{"id":20028,"date":"2022-03-25T11:07:44","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T11:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/"},"modified":"2022-03-25T11:07:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T11:07:44","slug":"why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does my dog keep eating dirt?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#Why_does_my_dog_keep_eating_dirt\" title=\"Why does my dog keep eating dirt?\">Why does my dog keep eating dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#Will_eating_dirt_hurt_my_dog\" title=\"Will eating dirt hurt my dog?\">Will eating dirt hurt my dog?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#What_is_a_dog_lacking_when_it_eats_dirt\" title=\"What is a dog lacking when it eats dirt?\">What is a dog lacking when it eats dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#What_minerals_are_dogs_lacking_when_they_eat_dirt\" title=\"What minerals are dogs lacking when they eat dirt?\">What minerals are dogs lacking when they eat dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#Can_dogs_get_sick_from_eating_dirt\" title=\"Can dogs get sick from eating dirt?\">Can dogs get sick from eating dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#What_happens_if_a_dog_eats_dirt\" title=\"What happens if a dog eats dirt?\">What happens if a dog eats dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#Do_dogs_get_sick_from_dirt\" title=\"Do dogs get sick from dirt?\">Do dogs get sick from dirt?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/why-does-my-dog-keep-eating-dirt\/#What_does_it_mean_when_a_dog_eats_dirt\" title=\"What does it mean when a dog eats dirt?\">What does it mean when a dog eats dirt?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_does_my_dog_keep_eating_dirt\"><\/span>Why does my dog keep eating dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Stress or boredom can also lead to eating all sorts of things, including dirt. If your dog is continually eating dirt, you shouldn&#8217;t discount this behavior, as it could be a sign of a bigger issue, such as: Anemia (low red blood cell count) Nutritional imbalances or deficiencies, especially in minerals.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Will_eating_dirt_hurt_my_dog\"><\/span>Will eating dirt hurt my dog?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Eating small amounts of dirt on occasion will likely not harm your dog but should still be discouraged. If your dog eats a lot of dirt or suddenly eats dirt for the first time, this could be a sign of a medical condition and you should call your vet as soon as possible.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_dog_lacking_when_it_eats_dirt\"><\/span>What is a dog lacking when it eats dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Anemia in dogs is a condition marked by low blood cell count or hemoglobin levels. According to CertaPet, anemia can be caused by a nutritional imbalance. An anemic dog may instinctively turn to eating dirt in an attempt to restore any deficiencies causing this condition.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_minerals_are_dogs_lacking_when_they_eat_dirt\"><\/span>What minerals are dogs lacking when they eat dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dietary deficiencies can cause dogs of any age to eat dirt to obtain minerals, like <b>sodium, iron, and calcium from the soil. Dogs that are underfed may also eat dirt and other objects due to hunger and nutritional deficiencies.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_dogs_get_sick_from_eating_dirt\"><\/span>Can dogs get sick from eating dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What is this? Getting dirty is just a part of being a dog, but <b>eating dirt could expose your dog to harmful bacteria, toxins, or objects that could make them sick. Supervise your dogs when they&#8217;re outside and take steps to keep them from ingesting the world beneath their feet.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_if_a_dog_eats_dirt\"><\/span>What happens if a dog eats dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As you may expect, there are risks to letting your dog continually eat dirt. The main one being <b>impaction of the intestine if your dog eats a lot at once. Impaction often means surgery. The dirt could also contain pesticides, fertilizers, or other toxins that could reach toxic levels if enough dirt was ingested, Dr.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_dogs_get_sick_from_dirt\"><\/span>Do dogs get sick from dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dog Eating Dirt Risks Eating dirt can pose a number of problems for your pooch. <b>Taking in large quantities could cause life-threatening gastrointestinal impaction or blockage, which could require emergency surgery, according to Keefe. In addition, dirt may contain dangerous materials that could harm your dog.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_it_mean_when_a_dog_eats_dirt\"><\/span>What does it mean when a dog eats dirt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dietary deficiencies can cause dogs of any age to eat dirt to obtain minerals, like <b>sodium, iron, and calcium from the soil. Dogs that are underfed may also eat dirt and other objects due to hunger and nutritional deficiencies.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Why does my dog keep eating dirt?Will eating dirt hurt my dog?What is a dog lacking when it eats dirt?What minerals are dogs lacking when they eat dirt?Can dogs get sick from eating dirt?What happens if a dog eats dirt?Do dogs get sick from dirt?What does it mean when a dog eats&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20028"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20028\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}