dirt?
This is a question that we often get from sitter and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!
3 Answers
Its completely natural, however with more and more chemicals being introduced to our environment, i wouldn't trust it that much.
It is unlikely or rare for dogs to become ill from eating dirt, there can be chemicals within dirt that can be potentially harmful. Some dogs do it from boredom, may like the taste, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mental problems, which developed from painful past experiences, or due to a genetically inherited behavioral problem, minor mineral or vitamin deficiency, gastric upset or irritation, or even smelling some food scrap on the ground, inflammatory bowel disease or hypothyroidism,
Your dog’s dirt eating could actually be a search for minerals, vitamins or even good probiotic bacteria that he isn’t getting in his diet. Kibble and unbalanced diets could be the culprits. Pica is defined as a state whereby dogs eat things other than food. For example, eating dirt would be a pica disorder.
That search for vitamins and minerals could also be a sign that your dog has a medical condition like inflammatory bowel disease or hypothyroidism.