# Sophie is Eating DIRT!



## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

I have just recently been in the process of switching my Hav's dog food, as they are constantly licking their feet. Although I have had them on a Duck and Potatoe formula and give them the same type of bisquits..they still lick thier feet.

I've heard that you are suppose to mixed the old with the new to get their stomachs adjusted, but that never works, as they just pick or dump out the old and eat the new.

Well, now Sophie has started to eat dirt and I'm wondering if this new food doesn't have enough essentials in it to encourage her dirt eating...

The food I have started them on is by Wellness and is Simple Solutions, Duck and Rice. Is anyone feeding this to their Hav's?? I heard that Wellness is
a good brand..

Does anyone have any idea as to the dirt eating??


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Diane, I haven't used that food, I use the Duck and Potato by Dick Van Patton. I just wanted to mention that it took Ollie a *full 8 weeks *to stop itching after I switched him off a chicken based diet. I don't know how long you were feeding the duck and potato, but wanted to mention it in case you hadn't given it quite enough time.

The dirt eating??? I'm not sure, that's strange.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Shelly,

The Van Patton Duck and Potatoe is what I've had them on and they LOVE it!

I'm thinking of just going back to it, as I heard it's not good to keep switching..


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

Ollie is doing really well on it. My hairdresser told me about it. He has a dog that had terrible digestive issues and the University Clinic here told him to put her on the Van Patton food. My hairdresser said that was a couple of years ago and she never had a problem since. I think it is good food, Ollie hardly itches at all now, the more time that passes, the better he seems to be doing. 

Whatever you decide to do, I hope Sophie gets better quick! :hug:


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

..maybe she is part cat! ound:


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Diane~ Can't help w/the dirt eating. Tori doesn't do that but, she will scarf down grass anytime she gets the chance. DH says he's considering selling the lawn mower ound:


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

> DH says he's considering selling the lawn mower


ound:


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

OHHHH, Leslie..THAT would save on the cost of gas!!! GOOD idea!ound:


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Diane~ Can't help w/the dirt eating. Tori doesn't do that but, she will scarf down grass anytime she gets the chance. DH says he's considering selling the lawn mower ound:


ound:ound:

Tess, who is the pickiest eater I've ever met, loves to eat grass. Not only that, the little connoisuer has her favorite patches of grass to stop at on our walks!!! She's also partial to sticks, mulch, followed by a desert of my newly sprouting wild grass.

Cody on the other hand prefers dead, dried up worms. Of course he has to roll in them first to continue enjoying the aroma long after he's eaten them. We had a big rain last week and the dead worms are everywhere. The other night he was sitting on my lap, licking my face so I could massage his neck and head......what did I find in that beautiful white fur but a treasure trove of dead worms. Eeewwwwww!!!!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

That's funny and ....uke:


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

"A treasure trove of dead worms"

OMG that is just way too funny. ound:I'm sure he had a great time however!


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## JanB (Oct 26, 2007)

Tessa eat dirt, mulch, sticks, etc. And I feed her the NV raw medallions plus high quality dry kibble. I do change dry food frequently. I'm pretty sure she eats healthier than I do 

IMHO I think the upset tummies come from when you feed one food exclusively for years. Imagine if you ate the same food day after day and one day you ate something different - what a shock it would be to your stomach! And think about the days when dogs ate nothing but table scraps before dry kibble was mass produced. I guarantee their tummies weren't upset, lol. I like to mix it up so she is getting nutrients from a variety of foods. I do think if you are dealing with allergies it's a whole different matter.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

I just recently tried the Wellness Simple Sol. Venison/Rice and Gucci keeps refusing it, I guess its another waste of $. *sigh* She does eat grass, I havent' seen her eat dirt, but when I wear this one brand of 'natural mineral makeup', she always tries to lick it OFF my face. LOL It must allure her in some way.

Kara


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Kara,

Although I bought the smallest bag to test it out first, I just found out today that I can get a refund on what's left in the bag. I'm pretty sure most companys do this now, so 
you may want to check it out..

I decided to just go back to the Van Patton's Duck and Potatoe, as they really love it.
I just don't know about the feet licking thing...Do Hav's just do this out of habit, not itchness??


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

Mine are big into eating grass right now. So, guess I can't complain. It's a bit cleaner then the dirt. Yikes!
Hopefully the food switch will help out.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Well, I put them both back on the Van Patton duck and potatoe last night (it's useless to mix it , as they just pick out what they want!) and they just woofed it down.

Anytime my Hav's eat grass, they barf soon after! I noticed too that they seem to seach out certain types.. Actually since I've had them on a digestive enzyme they have stopped altogether. (hmmm, maybe it has grass as one of the ingredients! ound


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## Tritia (Nov 17, 2007)

My golden ate grass, then would puke right after. Cooper and Leo simply like to eat it. We have sod, and just patches coming through. Probably more like weeds, then grass. 
Drives me nuts, though.
And yesterday, I took Leo to a baseball practice and he kept trying to eat the grass there, too. Nobody is throwing it up. Just grazing.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Good thing they don't have the cow drool going on...uke:


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## Lilysplash I (Jul 19, 2007)

INTERESTING THREAD! My two eat dirt occasionally to the point where we had to put a small fence around *the spot when they were obsessive about it. * They seem to prefer a certain spot in the front lawn where there is no grass.

I researched it online and no one seems to really know. I had thought about asking the forum so will see if someone here has more than a theory about missing something in their diet which is not helpful unless someone knows what that might be. They are on a high quality food, both kibble and canned meat, and they eat salmon oil frequently. We do have clay soil and wondered if there was something to that.


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Diane,

The dirt eating reminds me of something called "pica" --- here is a description of it -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

I'm not sure about the dirt, but I did read something about eating grass that, yes it's done when a dog has an upset stomach but it has also been found that some dogs just like it. There are dogs who just run the blades of grass through their mouth - it's because they the dog likes the feel of it. (My last dog used to do that all of the time). I've read the same about snow - maybe it's the same for dirt? Maybe they just like the taste!


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Wonder if there's something about that Oregon dirt since that's where Diane and Lilysplash both live Hmmmm????


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

..I think she didn't like the new dog food that I was trying to switch her to. She was probably making a statement..."I'd rather eat DIRT!"ound:

She is now back to her old food and chowing down as though I'd been starving her..
I haven't seen her eating anymore dirt..


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

Our oldest foster boy, Magnum, is a regular dirt-eating chow hound. He especially loves freshly dug-up dirt. I used to freak out over his obsession, but it's never caused a problem and he seems to really enjoy it. He's done this on every type of kibble, and even when on raw, so I don't think it has anything to do with his diet. Magnum is also our notorious poop-eater. I think he's just got awful taste in snacks.

If Sophie stopped, then it really does sound like she was trying to tell you something about the new food! ound:

Wanda


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Jane, it made me think of Pica too - but I doubt that is what it is. Funny that it came to your mind also.

Diane, if you are changing foods due to what you think might be an allergy cause, it does take a long time to get the allergen out of the system. As Shelly said, you need to be on the new food for a whole 8 weeks and make sure that the dogs haven't eaten anything else in that time. Now, since dirt has been added to the diet, I don't know what to tell you. LOL!

If it were my dogs, I'd just block the area. There are a lot of dogs that just get fixated on eating/digging in one particular area - whether that be grass, dirt, a particular plant, etc.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Once when Cash had a bad bout of Diarrhea, one of the vets gave us this interesting product call "Pet Flora." And un-like other probiotic supplements it comes from soil based organisms. It is supposed to be good to help changing food adjustments -- it certainly helped with the Cash's problem within a day, and I know keep it around just in case. But I think there are things in the earth that they know they need from time to time. If you open up the capsule it sure looks dirt.

http://www.vitalityscience.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=31

They now seem to have got into all sorts of supplements-- but the only one that came vet recommended was the "Pet Flora"


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

The one thing I worry about my dogs eating dirt or drinking ground water is what can be in the soil or water...someone that I know found out the his home was built on a sight that was previously used as a big warehouse to store big trucks. They used to dump all kinds of oil and fluids on the ground..now he is seeing it affect the trees, shrubs and plants that he planted when they landscaped. I also read that it is not good to let your dog drink any pond or stagnant water..

Kimberly..I have also read that about the time it takes to see the result of a new food.
My Aussie had really terrible allergies..I spent years reading and trying all kinds of things.
In the end the only thing that helped her was Prednisone.

Missy..my friend's Hav has IBS and was on Pet Flora until someone recomended Opta Gest (which is bascially along the same line) for digestion, grass eating and hair ingestion. Well, it improved her dogs appetite and it made my dogs stop eating grass (not that that will harm them..)

Maybe they just lick there feet out of habit..! I have had them on Duck and Potatoe which is suppose to be really good for allergies..It's the treats I have to watch..

THANKS EVERYONE for your feedback


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## Lilysplash I (Jul 19, 2007)

When my two are in the zone* so to speak, it is definately an obsession. They lick the dirt like a cow with a salt block The other interesting fact is that 'this focus' comes and goes so have just assumed it probably aids digestion somehow. With all the Oregon rain, I am sure that spot is just delicious!

It is definately annoying to be out in wind, rain and cold yelling for them to come and they are suddenly deaf and continue to lick away SOOO bathrobe & slippers or not I am now traipsing across a wet lawn w/ some muddy spots to make them mind. Hopefully, that painted a funny picture for some.

It's funny how we women think but now am thinking I have not described my lawn as very attractive but it is and is too hard to explain. In Oregon, everything fills in with a few days of sun which we have been quite short on. It actually snowed and hailed over the weekend but I digress!!!!*


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Hmmmm, now I'm thinking that it is a good possibility that my DH spilled something in the dirt that he was BBQ'ing ound:

You know they say if you don't like the weather in Oregon, just wait 5 minuets as it will change!!

That's so true..we go from Sunny 70"s, to rain, to rain mixed with snow, then sun, then more rain, then hail, then more rain mixed with snow, just snow, then sun, then rain and sun together! WEIRD


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## ginny (Mar 29, 2008)

My Hav puppy is also on Wellness (Super Five Mix for Puppies), used by her breeder for all her dogs, but does not seem to like it very much. I am going to look for the Dick Van Patton Duck and Potato and ease her into the new food. She is also eating some dirt and rolling in worms, dead or alive. I found her snuggled up with a dried out worm in her bed. 

She also digs, is this a typical Hav thing and pointless to discourage?


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

I am so thankful that I never see dead worms in Georgia -- that would flip me out to find them hiding in all this soft hair. :whoo:


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Well, worms are not as bad as "SLUGS"..which I have found on Sophie!!uke:


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## ginny (Mar 29, 2008)

Ugh, you are right. I hope she does not discover slugs. That one is a true "ick"!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

..I think "THEY" discoverd HER! ound:


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## ginny (Mar 29, 2008)

May all the slugs remain in Oregon--- or at least below Suzy's digging level (which is fast expanding toward the center of the earth)!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Ginny.. Suzy looks about the size of a worm!! Careful you don't loose her down a hole!


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