My Dog ate What?

At Royal City Animal Hospital, we see our fair share of patients who have eaten items that are not meant to be eaten. One of the most interesting items is often Rocks or stones.

What dog would eat stones, you might ask?  Unfortunately, many dogs do this.  They also eat fabric, plastic, sticks and rocks.  This ingestion of non-nutritive, non-food items is known as “pica”.  Some dogs show an extreme form of this behaviour toward stones, actively seeking and swallowing numerous rocks.  The rocks chosen are usually large enough to require surgical removal.  Most pica, if shown by dogs that are past the puppy stage, involves an extreme focus on ingested objects.  These behaviours are not normal and can become sufficiently intense that the dog disregards other activities.  There are several possible reasons for this behaviour: it may be an obsessive compulsive disorder; it may be indicative of a central brain lesion; or it may be due to abnormal metabolism of a specific enzyme.  Treatment is difficult and focuses on avoidance, early interruption and substitution of a more appropriate behaviour as well as the use of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.

Actual item removed from a dog

X-ray with barium to help identify objects

If you know or suspect your dog or cat has eaten a non-food item, Contact your veterinarian immediately for the best treatment options available.