Puppy eating potting soil

[lac1184]

I have a 5 month old OEM. He has recently developed a taste for the soil out of my flower pots. Could some nutrient be missing in his diet? He's currently on large breed puppy kibble.

 

[lexinrose]

My puppy eats dirt Grass sticks in the yard because he saw my other dog do it. Now he looks like a cow chewing cud started at 3 months still going on at 8 months but not as bad as it used to be. I'm hoping by 1 he'll grow out of it. Good luck to you

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[Wilsy]

Maybe he just likes the taste. Wilson likes nibbling on grass. He also rubs his bum on trees, I think he likes that too. ;-)

 

[TricAP]

Hopefully its just puppy curiosity. If it continues might want to talk to your vet about pica (compulsive eating of foreign objects) in dogs. Some potting soils have encapsulated fertilizers in them, like Miracle Grow - that wouldn't be good for the pup.

Angus went through a phase where he was constantly after leaves and rocks as a 3 to 5 month old pup. He did out grow it but at the time I think "drop it" and "leave it" were the prevalent words he heard.

 

[JamieHalverson]

Hopefully its just puppy curiosity. If it continues might want to talk to your vet about pica (compulsive eating of foreign objects) in dogs. Some potting soils have encapsulated fertilizers in them, like Miracle Grow - that wouldn't be good for the pup.

Angus went through a phase where he was constantly after leaves and rocks as a 3 to 5 month old pup. He did out grow it but at the time I think "drop it" and "leave it" were the prevalent words he heard.

Lillie picked up anything and everything as a pup; she loved to eat sticks, grass, leaves and the occasional small rock, if given the chance. Drop it was invaluable and keeping a little kibble in your pocket to stick in front of their nose so they actually drop it really, really helps. To this day she will spit out anything in her mouth with a drop it command. Wouldn't really work for dirt, I guess...

 

[lac1184]

Maybe he just likes the taste. Wilson likes nibbling on gr$#@!. He also rubs his bum on trees, I think he likes that too. ;-)

I guess when you don't have arms, tree bark is the perfect way to scratch that itch.

 

[lac1184]

Hopefully its just puppy curiosity. If it continues might want to talk to your vet about pica (compulsive eating of foreign objects) in dogs. Some potting soils have encapsulated fertilizers in them, like Miracle Grow - that wouldn't be good for the pup.

Angus went through a phase where he was constantly after leaves and rocks as a 3 to 5 month old pup. He did out grow it but at the time I think "drop it" and "leave it" were the prevalent words he heard.

I'm hoping he'll outgrow it soon, but wanted to rule out any other reason Milo may be doing it. Milo is my first mastiff and didn't know if maybe there were special nutrients he needed. Milo definitely doesn't need Miracle-Gro, he'll be big enough on his own!!!

Having Milo is like having a 4th child but I think he's my favorite (don't tell my kids!).

 

[lac1184]

Hopefully its just puppy curiosity. If it continues might want to talk to your vet about pica (compulsive eating of foreign objects) in dogs. Some potting soils have encapsulated fertilizers in them, like Miracle Grow - that wouldn't be good for the pup.

Angus went through a phase where he was constantly after leaves and rocks as a 3 to 5 month old pup. He did out grow it but at the time I think "drop it" and "leave it" were the prevalent words he heard.

I absolutely love your profile pic. Your dog's expression is adorable.

 

[TricAP]

I absolutely love your profile pic. Your dog's expression is adorable.

Awwww - thanks. We think Angus is pretty adorable and his face is VERY expressive. That's his WTF face - if it isn't food then why did you bother me look. Just wait - pretty soon your pup will grow over night or just during a nap. It really is amazing!!!

 

[TricAP]

I'm hoping he'll outgrow it soon, but wanted to rule out any other reason Milo may be doing it. Milo is my first mastiff and didn't know if maybe there were special nutrients he needed. Milo definitely doesn't need Miracle-Gro, he'll be big enough on his own!!!

Having Milo is like having a 4th child but I think he's my favorite (don't tell my kids!).

My kids know the dogs are my favorites! They even teasingly have an order they think I prefer the dogs in, followed by my husband and grand kids ....and then them.....and their order changes depending on what they've done even now as adults.

 

[DennasMom]

Denna has a thing for bone meal... and she gets lots of raw bone in her meals (raw fed), so it's not a deficiency, more just a good flavor. Potting soil often has bone meal in it.

Fish fertilizer and some compost and other natural fertilizer options might also have that special stinky goodness only a dog's nose recognizes.

If you think it could be a deficiency... you can get a supplement with trace minerals in it, and see if that stops the dirt consumption. Depending on the kibble, a lot of the vitamins added might not be bio-available to the dog, so getting a good supplement isn't a bad idea. We use "nupro", but there are lots of options out there.

You can also add some probiotics, which can help the dog digest the kibble better, leading to more nutrient absorption.

Or... it might just be a bad habit... does it get your attention?? Some puppies will do ANYTHING to get their human's attention.

 

[lac1184]

Awwww - thanks. We think Angus is pretty adorable and his face is VERY expressive. That's his WTF face - if it isn't food then why did you bother me look. Just wait - pretty soon your pup will grow over night or just during a nap. It really is amazing!!!

Angus looks like the grown-up version of Milo. How old is he? I went on a week long trip last month and couldn't believe how much he grew in just that week!

 

[lac1184]

My kids know the dogs are my favorites! They even teasingly have an order they think I prefer the dogs in, followed by my husband and grand kids ....and then them.....and their order changes depending on what they've done even now as adults.

I understand why my mom use to say our dog was her favorite child when I was growing up! This is my first mastiff, but if Milo has the typical temperament of the breed, I see no reason to try any other. He is the best dog we've ever had, a one in a million dog. :hearts:

 

[lac1184]

Denna has a thing for bone meal... and she gets lots of raw bone in her meals (raw fed), so it's not a deficiency, more just a good flavor. Potting soil often has bone meal in it.

Fish fertilizer and some compost and other natural fertilizer options might also have that special stinky goodness only a dog's nose recognizes.

If you think it could be a deficiency... you can get a supplement with trace minerals in it, and see if that stops the dirt consumption. Depending on the kibble, a lot of the vitamins added might not be bio-available to the dog, so getting a good supplement isn't a bad idea. We use "nupro", but there are lots of options out there.

You can also add some probiotics, which can help the dog digest the kibble better, leading to more nutrient absorption.

Or... it might just be a bad habit... does it get your attention?? Some puppies will do ANYTHING to get their human's attention.

I removed the flower pot so hopefully that will be the end of the potting soil eating. We haven't verbally reacted to it, just kept an eye on it. We own livestock so I know sometimes animals eat dirt to get the nutrients they're lacking. I'm wanting Milo to be as healthy as possible to hopefully prevent some of the health issues OEM are prone to.

 

[TricAP]

Angus looks like the grown-up version of Milo. How old is he? I went on a week long trip last month and couldn't believe how much he grew in just that week!

Angus is 2 years old now. That picture was taken at about 18 months.

My husband and I are getting ready to do a 2 week trek cross country to visit our eldest sons family in the midwest. I'm sure Angus will have changed and grown HUGE in our eyes when we get back. Still we notice something getting bigger or sagging more every week. Some lines of EM's don't get done growing and filling until around age 3.

Take plenty of pictures when they are little - it goes by really fast!!

 

[lac1184]

Angus is 2 years old now. That picture was taken at about 18 months.

My husband and I are getting ready to do a 2 week trek cross country to visit our eldest sons family in the midwest. I'm sure Angus will have changed and grown HUGE in our eyes when we get back. Still we notice something getting bigger or sagging more every week. Some lines of EM's don't get done growing and filling until around age 3.

Take plenty of pictures when they are little - it goes by really fast!!

Taking pictures sounds like kids! My oldest son is 12 and already over 6 ft. Sometimes I look at him and think "I can't believe your butt once fit in my hand!" Lol. My husband and I have discussed measuring Milo on our laundry room door the way we measure our kids.

How big is Angus now?

 

[TricAP]

Taking pictures sounds like kids! My oldest son is 12 and already over 6 ft. Sometimes I look at him and think "I can't believe your butt once fit in my hand!" Lol. My husband and I have discussed measuring Milo on our laundry room door the way we measure our kids.

How big is Angus now?

It's been several months since we've had him near a scale but our best guess is about 175 lbs. He's a very lanky build for a mastiff but is starting to thicken/muscle up and face/jowls are starting to sag. His mom was 165 lbs and his dad was 200 lbs. So we're guessing his might gain a few more lbs as he matures but it not that is more than ok with us. When he sits on or leans into you that's more than big enough!