Billy eats everything soil plants rubbish grass tissues etc

[Emmpepp]

Help! Billy is on half a cup three times a day. This is the advice we received in the beginning and we are now working to reduce this too two portions but he is constantly eating soil, leaves, rubbish, and anything he can find on the floor (obviously I try to keep calm and take these bits of rubbish of him). Does anyone else have this issue? Am I feeding him too little? The vet said he is a tiny bit to heavy so I am concerned about him putting on weight?

Billy is nine months old, his six month vet check was all good news except the vet said he is slightly heavier than expected and to start monitoring his food. He is on royal Canin french bulldog junior dry food.

Is this a behaviour issue?
Thanks x

 

[MaplesMommy]

Hi there

The first thing about your food : Hello Carbs! Almost half of your dog's food is sugar. No wonder he is already becoming overweight (btw sad truth is that today 1 in 2 dogs is overweight).
Second: Have a look at the ingredients. They are mainly fillers with no or very very little nutritional value. Look at all the meals and by-products. Those can come from animal parts that are garbage and not good for human consumption or euthanized, sick animals that were pumped full of antibiotics etc before slaughtering.

If he is a puppy it could just him going through the puppy stage of putting everything in their mouth(EDIT : sorry just read that he is already 9 months) but it is very likely that he does these things because his body is lacking important nutrients.

 

[Emmpepp]

Thank you for replying!! This is very helpful. What food do you recommend?

 

[MaplesMommy]

I am an advocate of a fresh,raw diet but kibble wise Id recommend Orijen or Acana.

 

[Alice Kable]

We feed Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient--a really high rated food and Ruggles (English Bulldog) eats everything he gets his mouth around. Buster, half French, half English is really good about "leaving it" when I tell him to. I think Billy is one of those dogs who eat everything they see, maybe he will grow out of it, but I'd be working on the LEAVE IT command!

 

[CristianL]

Pepper is on Orijen since day 1 (2 months of age, when we got her), and still eats allot of rubbish (now 7 month).
In the beginning it was almost everything she would find on the ground when out for walks, but lately she laid of the chewing gum, cigarette buds, and poop! :bad: Now she is mainly interested in apple cores, bread, chips, grass and cow dung :bad:
We live near a school and a high school and until we clear the area is almost impossible to not eat at least a sandwich crust, or an apple core dropped by uneducated kids. Then, once in the clear we go to the hills where we can let her out of the leash and there are no more "left overs" but she starts eating grass and cow dung if she stumbles on any.
If I see what she is pulling towards(bread, apple core, etc) I can say "Leave it" and she leaves it, but if I'm not paying attention, down it goes! If I go to her and try to get it out of her mouth, she tries to swallow it whole, no matter how big, so that I don't take it from her...and sometimes she manages to do just that :facepalm:
So I can say that she improved somewhat in that she stopped eating chewing gum, cigarette buds, and dog poop and I guess it is mainly because we were very careful when going out, keeping her on a shorter leash so that when she would see something she would want to eat we'd say "Leave it!". Now she leaves those even without saying it but it's not working on bread and chips and apple cores...those are her favorite and we still need to keep an eye out and ask her to "Leave it!"

 

[Emmpepp]

This is so helpful every one thanks!! I will definitely research those foods and see how we get on!! Xx

 

[Tgirl]

He sounds like one of those dogs that is going to eat everything he gets his mouth on. Some are just like that. All you can do about that is just try to keep things away from him, teach him "leave it", and watch him closely.

I'm not saying anything about the food, either way. I'm not familiar with it. I have heard good things about Orijen though.

 

[Squishy Walnuts]

He sounds like one of those dogs that is going to eat everything he gets his mouth on. Some are just like that. All you can do about that is just try to keep things away from him, teach him "leave it", and watch him closely.

I'm not saying anything about the food, either way. I'm not familiar with it. I have heard good things about Orijen though.

This is Wally. He's great with the leave it command but I have to make sure I keep a watch out for food on our walks. He doesn't eat poop though, thankfully!

I feed Acana to my dogs and they are doing really well on it. It's made by the same company that makes Orijen and all the meat is from Canada (not China). Fromm is another food that many here recommend. There is always the option of a raw diet as well.

 

[2bullymama]

It is a Frenchie thing,.... they are so curious and just want to inspect everything and that involves eating it :blink: Cheli is the same way -- 'leave it' command is our saving grace.

Food -- since you are in the UK look into James Well Beloved

 

[shortstuff]

If you find an answer, let me know! This is 100% Bisou. She just HAS to put everything in her mouth, whether or not she decides to eat it. Sometimes she just needs to mush it around in her mouth for a couple seconds before she decides she'd rather not swallow. "Leave it" only works on some things, especially if she's already within a few feet of it, but others I can get her to just give things a sniff and keep going. Her current obsession is a spot in the yard where she's just about licked a hole in the dirt... doesn't eat chunks of dirt, just licks one spot. Oh boy.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Maybe the items he is chewing, leaves, rubbish, etc. are just curiosity. They are like babies when everything goes into their mouths for exploration. He is still young so hopefully it will pass but in the meantime I would give him a firm correction.
As far as food is concerned, I know there are lots of opinions, and what works for one dog may not work for another. I like grain free, potatoe free foods and have tried many (Orijen, Nature's Instinct Raw, Grandma Lucy's) because I have a picky eater. Currently Stella is on Acana Portk and Butternut Squash and I bury her medication in a tiny meatball of wet food and she loves it. Not sure what is available to you in the UK, but good luck.