What minerals are dogs lacking when they eat dirt?

Dietary deficiencies can cause dogs of any age to eat dirt to obtain minerals, like sodium, iron, and calcium from the soil. Dogs that are underfed may also eat dirt and other objects due to hunger and nutritional deficiencies.

Can dogs get sick from eating dirt?

What is this? Getting dirty is just a part of being a dog, but eating dirt could expose your dog to harmful bacteria, toxins, or objects that could make them sick. Supervise your dogs when they’re outside and take steps to keep them from ingesting the world beneath their feet.

What is my dog digging up and eating?

THERE are two distinctive features of this behaviour: the digging and the eating of dirt. Digging in itself is a natural behaviour for many dogs. It could be that they can smell something appetising buried under the lawn or hear creatures moving about in the soil, or as a means of burying food to be retrieved later.