Last week Arya came in for her six-monthly check-up. Arya is the white and orange Staffordshire bull terrier we met a few months ago when she was suffering from false pregnancy.
She has since been doing well, but just as her owners were about to leave with her in tow, one of them turned to me and asked whether there was anything they could do to stop her gobbling stuff she chanced upon while out on her walks.
As the name ‘bull terrier’ would suggest, Staffordshire bull terriers are muscular dogs that can appear rather intimidating. However, if brought up well, they can have a very affectionate and loyal temperament.
Arya is no exception and it is a delight to see the powerful bond between her and her owners. The only thing that bothered them was her partiality for unpleasant objects.
The question posed to me by Arya’s owners brought to mind the many contrastingly alien objects dogs had ingested and had to be treated for throughout my years of seeing practice.
Some of the more memorable ones included an entire floor cloth which a German shepherd had managed to consume and which had to be surgically removed, or the rubber ball which had disappeared two months earlier and was subsequently found inside the stomach of a boxer when problems arose. This too was surgically removed. And then there was the doberman that had managed to swallow about a metre’s length of cloth rope, which had to be physically pulled out of the other end.
Not to mention the beagle that had consumed a huge bunch of fishing hooks that had mysteriously worked their way through the pathways of its intestines without ripping them apart and were then pooed quite naturally.
Pica is the medical term used when there is the tendency to repeatedly eat substances with no nutritional value whatsoever – usually objects that are not classified as food. It can vary from a tendency to swallow socks, underwear, shoes, rubber, stones and even dust.
There are various reasons why animals and, in particular, dogs will sometimes eat anything
Pica can originate from a compulsive behavioural disorder related to separation anxiety, boredom or lack of exercise or as a consequence of underlying medical conditions. A condition, especially with puppies and which unfortunately is not uncommon is the eating of poo.
For the health of your dog as well as that of your family, poo eating should be discussed with your veterinarian. Definitive remedial treatment does work and should be started as soon as possible to prevent it becoming a regular habit.
While dogs tend to be the main protagonists with such a condition, it’s worth bearing in mind that cats are not immune. Years ago, one of my feline patients had to be operated twice because of her predilection for spiral telephone wire. Her fascination remained a mystery to her owners. What was certain was that they were forced to encase their telephone inside a wooden box and keep it locked when not in use.
There are various reasons why animals and, in particular, dogs will sometimes eat anything. First of all, there is the element of instinct. Dogs are scavenging predators so their brain is wired to compete for food. Their ancestral pack origins also means that they have an ‘eat now think later’ attitude towards food.
This may explain why some dogs will willingly go through a garbage bag or ingest some half- rotten carcass they come across in the countryside – even though they are well fed.
Thankfully, nature has also endowed dogs with defence against this instinct. They have an innate capability of vomiting at will, so if a dog feels nauseous after eating something unacceptable, their stomach will accommodate by propelling its contents outwards.
There is also the accidental or one-off ingestion of objects. For example, toys are an important mental stimulant for dogs and, in particular, for puppies. Yet, it is very important that these are always of very good quality and which cannot be torn to pieces that can be accidentally or intentionally swallowed.
Peach bones and toothpicks should be mentioned here as these can cause big problems if accidentally ingested. Peach bones can be particularly dangerous as, due to their size and rough surface, they can easily cause a blockage of the intestine. Twine is another item to be very aware of. Highly desirable as a play object, twine can cause irreparable damage to the intestinal wall and if the condition is diagnosed and resolved too late, it can be fatal. Any suspicion that your dog or cat has swallowed twine, wool, fishing nylon, etc., should be checked out by your veterinarian.
Some dogs eat grass on a regular basis. They may do this for different reasons. My experience has been that the dogs that do this are suffering nausea or heartburn. They may also do this as a dietary supplement or to get rid of worms. Each and every situation needs to be analysed on its own merits.
Having eliminated the possibility of dietary deficiencies, Arya’s diagnosis was quite straightforward – that of having a pronounced scavenger instinct.
It was the solution that was not so simple. Arya’s owners informed me that she had developed a crafty system of not giving any warning sign that she had caught the scent of her next ‘snack’ and only at the last moment lunging for it and gobbling it up before her owners could even begin to try and stall her.
In this respect, some training will go a long way towards preventing her undesirable behaviour. At home, Arya will now be taught the preventive “drop it!” command and action.
During her walks, a comfortable muzzle will prevent her from eating potentially dangerous objects. An option that might also be considered if further intensive training is needed is behavioural programming by a professional dog trainer.
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Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.