For example if the owner laughs or fusses the dog for picking up certain items this may reinforce the behaviourДЄny condition or medication that increases hunger - diabetes mellitus, treatment with steroids (particularly at high doses), appetite stimulants such as mirtazepine, malabsorption syndromesДiet related - an unbalanced or low quality diet may cause your dog to crave things they are not receiving in their normal diet, so ensure you are using a high quality complete diet appropriate for your dogвЂ™s life stageД¬ertain clinical diseases - some conditions have been associated with pica, such as anaemia, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), liver disease and anaemia

The list below suggests some of the possible triggers:Д«ehavioural causes - stress/anxiety, boredom, learned behaviour. Causes of pica in dogsД®stablishing the cause of pica in your individual dog can be difficult. Read our article on gastrointestinal foreign bodies for more information on this topic.

Pica becomes a problem when it is repeated and compulsive. For example, puppies will often eat things they shouldnвЂ™t and often use chewing when they are young as a way of exploring the world they live in. Some of this behaviour can be considered normal. You can read more about pica in cats here. It is much less common in cats, who tend to be much more fussy about what they consume.

Pica in dogs