Has anyone heard of this?

[P3tm0m]

Doxie has done this a few times but I forgot about it until he did it this morning. He started licking and trying to eat the carpet and whining. I always let him out when he does this. He eats grass for a little bit, then comes in and is fine. If he's on the bed he'll do the same thing with the comforter or blanket. What would cause this?

[alimel]

My first Beagle Ali used to do this, he would lick the sliding glass door track and the floor and carpets...gross. He would always do this when he had a tummy ache.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Jenny does it rarely, what she does is if I"m reading a book, she will come up and likc the binding, where the glue is. I think it's just a habit, but it could also be that it is somehow rewarding in her mind... Maybe she likes the taste of binding glue?

[Deidre]

Some dogs develop this habit especially those that have been prematurely weaned; this condition is called "pica". I am not saying that this is the case with Doxie but it certainly sounds familiar. It's as though dogs with this habit are simply trying to go back in time to when they were nursing as that is when they felt nurtured and comforted.

There are other school of thoughts when it comes to this subject; some believe that it is due to a nutritional/mineral deficiency; others believe that there are underlying health problems that contribute to this behaviour and others disagree with this saying that it is simply a habit. I would personally opt to have the dog in question seen to by the vet and have a full blood profile carried out for peace of mind and if the dog does not have any underlying health issues then you can work on perhaps changing its food or adding some minerals & vitamins.....if after a month or so your beloved still persists with this habit then you can pretty much discount the vitamin/mineral theory, if a full blood profile shows nothing wrong then the only remaining factor would have to be that there is a possibility that Doxie may have been weaned a little too early for her liking.

[Moo]

Pica disorder is eating (appetite for) non-edible objects, not obsessive licking. Typically swallowing rocks, etc. A dog who eats dirt whenever they are given the opportunity to be near it could have pica disorder, it does not sound like Doxie does.

Humans can also have this condition- people who eat non-edible objects, or food ingredients that are not normally eaten/eaten alone (ie flour, butter, artichoke leaves, etc)