Tracy R Touzjian wrote 01/22/2008 09:50 AM eating rocks/dirt #176803 - 01/22/2008 09:50 AM
Tracy R Touzjian Webboard User Reg: 07-01-2006 Posts: 252 Loc: Offline	Hi all, I switched my 19 month old boerboel to all raw about 1 1/2 months ago. He looks and acts fantastic and seems to really love it. Lately though, he has been scrounging around the edges of the house (where there is no snow), and eating small rocks and dirt. I have found some in his stool and he has vomited some up once. I have blocked off the areas where the dirt/rocks are the best I can, but he still goes looking for them. His typical diet is: RMB's (turkey necks, chix backs, leg quarters), ground hamburger, and some organ meat. Sometimes I throw in some veggies, mostly not. He also gets salmon oil, vit e and yogurt. He eats about 3.5 lbs a day and is still very lean. I'm wondering if he is lacking in some vitamins or minerals, hence the rock/dirt eating. Or could it be behavioral. Thanks for any advice/input. Tracy Touzjian
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Connie Sutherland wrote 01/22/2008 10:48 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Tracy R Touzjian ] #176816 - 01/22/2008 10:48 AM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	By "very lean," do you mean too thin? Is he just not getting enough food?
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Tracy R Touzjian wrote 01/22/2008 11:14 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #176819 - 01/22/2008 11:14 AM
Tracy R Touzjian Webboard User Reg: 07-01-2006 Posts: 252 Loc: Offline	No, I mean a healthy lean. He weighs 133 lbs, and I can see the last couple of ribs. He is very muscular with minimal fat. His body condition has vastly improved since putting him on raw. He had surgery in late September due to testicular torsion, and then had a bout with sarcoptic mange. His coat and body condition was very poor 2 months ago due to his illnesses. That finally convinced me to go all Raw. We have seen improvements in leaps and bounds since then.
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Connie Sutherland wrote 01/22/2008 11:36 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Tracy R Touzjian ] #176825 - 01/22/2008 11:36 AM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	OK, gotcha. Well, if the organ meat is 5% or so of the diet, then I see no insufficiencies. I much prefer correcting micronutrient shortages by adding the food that contains it, rather than a multi that has a bunch of stuff your dog is already getting in his food. This is just me, but I'd probably add a little produce, add a little protein variety, teach "drop it," keep him on-leash, and (most important) increase his structured exercise. I'm not brushing you off. These are all possibilities for pica, especially boredom, and I hope that you will post back and report. Yes, it can be diet-related, but IME (strictly anecdotal, with rescues who already had the habit), it's likely to be boredom-related. So if he has been health-checked, and is receiving good food (which he is), that's where I'd look first.
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Connie Sutherland wrote 01/22/2008 11:38 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #176826 - 01/22/2008 11:38 AM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	BTW, this can cause problems, so you want to address it now before it's an entrenched habit. Maybe he has reached an age where he he needs more mental and physical stimulation.
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Sharon Empson wrote 01/22/2008 11:45 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Tracy R Touzjian ] #176827 - 01/22/2008 11:45 AM
Sharon Empson Webboard User Reg: 08-27-2007 Posts: 1197 Loc: Offline	Tracy: I also have this problem with Cocy, my 5 month old terrior mix. I can't let him outside without his leash, and I have trained him to spit it out and he does, but I am afraid one day I will miss on and he will swallow a rock. I had wondered too about the eating dirt thing and glad you posted your questions. My dog is raw fed too, but Cody did this even before I switched him off the food the rescue organization was feeding him. It is a bad habit I am going to try hard to break. What I do now is not let him out int he yard unattended. and if I take him off his leash, its to play after training. THen right back on. If he is occupied, he eats less dirt and rocks, so I can see what connie is saying here. Hope he stops eating dirt and rocks soon. God bless you Sharon Empson
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Connie Sutherland wrote 01/22/2008 11:52 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Sharon Empson ] #176830 - 01/22/2008 11:52 AM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Sharon Empson ... What I do now is not let him out int he yard unattended. and if I take him off his leash, its to play after training. THen right back on. If he is occupied, he eats less dirt and rocks, A perfect summation. And --- it applies to pretty much every destructive habit. A dog who is walking with his owner, being trained, or tired from all the exercise and training ... is not eating dirt, biting his tail, or chewing the furniture.
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Sarah Morris wrote 01/22/2008 11:57 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Sharon Empson ] #176831 - 01/22/2008 11:57 AM
Sarah Morris Webboard User Reg: 08-29-2006 Posts: 2324 Loc: Central Coast, California Offline	I'll second Connie's suggestion about needing more mental/physical stimulation. My dog has at times "gone to town" on the yard, eating all sorts of stuff, some of which could cause a serious problem. I finally figured out he was bored. Adding additional play/OB sessions during the day stopped the behavior. True
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Tracy R Touzjian wrote 01/22/2008 11:59 AM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #176832 - 01/22/2008 11:59 AM
Tracy R Touzjian Webboard User Reg: 07-01-2006 Posts: 252 Loc: Offline	Thanks ladies, The lack of mental and physical stimulation crossed my mind too. Admitedly I've been quite the slacker on the excercise lately. So many excuses.. too cold, I have 2 toddlers, you name it. We do start a new training class on Thursday night. That will give me some more motivation. Thanks again!
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Connie Sutherland wrote 01/22/2008 12:02 PM Re: eating rocks/dirt [Re: Tracy R Touzjian ] #176833 - 01/22/2008 12:02 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Don't forget how tiring it is to that doggy brain to do motivational obedience training inside. It doesn't substitute for the walks, but it sure does work to decrease frustrated boredom!
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