How to treat pica in German Shorthaired Pointer? Pica refers to dogs and cats licking or chewing food that cannot be used as food or has no nutritional value due to environmental, genetic, nutritional, endocrine and other factors. This is a disease that affects the normal life of dogs and cats.

At present, many dogs and cats like to eat soil, stones, leaves, grass, etc. What is the main reason for this? And how to adjust such a behavior and habit of pets in daily life? How about giving them a better life? Well, if we love it, we must understand it. Really understand the mystery in a fundamental sense.

Environmental factors: excessive feeding density, insufficient air circulation, inappropriate lighting time and color, poor mood, depression and irritability, etc., can all cause pica in dogs and cats;

Nutritional factors: Many nutritional factors have been implicated as causes of pica. Insufficient minerals such as sodium, sulfur, copper, cobalt, calcium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium, especially sodium salt, are common causes. Most animals with pica like to lick alkaline substances. A lack of sodium in the diet or an excess of potassium salts results in increased potassium excretion and increased sodium excretion. Relevant data show that when the cobalt content per kilogram of soil is 1.5-2mg, pica occurs in the area; while when the cobalt content per kilogram of soil is 2.3-2.5mg, pica does not occur in the area. There is also data showing that when the copper content in feed or hay is lower than 2-5 mg/kg, and the normal level is 6-12 mg/kg, pica occurs. Long-term imbalance of the calcium-phosphorus ratio, long-term feeding of overly acidic food, lack of protein and amino acids in the diet, and lack of vitamins, especially B complex, can easily lead to metabolic disorders in the body and lead to pica.

Diseases: clinical symptoms or subclinical symptoms of some diseases, such as internal and external parasites, which produce toxins or irritations, leading to pica; some endocrine diseases can produce stress and lead to pica symptoms.

After we understand what causes pica, the next step is what the broader pica is, what are its symptoms, and how to prevent and treat it.

Pica often starts with indigestion, followed by abnormal taste and pica symptoms. Patients lick, bite, and swallow food or bedding, hay, cinders, soil, rags, etc. contaminated with feces. Sufferers are prone to panic, with increased initial sensitivity to external stimulation, gradually becoming dull, rough and dull skin, hunched waist, grinding teeth, anemia, alternating constipation and diarrhea, progressive weight loss, and eventually, severe cases of systemic failure and death.

So how can we prevent and treat these diseases?

First of all, we must have a reasonable and balanced diet. For pets of all ages, we should provide regular and quantitative feeding methods and full-price nutritious food; for example, medium and large puppies should eat food specially designed for medium and large puppies, because it will Add calcium, phosphorus and other minerals and proteins that are more suitable for them; secondly, extensive deworming, regular spectrum deworming according to the program, regular fecal examination and health examination; thirdly, add vitamins appropriatelySupplement vitamins and mineral elements, and adjust the lighting time appropriately. Keep your pet happy and happy.

If any abnormality occurs, seek medical attention promptly and do not delay treatment. I wish every baby a happy life!