My dogs eat mud

Question
Our two 11 year-old dogs (Samoyed & yellow lab mix) will not stop eating dirt/mud. They go to the same two spots in our yard and eat the dirt/mud every single day. I can not get them to stop doing it. We have tried many different types of dog food for them including Pedigree, Iams, Eukanuba and most recently Nutro Ultra. No matter what we feed them they still snack on the dirt/mud. Is there something that they are lacking in thier diet? Should we be concerned when we do catch them "snacking"? If you have any ideas please let us know.  Thank you!!!

Kristen

Answer
Hi Kristen :)

You must be at your wits end with these two crazy dogs, lol.

I would not worry about their appetite for dirt, but I will suggest there may be a cat using these spots as their litter box. Dogs are crazy for kitty krunchies.

If there are no cats around, it very well could be a mineral they are seeking out that is available in the soil. Most commercial foods have adequate vitamins and minerals, but deficiencies do occur in the metabolization of some dogs. Some foods are less digestible, thus, causing some of the nutrients to be harder to absorb.

You might want to ask your vet if there is a good mutli-vitamin  & mineral supplement s/he would recommend. If there is a problem, this should solve it.

Of the foods that you listed, the Ultra is by far the better of the 4. You might even want to try adding some fresh veggies and fruits as toppers for their kibble or as treats. This is a good way to get lots of antioxidants into the diet. Also, a great addition would be to add a digestive enzyme and/or a probiotic (yogurt or other type)to their food. This will help with digestion and absorption. It could very well be that they may be lacking in the beneficial bacteria that is in the digestive tract, which helps with these things.