Why does my puppy eat mulch

If your dog is a mulch eater precautions should be taken as complications can result. Truly anything can cause a dog to experience pica.

Its unlikely that your pet will have a chance to eat the mulch but with such high risks its better to be safe than sorry.

Why does my puppy eat mulch. Dogs eat mulch because they find the smell appealing coupled with the fact that dogs are natural chewers and they are well known for the habit of eating weird things that cant be considered as food such as wood socks diapers filled with poo amongst many others just. Mulch is often a combination of wood chips and dirt that people will add to their yard for a variety of reasons. Mulch also tends to have a very strong smell which can be quite enticing to a curious dog especially if the dog has never smelled mulch before.

Pica is a condition that drives dogs to eat non food items. Truly anything can cause a dog to experience pica. Nausea stress anxiety hunger or underlying medical conditions can cause this strange disorder.

If you find your dog constantly chewing and eating random objects you may need to talk to your vet about this possible disorder. Eating dirt is a form of pica or eating things that arent food. In some cases pica is caused by a mineral deficiency in your dogs diet or a parasite infestation.

This is especially true in puppies and young dogs. A dog may also eat dirt to alleviate intestinal distress. Dogs love to chew and a fresh bed of mulch is a prime target for digging and chewing.

If your dog is a mulch eater precautions should be taken as complications can result. Dogs that chew on small pieces of mulch or sticks can develop gum irritation from splinters that embed in the oral cavity. Why does my puppy eat twigs and mulch.

How can I make him stop. Ive heard they eat those things when they have worms because it supposedly settles their stomachs. Or is he basically just teething as a young lab does.

He did have tapeworm and was medicated for it a. Cocoa bean mulch has an attractive smell that makes the ingestion of the mulch an interesting prospect to many dogs. The danger of ingestion lies in the compounds theobromine and caffeine which are also found in chocolate.

These substances will poison a dog leading to symptoms like tremors and vomiting. Why does my puppy eat mulch. How expensive is a puppy.

According to this report the total first-year cost of owning a dog is 1270 and for a cat its 1070. As you can see having a pet can cost you over 1000 in the first year and well over 500 each additional year. Repeatedly ingesting non-edible objects is called pica.

Puppies often accidentally swallow pieces of toys but pica refers to an almost-obsessive urge to eat rocks or chomp mouthfuls of dirt sticks sand or other nondigestible material. Cocoa bean mulch is made from cocoa shells and is a top-rated garden product. Like chocolate this mulch contains theobromine.

This poison is dangerous to dogs and your furry companion will likely want to chew on the sweet-smelling cocoa bean mulch. Ingesting dirt is a fairly common behavior among dogs. Whether your dog eats soil from pots or eat dirt directly from your garden attention needs to be paid.

The main causes for a dog eating dirt include. Pica syndrome in dogs. A common complaint among those living with puppies is that they eat everything they can when outside.

Grass dirt leaves sticks feces from geese rabbits deer and other animals and sometimes rocks garbage or anything else they find when on a walk or out in the back yard. Dogs that eat mulch are at risk of ingesting chemicals that some mulch companies treat the mulch with even if the material the mulch is made of is dog-safe. Make sure any mulch you buy is labeled as dog safe.

Pesticides which may be on or near the mulch can make a dog sick. Dental and Digestive Issues. Mulch rocks or any other kind of debris can block the gastrointestinal tract leading to digestive issues.

Mulch since it is made of wood can splinter when chewed thus causing irritation abrasions tears perforations or blockage. Too many rocks can block the gastrointestinal tract which may need surgical intervention to resolve. While others types of mulch may not necessarily be toxic they can also be dangerous.

Why Dogs Eat Mulch. Dogs are chewers by nature especially young puppies. Dogs will sometimes chew on wood because they are lacking in nutrients but mostly it is out of boredom or curiosity.

However pica is often the result of a medical problem such as a dietary deficiency. According to the ASPCA rocks are the most common non-food item ingested by dogs suffering from pica but dogs also sometimes swallow other inedible items such as plastic containers clothes and wooden objects including mulch. The aroma of the mulch is what dogs find appealing.

According to research by the ASPCA the risk to your dog depends on its size the amount of mulch ingested and also the level of theobromine in the mulch. However this can vary widely depending upon the brand. Puppies and small-breed dogs would be at greater risk.

My husband put bark mulch in our front yard- my dog was out there with him- my husband does not think my dog ate or chewed any bark mulch-but obviously he does not 100 percent know- the bark mulch is. The mulch is sold at most garden supply stores and according to Hersheys 98 of dogs wont eat it. Its unlikely that your pet will have a chance to eat the mulch but with such high risks its better to be safe than sorry.

Why would a dog eat mulch. To be fair mulch is just chopped up sticks-a dogs favorite toy.