[print-me] Dogs and cats will sometimes eat socks, rocks or other objects, which may result in a variety of problems for both you and your pet. Not only can your possessions be destroyed or damaged, but objects such as clothing and rocks can produce life-threatening blockages in your pet’s intestines. Eating non food items is called pica. A specific type of pic is stool eating (either their own or that of another animal) and, while not necessarily dangerous to the animal, is probably unacceptable to you.  Stool eating is called coprophagy. The causes of pica and coprophagy are not known.  Many ideas have been proposed by various  experts, but none have been proven or disproven. Such behaviors may sometimes be attention-getting behaviors.  If engaging in one of these  behaviors results in some type of social interaction between the animal and his owner (even a verbal scolding) then the behavior may be reinforced and occur more frequently. These behaviors may be attempts to obtain a necessary nutrient lacking in  the diet, although no nutritional studies have ever substantiated this idea.  They may also stem from  frustration or anxiety. It’s possible behaviors begin as play, as the animal investigates and chews on the objects, then subsequently begins to eat or ingest them. It has been suggested that coprophagy is carried over from the normal parental behavior of ingesting  the waste of young offspring.  Some experts believe coprophagy occurs more often in animals who live in relatively barren environments, are frequently confined to
Read More