Still, it’s important to rule out any medical conditions such as malnutrition, liver disease, anemia, and parasites. Most cases of pica in pets are behavioral in nature. Signs that your pet may be experiencing a GI blockage include: These items may either get tangled in the sensitive intestine, or be unable to pass, resulting in major illness followed by emergency surgery or endoscopy. The problem with pica is that the items consumed can cause serious blockage in the digestive tract.
Cats are more likely to consume kitty litter, string, dental floss, and clothing. With pica, a pet eats inedible objects such as toys, rocks, grass, and sticks. West Park Animal Hospital gets questions about pica in pets often, so we thought we’d dig in (ahem) to this topic. Both coprophagia and pica in general can cause problems for pets, and sometimes are the result of an underlying medical condition. Coprophagy, the technical term for the eating of feces, is one of the most common forms of pica in dogs. Pica is the consumption of non-food substances. Unfortunately our pets just don’t seem to mind our protests, no matter how vehement! And most of the time, our reaction is one of dismay, bewilderment, or even disgust. Has your pet ever eaten anything you don’t consider to be edible? Those of us with dogs, and some cats, can attest to this activity.