Eating Dirt

[Tayda_Lenny]

tayda and lenny eat dirt also! they eat it out of the pot of the plant in my living room… its so strange. someone told me they must be craving some kind of mineral.

[MaxBooBooBear]

I've heard of the craving minerals also; however, my elderly german shepherd mix started eating dirt, and it turned out she was having upset stomachs and was eating dirt and even rocks to try to soothe her stomach the vet at that time told me.

[firefoxkatan]

Bindi chews at the dirt, but mostly because there's a plant growing or some leaf or a seed that feel from a tree, I haven't seen her eat just dirt though hmmm

~Kat

[tanza]

It is not that unusal for dogs to eat dirt… it is that they are lacking minerals and typically have some type of tummy upset... that is usually adults, puppies however eat anything. My puppies favorite thing was chewing on the catus plant when teething.... you do have to be careful if they are eating rocks (and they do or gravel) can cause a blockage...

[jenwilson]

Hey Terry & Jojo!! This is new to me too. Hollie will eat certain types of grass, and it's not to make herself throw up. I guess it's veggies to her.

[firefoxkatan]

@jenwilson:

Hey Terry & Jojo!! This is new to me too. Hollie will eat certain types of grass, and it's not to make herself throw up. I guess it's veggies to her.

grass doesn't just make them puke, grass is good for the digestion and when they have an upset stomach it helps, but most of the time, it's like how we chew on gum all day :3

~Kat

[tanza]

Eating grass can and does also indicate problems however… When my Kristii had a blockage in her gut, she ate grass and hurled like crazy..... so if they are doing it all the time.... Time to check it out...
But most of the time it is nothing... like everything else, you need to consider all the facts.

[firefoxkatan]

@tanza:

Eating grass can and does also indicate problems however… When my Kristii had a blockage in her gut, she ate grass and hurled like crazy..... so if they are doing it all the time.... Time to check it out...
But most of the time it is nothing... like everything else, you need to consider all the facts.

my mom's larger dogs eat grass all the time, only rarely do they puke it back up, thats when we found out, grass can be good for the dog, not just an expectant

~Kat

[Erik_Arend]

My parents lived for 12.5 years out in the Congo and my mother told me she noticed that Basenjis tend to eat dirt but in fact they are eating roots of different plants and grasses.
I notice the same behaviour in all 6 Basenjis at home. They eat the roots of grass and other plants, even roots of trees and not really the dirt.

regards

Erik & Ingrid
www.abuluka-basenjis.be

[Basenji_Boy]

We thought our's where eating dirt too. But looking at what they where eating closely, I found that they where in fact eating what looked like a small bulb/root type thingy! I'm sure they're really tasty!:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[nomrbddgs]

Dogs are not completely carnivorous. They do like fruits and veggies and sometimes even need them for a complete balanced diet. I feed mine various veggies-they seem to like lettuce the best. Eating dirt could be signs of various causes-including boredom. Best to investigate the upset tummy thing though!!