Why is my dog eating rocks?

Dogs may eat rocks due to an underlying medical condition such as: intestinal tract disorders, nutritional deficiency, diabetes, or other illnesses. May even be caused from anxiety, boredom, or frustrations.

Eating rocks can be damaging to the dogs teeth, mouth, and intestines. May require surgery. If you notice any vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, set your vet. You dog may need x rays and potentially surgery if the vet is unable to clear the rocks.

Try to redirect the dogs attention by playing walking, fun activities, chews/toys

Hi there!

Dogs may be eating rocks for two possible reasons. According to this article, https://goldenretrieverlove.com/why-is-my-puppy-eating-rocks-what-can-i-do-about-it/ (https://goldenretrieverlove.com/why-i...), it can either be because of medical or behavioral reasons. Medical reasons would include: nutrient deficiencies, diabetes, stomach disorders, etc. While behavioral ones would cover anxiety, frustration and lack of love and attention.

Hope this answers it.

Eating rocks, a condition called "pica" (aka non-edible items) generally signals either a medical cause or behavioral reason. First, call or visit your vet since since medical causes for pica include scary and serious health conditions. If the vet rules out medical reason, then it's probably behavioral and will require training to help the pup. Ask your vet or check reputable online website for resources and referrals on how to resolve the pica problem in the short-term and long-term.

There's a wide range of possibilities. It could be boredom, loneliness, frustration, attention seeking, or lack of activity (dog walker? dog sitter?) Or it could have medical basis: Nutritional diet deficiency (easily remedied once you know what's needed) or something more involved that the vet can advise on such as pain, worms, digestive or intestinal tract disorder, diabetes, bloat, or a mental health (behavioral/anxiety) condition called pica.

That's a very serious problem that could easily lead to tooth damage, intestinal blockage, and many other health problems. The above answers are very good possibilities. It could also be an issue with your dog not having the proper stimulation of chewing on things. One of my dogs will search for really hard items and has in the past chewed on them until his mouth has bled. I suggest after first having your dog seen at a vet, taking the rocks away when you catch him and immediately replacing them with a proper chew toy. Nylabone's are hard plastic bone shaped toys that are for strong chewers, but even something as simple as a stick may be a good distraction, as long as your dog doesn't swallow the stick pieces. And I also suggest trying mind stimulating puzzle games to get your dog engaged and thinking. Hope everything works out for your pup!