Question:
Regarding your article about dogs eating dirt: My dog began eating dirt, and if we tried to stop him he would charge us.I called the vet after a month and was told dogs eat grass, etc., and not to worry about it, but I wish I'd acted on it sooner -- a few months later my dog could hardly walk. When we finally took him to the vet his red blood cell count was four! He was diagnosed as having autoimmune hemolytic disorder (AIHD).Please advise your readers about this. Thank you.
B.B., Virginia Beach, Va May 15, 2005
Answer:
Dogs who compulsively engage in "pica" (eating dirt, grass and various other roughage) should be checked out by a veterinarian. The same goes for those who are obsessively coprophagic -- that is, compulsive poop eaters. It is natural for dogs to occasionally eat grass and nibble a little soil (the latter being a possible source of trace minerals). Various wild species like deer and elephants have natural salt licks in the earth that they routinely visit along ravines and riverbanks.Your dog's condition (which could have been triggered by an adverse reaction to vaccinations) might have been diagnosed earlier if he had been given a routine physical and blood test. I advise annual checkups for all dogs and cats, and twice yearly ones for older companion dogs.
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