[Danzig]

Zelda eats mud every time we go to the park! I don't know why, but there are these random mud puddles at every park around here, and there is no getting away from it!

Okay, maybe not every time, but sometimes, she will find one, or she knows where some of them are already, and she will sit there and eat the mud, just scarfing it down! When I tell her "NO", she ignores me, and when I go close enough, she does the boxer burn around the park, and runs by it grabbing mouth fulls of mud, same thing with mounds of cut grass!

This isn't normal mud, I dunno if it smelled like that before, or I read something about their puke will smell like poop after it settles, but the mud she puked up smells like raw sewage!

I think she is eating it because she is thirsty, or to settle her stomach or whatever.

Has anybody else experienced this?

How do I stop it?

Is it unhealthy for her?


Danzig

 

[sharonL]

There are things in the dirt/mud that can be unhealthy for them.  The main I can think of would be bacteria and worm eggs.

I have never personally experienced this with my dog, but did see it corrected it in a dog by putting them on Pet Tabs for 2 months or one 60 ct bottle.  For this dog it was anemic and was looking for an iron boost. Depending on where you live the mineral levels in the ground are higher and of course "taste good" to them.  But, it then upsets the stomach and they throw up.

She may be thirsty, be sure to take some water to the park.

Or she could be just having a good time.....In that case it is a behavior issue and I think Liz may can give you better advice on that one for correcting the issue.

 

[sully]

What food are you feeding her?  Some people say they eat dirt/mud to find some minerals lacking in their diet. But if she is getting fed a quality food, it's unlikely she's missing any crucial nutrients.  It's most likely just a behavioral issue.  I personally think any obsessive behavior is not a good thing, even if the actual act is not dangerous.  Some dogs try to eat rocks and sticks, who knows why.  I do agree with Sharon though that mud at the dog park could certainly have dangerous elements in it or even disease.  Sounds to me like you need to keep her on a leash and correct the behavior every time she goes for the mud.  Distract her with a toy or encourage her toward other interactions. It's probably going to take a while to get her out of it but you should be able to do it as long as you are consistent.  She's ignoring your commands and even though she's playing, that's not something you want to encourage.

 

[Danzig]

yah, I give feed her Nutro Max large breed puppy (kibble). My dad said the same thing about the lack of minerals.

Usually I will just say her name, then when she looks up, I will run the other direction, and she starts chasing me (she loves that).

It is just soooo hard to get her tired when I have to keep her on the leash. That's why I will try to find a park with no people or dogs so she can run.

She eats everything, sticks (more like tree branches), grass, Mud, bugs, you name it she will have a taste!