My own basset hound died after eating wood.
Recently a basset hound puppy in Colorado was found to have eaten more than two dozen nails, along with her rabies tag and some pieces of vinyl. Why does this dog eat metal objects? Is there anything a basset hound won’t eat?
That’s not clear. But I can say that I have had a similar experience with my own basset hound. My basset would eat anything he could get his teeth on… rocks, sticks, wood. You name it, he had it in his mouth and was chewing on it.
The basset hound puppy in Colorado was lucky; the vet removed the rusty nails and other metal (after doing a few vet x-rays to confirm their presence).
In 2009 another basset hound, this time in Florida, consumed at least 130 nails! The metal objects were removed from the dog’s stomach, and the hound survived with none of the objects puncturing an organ.
Two years earlier, my own basset hound wasn’t so lucky. He gnawed on one hunk of wood that necessitated surgery to remove the object from the dog’s intestines; then the surgical site got infected and he had to be euthanized. It was tremendously sad.
So these stories of dogs swallowing weird objects are odd and might seem trivial; but they’re a big deal, a serious health concern.
But back to the question, Why do basset hounds eat anything they can? (Including poop if they can get to it, and non-food items like rocks and nails.) What causes this odd canine behavior? Can you train your dog to stop?
Canine Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
The term used to describe dogs that eat non-food items like rocks and metal or wood is “pica.” Of course, bassets aren’t the only dogs affected by this. Pica is not an abnormality of the digestive system; it’s actually a psychological abnormality. So it’s not caused by a shortage of vitamins or nutrients in the diet. It’s a habit, more akin to a canine obsessive-compulsive disorder.
How to cure pica in dogs? There’s no real cure, unfortunately. Provide plenty of suitable snacks, like rawhide bones or other treats. In serious cases, a dog muzzle may be necessary. Do not use a muzzle if your dog is by itself. Talk to your vet for more ways to control this strange behavior.
