Why does my dog like to eat snow?
This sort of behaviour may have a number of possible triggers. Keep in mind that most senior dog behavior changes have underlying medical causes. According to Dr. Gary Landsberg, board-certified specialist in behaviour, the most common reasons for these quirky changes relate to the presence of underlying chronic diseases such as Cushing's disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease and others that increase the thirst of the pet.
He also advises that there is potential for this type of behaviour to reflect onset of the canine cognitive disorder, a behavioural disorder of senior dogs, so a thorough medical evaluation is indicated for a dog such as this. Treatment is available for these organ problems and canine cognitive disorder, and may lead to resolution or reduction of such novel senior dog behaviour.
On rare occasions, assuming the medical and cognitive evaluation shows no abnormalities, it could be a case of trying snow out and finding out that she just enjoys the taste and coolness of snow, and gets carried away periodically! The large volume of snow will enter her stomach and slightly lower her body temperature, thus triggering the shivering reflex, or perhaps the stomach is somewhat distended and the shivering relates to the sensation of stretching of the stomach itself.
If a dog really enjoys cold water, perhaps offering water in her bowl with a few ice cubes, or chilled water from the refrigerator may help to satisfy its preference for very cold water, and thus reduce snow eating.
Though not particularly relevant in this case, it is interesting to note that if enough water from other sources is not offered, dogs of any age can use snow as their primary source of water.
The arctic sled dogs, for example, survive only on their food and the snow. They never receive water in a bowl, and so over the course of the day, especially after pulling a sled, they will consume large amounts of snow to meet their water needs.Consult your veterinarian soon so that the possibility of underlying disease can be ruled out.
----------------------------
Source:
Animal Health Care
Izgleda da z našimi psi ne bo nič narobe, če jedo sneg!