I have a VERY healthy one year old German Shepherd?

Question

He is well fed, in great health, and is very smart. He goes to the vet quartly and is a perfect bill of health. BUT HE EATS DIRT! We are building a house and everytime I take him there he starts munching up dirt. Only there, no where else. Is it like when dogs eat grass that their stomachs hurt?

Answer 1

Some vets say that when an animal eats feces, dirt, or other non-food items, it means that they have some kind of vitamin deficiency. But to the best of my knowledge, that theory has never been proven.

Maybe there is a particular smell or taste in that patch of dirt that he finds attractive but that you can't sense. An animal may have died and rotted there (gross, but true), or it could have been the local equivalent of an animal latrine.

I doubt that it does him any harm as long as he's not allowed to eat too much of it. A few mouthfuls probably won't make him lose his appetite for real food, but too much, and it may be a problem. Plus, if he accidentally swallows a rock, it could block his intestines.

To paraphrase the old radio drama line, "Who knows what -- if anything -- lurks in the minds of German shepherds? Only God knows!"

Answer 2

Get a soil test done immediately.There may be chemicals in the dirt that could hurt him.
If you're building in what used to be a corn or beanfield he may be ingesting poisonous herbicides and pesticides.They lose their effectiveness from year to year but the poisons still in the ground!If it's a vacant lot in town it's possible that someones dumped anti-freeze, oil or other toxins on the ground rather than dispose of it properly.
Call your vet with this info.He may want to do a bloodtest to make sure he's not ingested something harmful.A little most likely won't hurt him but if he keeps ingesting it he could be in serious trouble.

Answer 3

yes, when a dog eats dirt it can be same thing, but if he only does it at your new house that means that something in the dirt smells good to him.

I would say plant your seeds and watch them grow enormous. You probably got yo self some fertile land.

Answer 4

Could be a magnesium deficiency. My friends kid was like that.. eating dirt & that's what it turned out to be...

Answer 5

Dogs will do that. they're looking for additonal minerals. feed him some nutracal or some vitamins.

Answer 6

the dirt might have something he needs in his system. my brother yost to suck on matches and my mom called the doc and they told her it is something he needs in his system and let him keep doing it.