Constant eating - could it be a sign of something

[CazD]

My rescue terrier is 2 years old. She eat constantly and is constantly hungry. She will eat ANYTHING that she can possibly swallow - worms, bread, other dog's poo. If she gets hold of anything its wolfed down in an instant, she doesnt even chew it. She can smell stuff from a mile away. Yesterday during the night she ripped open a box, through the polythene bag and ate half a pound of bird food (peanuts and mealworms). Although she was a rescue she wasnt on the streets or in the pound for long and didnt appear starved. She is regularly wormed, fed a decent diet (JWB with some cooked minced beed). She's a decent weight (a little overweight if anything) so doesnt need any extra calories. I'm sure that if I left a sack of food around she'd just eat and eat until she'd finished the lot. Could this constant desire for food be a sign of anything?

 

[gunnergundog]

Could this constant desire for food be a sign of anything?

....that she's an opportunistic thief and glutton!

Or possibly that she does indeed have worms. You may be worming her regularly, but unless you do faecal samples you can't know if you're using the correct wormer and not all wormers cover everything.

 

[Kellys Heroes]

Potentially - but so could anything!!
If you are worried, just get her checked out.

Not to worry you but our late GSD ate a LOT and towards the end they discovered pancreatitis and a kidney tumour - but it was so uncharacteristic for her to suddenly start guzzling.
BUT,
our new rescue GSD (14 months old approx) eats like a horse, doesn't chew and frantically looks for more - its thought that food was scarce at her last place and it is settling down now.

It could be that wherever your dog was last she had competition with other dogs? If it is that, it should settle.

K x

 

[Boulty]

I'd say if it's something she's only recently started doing then yes might be worth getting her checked out as it could be a sign of something not being quite right but if she's always been like that from the day you got her and seems otherwise healthy then it might just be that she's a greedy dog! My little Cavi is a right glutton. Nothing is safe! Over the years we've discovered she has a taste for hamster / rabbit / guinea pig food, horse muck, a particular type of grass (the long, thick stuff. Not bothered about normal grass!), cardboard, tissues, breadcakes (she's snaffled whole packs defrosting on the worktop) and anything even vaguely resembling food that gets left lying around (we have the bin in the garage because she can't be trusted with it being anywhere else!)

 

[Goya]

Was she a stray? Jess was a stray before I had her and she is also eats anything and everything. Her meals are eaten really quickly (too quickly for my liking, but that is another story) and I put it down to her instincts. When she was straying she had to eat what and when she could. I've had her 8 years now.

 

[CazD]

Nothing is safe! Over the years we've discovered she has a taste for hamster / rabbit / guinea pig food, horse muck, a particular type of grass (the long, thick stuff. Not bothered about normal grass!), cardboard, tissues, breadcakes (she's snaffled whole packs defrosting on the worktop) and anything even vaguely resembling food that gets left lying around (we have the bin in the garage because she can't be trusted with it being anywhere else!)

This is her to a T! She's been like it since I got her about 8 months ago. No idea on her past life - she came to me through a rescue centre having been at the local pound for a week before that.

 

[soloabe]

If she is just eating food items i wouldn't worry. If she were eating non food items i would look at something like PICA.