It’s not uncommon for dogs to eat things that don’t belong in their stomach. Catching a dog munch on a sock or used tissue is more likely to cause surprise than worry.
But what if your dog eats rocks? And what if this rock-eating behavior persists for days, even weeks?
Eating non-food items is dangerous in itself. But eating stones and the like? That can lead to serious health problems, especially if done obsessively.
Today, we’ll be discussing why dogs eat rocks, the potential consequences of rock-eating, and how you can get your dog unhooked from this weird, troubling habit. So read on!
Why dogs eat rocks
Before we get into the various reasons why dogs eat rocks, let’s discuss a compulsive disorder known as pica.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, pica is “an eating disorder that involves eating items that are not typically thought of as food and that do not contain significant nutritional value, such as hair, dirt, and paint chips.”
So if your dog won’t stop eating rocks, gravel, or pebbles, they may have pica – a condition that affects not only dogs, but also humans, cats, and other animals.
A related condition is geophagia – the eating of dirt.
Pica may be caused by the problems discussed in this article. Whether or not your pooch has pica, however, their rock-eating habit may be explained by health or behavioral issues.
1. Health issues
When a dog devours something that isn’t food, they may be suffering from one or more health concerns. This is why fur parents need to seek a vet’s help if they observe their dogs eating rocks.
Nutritional deficiency:
Is your dog eating rocks? It may be time to examine what they’re eating.
Your dog’s diet needs to contain the right balance of essential nutrients to keep them healthy and strong. Too little (or too many) of any nutrient can cause a range of problems, including but not limited to those described in this article.
For example, if your dog isn’t getting enough magnesium, iron, calcium, or sodium from the food you’re feeding them, they may try to swallow rocks that do contain such nutrients.
Of course, a dog that isn’t fed enough may start eating stones to stave off starvation. This is why rock-eating behaviors are quite common among neglected, abused, and starved dogs.
Anemia:
Why does your dog eat rocks? They may be trying to correct a nutritional deficiency caused by anemia.
An anemic dog doesn’t have enough red blood cells or iron-containing hemoglobin. As a result, their body doesn’t absorb enough iron and other nutrients essential to good health. Because some of these nutrients can be found in rocks, your dog may begin eating rocks.
Symptoms of canine anemia include lethargy, fatigue, pale gums, poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, rapid breathing, a swollen face or jaw, dark feces, and dark blood in vomit or feces.
Anemia can be caused by problems such as a viral or bacterial infection, a parasitic infestation, defective bone marrow, intestinal bleeding, immune disease, poor nutrition, or cancer.
Diabetes:
Insulin is an important hormone that “instructs” cells to use nutrients as fuel for normal bodily functions. Unfortunately, a dog with diabetes is unable to convert nutrients into energy due to a drop in insulin levels or their body’s inability to “understand” the aforementioned “instructions.”
Therefore, a diabetic dog feels they have to eat more in an attempt to fix the energy starvation problem. As a result, they may end up eating things such as rocks.
In addition to increased appetite, diabetic symptoms include weight loss, increased urination, and excessive thirst. Advanced symptoms include lack of energy, poor appetite, vomiting, and depression.
If unmanaged, this chronic condition can cause serious problems, from blindness to potentially life-threatening kidney failure.
Neurological disease:
Any disease that affects the brain and nervous system may result in your dog doing some extremely peculiar things, such as turning rocks into chew toys.
Canine neurological disorders can take many forms, including seizures, an infection in the brain or spinal cord, tumors, a slipped disc, or a stroke.
In addition to weird behaviors such as rock-gobbling, symptoms to watch out for include disorientation, head pressing, circling, seizures, unexplained or sudden stumbling and/or weakness, difficulty using the limbs, and pain.
Gastrointestinal issues:
If your dog has an upset stomach, they may start swallowing rocks to alleviate their discomfort or induce vomiting.
Other types of gastrointestinal concerns (such as intestinal parasites, stomach tumors, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.) may lead to feelings of starvation, prompting your dog to chow down on rubble and other non-food items.
Symptoms of gastrointestinal problems vary but may include poor appetite and vomiting in addition to eating stones and other strange things.
Hormonal imbalance:
Problems with the thyroid may result in hormonal imbalances in poor doggo. This, in turn, can lead to a nutritional deficiency that spurs your dog to seek the nutrients they lack elsewhere. The result? A dog eating rocks.
Symptoms include excessive drinking, increased urination, increased panting, weight loss or weight gain, lethargy, and skin problems.
2. Behavioral issues
If your vet determines an underlying health concern isn’t why your dog is chewing rocks, then a behavioral problem may be the reason behind their odd behavior.
Boredom:
Boredom can do strange things to a dog. One may start barking at their own shadow. Another may resort to eating rocks.
As the sensation of crunching rocks between their teeth may be fascinating enough to relieve their boredom, dogs that chew rocks may simply be trying to entertain themselves. A lack of physical and mental stimulation is the culprit behind many bizarre and/or destructive behaviors. This is especially true of dogs with a lot of energy, such as those bred to hunt, herd, guard, or do other types of work.
Dogs that don’t get enough exercise for the body and brain are particularly prone to boredom.
Anxiety or stress:
Sometimes, the answer to “Why does my dog eat rocks?” is an unhappy one: your dog is more prone to acute fear, nervousness, and frustration than others.
Like boredom, anxiety and stress can cause a variety of unusual behaviors, including chewing on the furniture, peeing on the carpet, and gulping down stones.
A dog that has experienced a lot of trauma – such as one that was abused or neglected by their previous owner – is more likely to experience severe bouts of stress and anxiety.
If you’re considering taking home a rescue dog, try to learn about their detailed history if you can. This will help you determine what strategies to employ to give them the happy, worry-free life they deserve.
Attention-seeking:
If your dog is eating rocks on the regular, they may be trying to get your attention.
If this is the case, it’s possible your dog feels they aren’t getting enough love and affection from you. A neglected dog may sometimes engage in negative behaviors to encourage you to interact with them.
You could have also inadvertently trained them to eat rocks. If you laughed, smiled, or scratched them behind the ears after you caught treating a pebble like a chew toy, they may have associated your positive reaction with rock-munching. So they may now be thinking that they have to eat stones to get your attention and/or make you happy.
Curiosity:
Dogs are naturally curious creatures and may put things in their mouths to figure out what can or can’t be eaten.
If your juvenile dog is eating rocks, they may simply be engaging in normal behavior. Like human infants and toddlers, puppies like to explore their environment using their mouths, which can lead to them gnawing on a rock or two. This behavior usually goes away as they grow older. If you can’t wait that long, training can stop your dog from eating rocks.
The dangers of eating rocks
Consuming rocks can cause a broad array of health problems in any dog.
For starters, stones can get stuck anywhere in your dog’s digestive tract and cause an obstruction. A small rock in the throat can choke your dog. Intestinal blockages can result in vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, and a poor appetite. In severe cases, swallowed rocks can only be removed surgically.
A sharp rock may also damage the gastrointestinal tract’s lining, causing internal injury and bleeding.
Chomping down on stones can damage your dog’s teeth. Your dog may even lose one or several teeth because of the habit.
Rocks may be home to parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. Once these parasites are inside your dog’s body, they can cause nutritional deficiencies, burrow into other organs, and even kill a mother’s unborn puppies.
Rocks may also contain chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that can harm dogs. If your dog experiences diarrhea, confusion, or seizures after gobbling up a rock, they may be reacting to a toxic substance circulating in their blood.
What to do if your dog eats rocks
If your dog just ate rocks, you should seek help from a veterinarian immediately by calling them up or, better yet, taking your dog to a pet clinic. Do the same if you notice rocks in your pet’s stool, as this is likely a sign they’ve been devouring the hard stuff.
Waiting several days or weeks before seeking veterinary assistance can increase the risk of your dog getting severely ill or even dying.
Most vets employ one or more techniques to take the rocks out of a dog’s system. For example, they may have your dog eat food with additional fiber. This fiber will help ease the stone through the intestines towards the eventual exit. If an x-ray reveals complex intestinal blockages, however, your dog may need surgery to save them from any immediate danger.
To determine if an underlying medical condition made your dog dine on inanimate objects, the vet may take blood samples from your dog in addition to conducting other tests. Based on their findings, they’ll then develop a treatment plan to restore your dog to health and derail further rock-munching activities. Make sure you adhere to this plan.
If no health issue is identified, you’ll be doing your dog a favor by visiting an animal behaviorist. This is a professional who can pinpoint the behavioral issue behind the dangerous habit, allowing you to design a strategy to curtail it.
Training and lots of mental and physical stimulation are effective solutions to behavioral concerns in dogs.
How to prevent the rock-eating habit
The first step in preventing your pooch from making a meal out of rocks is to ensure they enjoy a healthy, nutritious, and balanced diet. This means providing them with high-quality dog food recommended by your vet. Purina and Royal Canin are among the excellent brands approved by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). The right diet will prevent not only nutritional deficiencies but also a host of medical conditions including anemia and diabetes.
Take your dog to the vet for a medical examination at least once a year. Ensure they’re vaccinated against diseases and infections. As frightening as hookworms are, your vet can immunize your dog against them and other parasites. Other health concerns can be effectively cured or managed, especially if identified early.
Stay observant. Should your pet exhibit any worrying symptoms such as those described above, take them to the vet as soon as possible. Any sudden or strange changes in behavior are also red flags.
Shower your dog with affection and avoid ignoring them for extended periods. This will help cultivate their trust in you as well as their sense of security.
Train your dog to obey your command. Regular training and practice sessions will stimulate your dog’s mind, teach them their place in your pack, boost their confidence, and strengthen their bond with you. You should also consider enrolling your dog in advanced obedience classes or specialized training if they have pica.
Most dogs benefit from crate training. Over time, your dog will see the crate as the shelter they can retreat into whenever they feel stressed or anxious. Crating your dog while you’re away also prevents them from accessing any rocks on your property.
Use positive reinforcement during training. Reward good behaviors. A stern “No!” or “Stop!” will tell them if a behavior is undesirable, but avoid hitting or shouting at them as this will only worsen their stress and anxiety.
Regular exercise is a must, so take your dog on daily walks, play games like fetch and tug with them, and bring them along when you go hiking or camping. This will allow them to release pent-up energy that they would otherwise expend engaging in destructive behavior.
Also, consider bringing your dog to pet-friendly spaces where they can interact with other dogs and humans. It’s important to mix up their activities once in a while so they don’t get bored of the same routine.
You can also use diversionary tactics to curb your dog’s bad habits. For instance, if your puppy has turned into a little rock chewer, offer them something else to nibble on – like a new, exciting, and safe squeaky toy. Like human children, puppies are always seeking out new experiences. Constant novelty, whether it’s in the form of brand new chew toys or fun games, can help divert their attention from those pesky pebbles. And the good news? Even adult dogs will benefit from being exposed to new things.
Lastly, it’s a good idea to remove rocks or similar non-chewable objects from your property before your pooch can get to them.
Conclusion
Dogs eat rocks for various reasons. What’s truly important, however, is what you do to curb this confusing behavior.
So love your dog and keep them physically and mentally stimulated. Give them enough food to satisfy their nutritional needs and ensure they receive the medical care they require to stay in good health. Your dog may not be able to talk, but they’ll let you know in their own way how much they appreciate your efforts.