home remedies for dogs with pica syndrome

Use negative reinforcement – say “no” as they approach or start eating wood.Be sure to spray it on the object – NEVER on a dog, especially not in its face. Add something to the wood that will keep them away ( bitter apple or a spray designed to keep dogs off furniture).If they don’t stop the behavior, you may want to consider: If you suspect this may be the case with your pup, why not consider working on some brain training games? It will deepen your bond and hopefully help to reduce this and other destructive behaviors around your home. Your dog may be chewing on sticks and other wood objects as a way to deal with their boredom. With time, they’ll hopefully get used to leaving the wood alone. Leave a couple out in the yard, and encourage your dog to chew on the toy instead of wood. Try different chew toys until you find one that they like. Provide them with something else to chew. You might need to tie down the wood cover or tarp to keep your dog from getting to the wood.

If you have a firewood pile, it’s essential to cover it up to prevent your dog from accessing it. You don’t need to do a perfect job, but the more you clear out, the better. Go out in your yard or wherever your dog is allowed to roam and pick up all the sticks, logs, and other pieces of wood you can find. Understandably, keeping wood away can be more difficult given your environment, especially if you live near a forest or wooded area. The post Things Dogs Eat: The Problem With Pica in Pets appeared first on West Park Animal Hospital Blog.The key to keeping your dog from eating wood, as with anything you don’t want them to ingest, is to keep it away from them. West Park Animal Hospital is here for you! If you have questions about your pet eating foreign objects or want to discuss their behavior, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. However, prevention is certainly preferable compared with life-threatening illness and emergency surgery (and recovery) to remove foreign material from your pet’s digestive tract. In most cases, the treatment and prevention of pica will be an ongoing project.

If your pet continues to eat foreign objects, consider a referral to a veterinary behaviorist who can help you get to the root of your pet’s behavior.

Provide lots of safe toys and chewing objects that your pet can’t swallow.

Try covering the objects with a bitter apple spray or cayenne pepper.

Leash walk your dog and distract him from eating objects or poop with treats and praise.

Consider training your dog to wear a basket muzzle, if she eats objects in the yard.Eliminate access to objects that your dog may eat.Consider environmental enrichment such as food puzzles, games, and a dog walker if you are away from home a lot to decrease boredom.Most dogs need at least 60 minutes of exercise per day – hunting and sporting breeds need much more. Ask us about your dog’s breed, age, and lifestyle for recommendations. Make sure your pet is getting plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.If there isn’t an underlying medical condition, the following measures can be taken to help prevent pica and treat the behavioral issue. It’s often a compulsive behavior, regardless of how it started or the reasons for it. In most cases, pica does not go away on it’s own. Fear of punishment (in the case of stool eating, eliminating the evidence of an accident in the house may help the dog avoid being punished).Once we know your pet is eating non food items for behavioral reasons, we can start to look at causes and prevention.Ĭommon behavioral reasons for pica include: Still, it’s important to rule out any medical conditions such as malnutrition, liver disease, anemia, and parasites. Most cases of pica in pets are behavioral in nature. Signs that your pet may be experiencing a GI blockage include: These items may either get tangled in the sensitive intestine, or be unable to pass, resulting in major illness followed by emergency surgery or endoscopy. The problem with pica is that the items consumed can cause serious blockage in the digestive tract. Cats are more likely to consume kitty litter, string, dental floss, and clothing. With pica, a pet eats inedible objects such as toys, rocks, grass, and sticks.

West Park Animal Hospital gets questions about pica in pets often, so we thought we’d dig in (ahem) to this topic. Both coprophagia and pica in general can cause problems for pets, and sometimes are the result of an underlying medical condition. Coprophagy, the technical term for the eating of feces, is one of the most common forms of pica in dogs. Pica is the consumption of non-food substances. Unfortunately our pets just don’t seem to mind our protests, no matter how vehement! And most of the time, our reaction is one of dismay, bewilderment, or even disgust. Has your pet ever eaten anything you don’t consider to be edible? Those of us with dogs, and some cats, can attest to this activity.

Home remedies for dogs with pica syndrome