Pica in Dogs

Pica describes the repeated eating of things that are not food — soil, stones, fabric, wood, plastic, or other objects that offer no nutritional value. It is not the same as a puppy mouthing everything during exploration, or an adult dog swallowing something unusual once. Pica is a pattern: the behaviour happens again and again, often with a particular type of material, and it can lead to blockages, tooth damage, or poisoning depending on what is consumed. Owners often notice shredded fabric, missing socks, soil disturbed in the garden, or stones that reappear in vomit or stool. Sometimes the eating is witnessed; sometimes it is inferred from what goes missing or what is found later. The behaviour may be calm and focused, or it may happen during stress, boredom, or frustration. In some cases, there is an underlying medical cause — a nutritional deficiency, digestive discomfort, or a neurological change — and in others, the driver is primarily behavioural. This page explores what pica can look like in practice, the medical and behavioural mechanisms that may contribute, how the pattern is investigated, and the range of approaches that may be considered depending on what is found.