• Why does my dog eat dirt?

    Eating dirt can be a behavioral or a medical issue.

    When it is a medical issue it is usually that the pet is lacking certain nutrients. This can be that they are missing in his diet or that he is having issues absorbing them from his digestive tract. All high quality commercial dog foods contain all the nutrients that he needs so if he is on a commercial diet this reason is less likely. Your veterinarian can examine him and perform some laboratory tests to help rule out any other underlying medical causes.

    If the tests results are normal then it is likely a behavioral issue. This can be something as simple as that he likes the taste of the dirt.

    I recommend that you try to keep him from eating dirt as much as possible. Dirt can potentially have some disease-causing organisms in it including intestinal parasites. Your veterinarian can also screen him for any of these diseases. 

Need more information or advice?

Contact your nearest Banfield Pet Hospital to schedule an appointment today.

Tags

Behavior

Back to Question List

Ask a Vet Archive

When it comes to your pet's health, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Search questions real clients have submitted to our popular Ask a Vet Q&A series, and then submit a question of your own.