Yummy dirt..?

[Jilly]

My dog eats dirt... with relish! Seriously though, I really do want to know why he does this. He doesn't just occasionally sniff out some good smelling spot. He will stop, dig enough to clear away the grass, and then bite into it with his front teeth and eat it. Is he missing some trace mineral in his diet perhaps? He is on meds for congestive heart failure and water retention. He also takes Rimadyl for pain, as he has arthritis in his hips. I do give him Synovi G3 to help with that. SO with his taking those meds, it wouldn't surprise me to find that he is in need of some minerals or vitamins that he's not getting enough of now.
I do appreciate any insight about this. If it is a mineral deficiency I want to get the needed supplement for him as soon as possible.
Thanks so much,
Jilly

[palehorse]

Dogs eat dirt sometimes when they lack certain trace minerals. This is a very odd situation with yours though...

I would ask the Veterinarian, with all those meds you must be seeing the Veterinarian quite often I would guess.

When he tells you what is causing this, please come back and share.

Thanks

[latergatorj]

Your dog- is on a lot of meds... and this along with his behavior, leads me to think that he may have something going on mentally. Dogs, can be prone to developing obsessive compulsive behavior.

If you can, I'd watch a few of the shows that Cesear Millan (The Dog Whisperer) has been putting out. He works miracles with dogs that express the type of behavior your dog is expressing.

I hope your dog improves that you're able to turn around his behavior. Eating dirt... all the time, is not a good thing. :-P

[Jilly]

Thank you for your replies.
A long while back I did ask the Veterinarian about Doogie's dirt eating. She told me that he probably just smelled something in the dirt that had been spilled and
decided he'd eat it. I just think that what he's doing is different because of the
frequency and his insistence about it! I have to pull him away, several times
during a walk, or he'll stay there and eat dirt. I don't know how much he'd eat
because I don't allow him to stay there... I don't think it's healthy!
I will look to see if maybe the Dog Whisperer you mentioned has a book? or
videos I can rent? I'm guessing he's on a cable channel?
I have wondered if his behavior is related to his nerves, it's interesting you
suggest it might be a behavioral rather that a dietary issue.
He's going in for a complete physical the first part of April. I will post a
message if I find any answers about this.
I did meet a woman last week as we were out walking who told me that he
likely was in need of Selenium, a trace mineral. I'm going to check into that
too. thanks again, Jilly and DoogieDawg