If you suspect that your pet has a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider.Handsome Butch has had more items removed from his stomach than his “mom,” Barbara Freeman of Los Angeles, cares to count. Always seek the advice of your vet or other qualified health care provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
#Curing dog pica behavior professional
Byers, DVM, DACVECC, DACVIM (SAIM), CVJĭisclaimer: The information produced by Infurmation is provided for general and educational purposes only and does not constitute any legal, medical or other professional advice on any subject matter. Pet parents should work closely with the family veterinarian and board-certified veterinary behavior specialists to develop a logical approach to successfully resolve this health issue.Ĭhristopher G. As such ingestion can be dangerous, so determining the cause and curbing the behavior is essential. Pica is the inappropriate consumption of items without nutritional value. The take-away message about pica in dogs and cats… Pet parents will likely find it helpful to partner with a board-certified veterinary behavior specialist to help determine the cause of their pet’s pica. Other techniques for treating pica include counter-conditioning and the use of medication. Of course, something as simple as using a basket muzzle when a pet isn’t directly supervised can be effective. Emesis was successfully induced to allow the patient to vomit up the swallowed feminine hygiene products.įor patients with anxiety, determining the source of an animal’s stress is of paramount importance…and often easier said than done. This is a dog who ingested multiple tampons. Redirecting inappropriate behavior to a more acceptable outlet and/or to an energy expending activity can be hugely helpful in curbing pica. Spending at least 30 minutes per day petting, playing, and interacting with your pet. Such activity all contributes to environmental enrichment. If a medical problem is documented, appropriate therapy is essential for curbing pica.Įnsuring a pet with pica gets adequate mental and physical stimulation is often helpful. Early Weaning – Suckling on inanimate objects is occasionally observed in kittens that have been weaned too early.Īdequately treating pica requires determining the underlying cause of the inappropriate behavior in the first place.As a coping mechanism, they may redirect their anxiety to other inappropriate behaviors, including eating dangerous objects. If we don’t provide an appropriate substrate on which our pets can chew, they’ll find their own items, a fact that may not be associated with the safest outcomes. Teething – Puppies and kittens, like infants, like to chew on things when they’re teething.For example, Siamese and Burmese cats are over-represented for suckling and eating various fabrics, particularly wool. Evidence suggests a genetic link in some animals. Their compulsion may manifest as ingestion of inappropriate objects. Compulsion – Just as with some humans, compulsive disorders do occur in our pets.Boredom – When our pets don’t receive adequate enrichment – physical and mental stimulation – they may choose to consume dangerous and non-nutritious objects.For this reason, veterinarians will recommend evaluating non-invasive blood and urine tests to screen for abnormalities Nutritional Deficiencies – There is some evidence pica is associated with underlying medical conditions, including mineral deficiencies.As a board-certified veterinary emergency and critical care specialist, I get to deal with the aftermath of such unusual eating habits – intoxications, acute pancreatitis, and gastrointestinal obstructions.Īs some of the sequelae of pica can be life-threatening, I feel strongly it’s essential veterinarians determine the reason why some of our pets choose to eat unusual objects that have no nutritional value. I think we can all agree a cat ingesting a hair tie or a dog eating a tampon has no nutritional benefit for either of them. Pica is simply defined as the ingestion of objects with no nutritional value that confer no benefit to the animal. This week I’ve dedicated some time to explore this topic in greater detail. This unusual habit of consuming objects is called pica. Sure, dogs and cats love to chew on things, but actually ingesting them is problematic. Working in an emergency room for almost two decades, I’ve definitely seen my fair share of patients who’ve ingested some weird things – rocks, plastic, feminine hygiene products, hair ties, etc.
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