Clubs Offering:
Our canine companions chew on all kinds of weird things, but among the most dangerous are rocks. Rock eating can lead to intestinal blockages, perforated stomachs, and choking.
Even though rocks can damage their teeth, gums, and digestive systems, dogs often chew and swallow these earthly items for a variety of reasons. These tips can help prevent or end this damaging behavior so your dog lives a healthier life.
Rock eating can be the result of a medical, behavioral, or psychological problem.
When a dog repeatedly eats non-edible objects obsessively, it could be due to pica, an eating disorder that generally emerges because of a nutritional deficiency in their diet. Other dogs may have undiagnosed medical disorders like diabetes, parasites or worms, or tumors. Puppies may bite, chew, or swallow rocks in search of relief from teething pain.
Of course, dogs may also chew on rocks because they want to draw your attention. They could also be anxious, annoyed, or frustrated.
“They’re going to explore their world and they’re like human babies,” said Mindy Tusko, dog trainer and owner of Pawsitive Results Training.
Some dogs and puppies are attracted to rocks out of curiosity, as tasting different objects allows them to better understand their environment. Smell can also play a role in that attraction, as rocks may have been marked by other animals or have food remnants on them.
It could just be that your dog is tired of the same routine, toys, and activities that they are involved in, even if you think they should be enough.
“Boredom is a big problem,” said Tusko, “One of the reasons that we do find dogs are eating rocks is because [they] have nothing else to do.”
Since dogs are highly intelligent and need both mental and physical stimulation, they need to be constantly challenged. Dogs get bored with their chew toys the same way human children do, so rotate chew toys and introduce new ones.
What To Do If Your Dog Eats Rocks
If you just watched your dog pick up a rock and swallow it, it’s best to reach out to your veterinarian for guidance.
Depending on the size of the rock, most vets will probably advise dog owners to monitor their dogs to make sure that the rock passes.
If your dog keeps chewing or swallowing rocks, you should definitely talk to your veterinarian to rule out any medical issues.
In the meantime, don’t allow your dog access to rocks and make sure they are always supervised when outside.
For more detailed steps on how to stop your dog from eating rocks, read this post HERE.
You might need to advocate for your dog here and always go with your gut.
If you think that something else is going on with your dog, relay that to your vet.
If your dog is eating other inedible objects like batteries, clothes, toys and socks, tell your vet.
How to prevent your dog from eating rocks
If your dogs rock-eating is something your dog does on a regular basis, it is important for their health and your wallet that you determine and correct their eating habits. Rocks can not only damage your dogs digestive system, leading to expensive surgeries, but they can also cause broken teeth, and they may even choke if the rock is big enough.
Pica is an eating disorder in dogs that may cause them to eat rocks. It is often caused by an underlying health condition, such as a nutritional deficiency, diabetes, or parasites. Your veterinarian can help determine the cause and offer treatment, which may be as simple as changing the dogs diet or giving them supplements.
In other cases, eating rocks may be a behavioral issue caused by a compulsive disorder, teething, or boredom. Teething puppies may grow out of the habit but take steps to offer safe chew toys and create a safe space for your young dog. If boredom is the issue, make sure your dog is getting enough exercise and mental stimulation.
Research dog trainers and find a positive reinforcement trainer who can help you teach the dog training commands such as “leave it” and “drop it.” A behaviorist is someone who is trained in understanding normal dog behavior and helping to change problem behaviors, so if your dog swallows things they shouldnt eat, you might consider getting help.
Controlling their behavior is not only useful for stopping the dog from eating rocks but the training process will also provide mental and physical stimulation for your dog and reduce their boredom. Crating your dog while you are away is a great management tool to prevent them from having access to the rocks unattended.
Training and treating medical conditions can go a long way toward stopping rock-eating behavior, but it is still important to make sure your pup has a safe place to play. Consider putting up a fence to keep your dog away from any rocky areas or replace the rocks with a ground cover or pet-safe mulch, such as shredded pine. Training your dog to wear a basket muzzle while outside is also a helpful tool to restrict their ability to ingest rocks if fencing or replacing the rocks is not an option.
In addition, some dogs just like to eat ground cover, so check that the plants in your garden are safe for dogs in case your pup decides to chew on plants when rocks are no longer an option. Avoid toxic plants, such as tulips, azalea, oleander, and daffodils.
Eating rocks is a dangerous habit for a dog to develop. It can easily lead to large veterinary bills for you and life-threatening obstructions and surgeries for your dog. Your veterinarian may be able to diagnose the cause of the rock eating as an underlying condition, but it could also just be due to boredom or a developmental period in the dogs life. Management is required to be certain that the dog does not have unsupervised access to rocks.
How Big Of A Rock Can A Dog Pass | DogVela
If your dog eats rocks or stones, there are some symptoms for which to watch, such as vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. These may indicate your pup needs veterinary attention. Sometimes, eating a rock is a one-time occurrence, but if it becomes a habit, it can be very harmful to your dog. Determine why your dog eats rocks and teach them to stop in order to avoid any ongoing problems.
âIt could be due to underlying medical conditions, boredom, lack of training, or teething.â There are a variety of things that could lead to your dog ingesting rocks or other strange things like nonfood items.
If your dog eats rocks that are extremely small, they may pass through their system without a problem. However, larger rocks in a dogs stomach or too many small ones can cause serious digestive tract complications, so be sure to watch for symptoms of a foreign object being trapped in their system. In addition to causing an intestinal blockage, ingested rocks can perforate the stomach or cause your dog to choke while trying to ingest them.
If you notice any of these symptoms, if you saw your dog eat dirt, or if you know they ate a rock, be sure to call your veterinarian or take your dog to the clinic right away.