Why Do Dogs Eat Dirt?



Andie eating dirt and roots in the woods.

Do your dogs ever eat dirt or other "weird" stuff?  Mine do.  Why do dogs eat dirt?  I did a search on Google to see what kinds of information were available.

One article on Squidoo offered several possible explanations.  But when I considered my dogs' behavior, I'm not sure I agree with any of them:  Pica, Hunger, Mineral Deficiency, Health Concerns and other Abnormal Behavior were all described.

Pica is simply the ingestion or eating of non-food materials and substances.  Over the years, I've noticed that my dogs are "particular" about the dirt they eat.  They always choose areas where there is a lot of rich, decaying matter ... especially where there are roots.  So I've always believed that they were supplementing their diet with whatever minerals or other nutrients are found in this type of soil.

Another explanation offered was simple hunger.  This was applied to dogs who don't get enough to eat (strays and neglected dogs), or dogs who are only fed once a day.  I feed my dogs twice a day, plus they get daily treats.  While my dogs aren't fat and definitely aren't obese, my vet sometimes gives me "the look" after weighing them during an exam.  This "look" means I need to watch their caloric intake ... that they are on their way to being slightly overweight.   oops .....

"Health concerns" was another possibility, namely digestive issues.  In other words, the dog isn't able to properly absorb the nutrients from its food.  While I can't know for sure if my dogs are digesting their food properly, I've added digestive enzymes to their food at every feeding for years.

I had to chuckle at the next explanation:  "Eating dirt is also a way by which the dog can gain the owner's attention. These are sensitive creatures that would crave human companionship especially when there are no other pets in the home."  Not only do I share my life with 5 dogs, but I adore them all and no one could ever say they are not getting enough attention.

Sammi waits his turn as Ripley eats all the good stuff.

The last explanation offered seemed to be the most likely in my case ... that dogs eat dirt to make up for vitamin and mineral deficiencies in their food.  Although I buy "premium" dog food, it is likely that certain nutrients are missing.  

I would love to be able to afford to feed my dogs a completely natural, raw and organic diet.  I know that the vast majority of "over the counter" dog foods lack sufficient Omega 3 oils; for years, I have added Cod liver oil, a very affordable source of Omega 3s, to their daily feedings to help make up for this.

The most affordable raw diet I've come across is from
Only Natural Pet Store.  I started feeding it to my
dogs once a day in March 2013 and have been very happy with
the results... my dogs love it and my pickiest, Sammi,
has shown an overall increase in improved appetite
even when he gets regular, dry food.
Just click on the photo to learn more about
"Easy Raw" dog food from Only Natural Pet Store.

There are multiple benefits of fish oil:  adding it to your dog's food may prevent and cure skin allergies.  My dog, Brittany (R.I.P), suffered from severe "itchies" every summer.  But once I started to give her fish oil ... every day, 365 days a year ... she never displayed allergy symptoms again for the rest of her life.  I started giving her fish oil when she was about 8-years-old ... she lived to the ripe old age of 15.

Another benefit of fish oil (Omega 3's) is a shiny, healthy coat.  If a dog's skin is healthy, so will her coat.  All of my dogs have soft, silky coats that are a pleasure to touch.

And just like for humans, fish oil is good for your dog's heart and brain function.


Andie had to get a few extra bites.

So, was my question answered?  Why do dogs eat dirt?   ... well, maybe it's just because they LIKE dirt!

Should I Feed My Dog a Raw Diet?

My oldest pooch, Ripley, is almost 14 years old.  Despite her age, were it not for her severe and aggressive arthritis, she'd still be active and happy and would probably live for several more years.

But since she was about 5 years old, she's had arthritis in her spine and back legs.  If you've read some of my other posts, you may remember that she had back surgery in 2010 and has had fluid injections in her knees. (If you'd like to know more about Ripley and what a special being she is, read my blog post, One Man's Trash is Another (Wo)man's Treasure.)

Despite the surgery, injections, joint supplements, anti-inflammatories and pain relievers, her condition has gotten worse rather quickly.  She's showing more and more signs that her condition will soon render her immobile and in unbearable pain. 

One of those signs is her lack of interest in food.  For the past few months, I've been fretting over the fact that Ripley no longer wants to eat dog food. No matter what I tried, she turned away from it. She is so stubborn, she'll go days (literally) without eating anything but a couple of bites a day.

About a week ago, I bought some dehydrated, raw dog food from Only Natural Pet Store.  Ripley LOVES it. Is it more expensive than dry, processed dog food? Yes and no. It depends on what you already feed your dog. Like super premium dog food, your dog needs less to thrive than with cheaper brands.

(Get $10 off orders of $30 PLUS Free Shipping on orders of $79 or more. Use coupon AF10BUCKS through 5/31/2014. New Customers Only.)

Most American dog owners don't, and have never considered, a raw diet for their dogs.  Honestly, it sounds a bit gross and unappealing.  But that's just because we're humans, not dogs.  While looking around for some kind of food that Ripley might like, I started researching raw food diets.  I was worried about bacteria and other food-borne pests and diseases.  Is a raw diet safe?  One article I read is on Only Natural Pet Store's website; I'll share some of it below:

"Diet is the foundation of health. The fresher the diet, the more nutrients are available for the animal's system to utilize in building immunity, healing from illness and warding off disease. Raw food diets have been shown to help the body deal with many common ailments such as flea infestations, hot spots, continual shedding, poor dental & gum health, allergies, gastro-intestinal problems such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, immune disorders and degenerative diseases. 

"Raw diets have been common practice in European countries for decades, especially Germany, where it is commonly recommended by veterinarians. The fear of feeding raw meat in this country seems to stem from a fear of salmonella, E. coli and parasites. In over 10 years of feeding raw food and seeing countless animals on raw food diets in my practice, salmonella and E. coli have not been seen to be a problem. Remember, pets' digestive systems are designed to accommodate raw meat. Parasites could be contracted through eating wild, whole prey or game meats, but is much less likely to occur with properly handled human grade meats. Infection is more likely to occur through a pet's ingestion of feces or soil, or from poorly handled meat."

If you'd like to learn more about feeding your dog a raw diet you can read All About Raw Food on Only Natural Pet Store's website.  The article includes results from a long term study on raw food for cats conducted by Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD; introducing a raw diet to your pet; affordable alternatives to fresh or frozen raw food; and more valuable information. 

I've only been feeding Ripley the raw food for about a week, but so far I'm impressed with it.  She eats with gusto again and the food is very easy to prepare.  You just add water to the dehydrated mixture of meat, grains, fruits and vegetables and let it soak for 30 minutes or more, then serve.  You can prepare up to four days food in advance and store it in the frig.  Or, like me, you can prepare each meal individually.  After she's done eating a meal, I wash the bowl and mix her next meal in water and then let it soak in the refrigerator until about an hour before her next meal.

After the mixture soaks in water for a while, it looks and smells very appetizing.  You can see the carrots, cabbage, oats and meat very clearly and it smells like chicken soup.  (The Only Natural brand has 3 flavors and there are several other brands of dehydrated food on Only Natural's site as well.  Click the link just below to go to Only Natural Pet Store's website.)

I bought a 2 pound bag of  Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Chicken & Oats 2 lbs just to try it, and with the serving size Ripley's getting, it should last me close to 2 weeks.

Anyway, if you have a REALLY finicky, stubborn (spoiled) dog who won't eat regular dog food, or you want to incorporate some raw food into your dog's diet, give it a try. 

I've been a customer of Only Natural Pet for a couple of years now. They ship fast and are true to their guarantees. They always have something on sale.  If you've never shopped from them before, you can Get $10 off orders of $30 PLUS Free Shipping on orders of $79 or more. Use coupon AF10BUCKS through 5/31/2014. New Customers Only.

OR ... look in the upper right-hand column ... there's a link for 20% off your order during their Spring Sale (good through May 31, 2014).

Do All Natural Flea and Tick Products Work?

My boy, Sammi

If you're at all like me, when it comes to flea and tick prevention, you feel trapped between a rock and a hard place.  You want to protect your furries from the agonies of their bites and all the diseases that are spread by these pesky creatures.  But at the same time, you're not all that comfortable, if at all, about putting chemicals on your beloved pets.  There are many so-called effective, all-natural flea and tick remedies available these days, but do all natural flea and tick products work?

This summer, I'm on a mission to find out whether Only Natural Pet Store's "Easy Defense" Flea & Tick Tags really work.  If you follow my blog, you know I have six dogs:  Ripley the Blue Heeler mix, Shasta the Hound mix, Sammi the Beagle mix, Cookie the German Shepherd mix, Andie the herding-type mix, and Franki the Black Lab/Dalmatian mix.

Living in a place that's hot and humid every summer means the dogs need protection most of the year.  Many veterinarians recommend year-round flea and tick prevention in many parts of the world, including my own.  But I've never followed that advice, because I wanted to minimize my dogs' exposure to the strong chemicals found in the most popular preventative treatments, such as Frontline, K9 Advantix, Revolution, and Biospot.

Ripley 
(and Cookie in 
the background)

Earlier this year, I got an Only Natural Pet Store catalog in the mail, which is where I first saw the Easy Defense Flea & Tick Tags.  Because they offer a money back guarantee, I decided to put my doubts aside and try them.  I know it's hard to believe a simple tag could keep fleas and ticks off anything. But a 15% discount, in addition to the guarantee, gave me the extra push I needed. Plus, if you buy 2 at a time, you save even more money (about $7.50 per tag).  

According to Only Natural Pet Store, the "Only Natural Pet EasyDefense Flea & Tick Tag is a safe, chemical-free way to keep harmful pests off of your pet. Using state of the art holistic technology, the EasyDefense Tag utilizes your pet’s own energy to create a natural barrier to pests. There are no chemicals or pesticides involved. It is completely safe for pets and humans in the household."

And you needn't be scared off by the price tag ($59.99 per tag or $104.99 for 2 tags) because they last for up to three years.  If you've been buying name-brand flea and tick drops, you know that you can easily spend that much or more on just a 3-month supply!

Sweet Shasta

SO! ... I wanted to know if these tags worked, first and foremost.  But I also wanted to know how well they worked compared to the traditional chemical products.

This summer, four of my dogs are wearing the Easy Defense Tags (Shasta, Cookie, Andie and Franki).  For the other two, I'm using a generic form of Frontline Plus (Ripley and Sammi).  Because the directions on the box advise that the tags can take up to three weeks to begin working, all of the dogs were treated with the generic drops at the beginning of the season (March).

So far, at the end of June, I've seen no fleas on any of the dogs.  Because we had a mild winter, ticks are REALLY plentiful this year.  I've found very few ticks on any of the dogs (relatively speaking).  And the ticks I've found on the 'tagged' dogs, were either just hiding in their fur, or were barely attached.  I've even seen healthy-appearing ticks near the 'tagged' dogs, that didn't seem to be attracted to them.  Usually a tick makes a bee-line toward its intended prey, but they seem to be slowed down or stalled when they get near the 'tagged' dogs.

In my mind, the real test is yet to come ... as the summer gets hotter and more humid, the flea population will peak.  ... I'll keep you posted.

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UPDATE ... April 2013:  I got mixed results with these flea and tick tags.  Later last summer, the tick population exploded.  Two of my dogs who were wearing the tags repeatedly became infested with deer ticks.  The other two wearing the tags didn't get nearly as many ticks on them.  A lot of the ticks attached themselves, although it seemed that most of the little pests were still crawling away from the dogs (and onto me!).

I never had any problem with fleas, but don't know if that was due to the tags or the possibility that the flea population was low last summer.   The whole summer, I saw only a couple of fleas on one of my dogs, but only on one occasion.  She and the rest of the dogs were flea-free the rest of the summer.  She was wearing one of the flea and tick tags. 

So after the ticks got really bad, and I got tired of them crawling onto me, I gave in and treated the dogs with some generic Frontline drops.  And although the tags definitely seem to have some repellent properties, from my experience, they work only on some dogs and don't seem to work well during periods of heavy infestation.

A little less than a year after I bought the tags, I decided to ask for a refund on all four tags.  If I didn't live out in a rural area and if I didn't frequently take my dogs out on hikes in the woods, I would have kept the tags through another summer to get a better idea of their effectiveness.

I had no problem getting a full refund from Only Natural Pet Store (minus shipping charges, of course).  It took about 3 or 4 weeks from the time I mailed the tags back until I got my refund check in the mail. 

Another Update ... July 2013:  I never did find another natural product that I was willing to try, so have been using a "generic" alternative to Frontline because I know it works.

By the way, I'd love to hear from anybody who's had good results from any natural flea and tick product in the past.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

*Disclaimer:  I may earn a small commission from any purchase you make through any of the links to OnlyNaturalPet.com within this article or anywhere else on this blog.  Be assured, however, that my commission does not affect (increase) the prices you pay.*