What Does It Mean When My Dog Licks the Carpet?
Abnormal, sometimes inappropriate behavior in our pups is alarming and raises many questions, especially for first-time breeders. Strange behavior can occur suddenly at any age. For example, an obedient dog might chew or eat inedible objects or lick everything around him. Let’s talk about why your dog licks the carpet and what causes this behavior in your pet.
Why does my dog lick the carpet?
Some of the main reasons that explain your dog’s craving to lick the carpet include:
- Plain boredom. Perhaps you don’t spend enough time with your pet and your pooch licks the carpet to amuse himself or to attract the attention of his owners.
- Stressful situations, emotional overexcitement, nervousness, phobias. Dogs often lick the carpet after experiencing shock, distress or intense agitation. They may have been frightened by something like a sudden sound or noise. A change of residence, punishment, long separation from the beloved owner, the appearance of other pets in the house, strangers, other stress factors can cause this behavior. This is especially true for puppies, hyperactive dogs, and animals with an unstable psyche and nervous system.
- Unbalanced diet, inappropriate feeding. Licking or eating inedible objects can indicate an imbalance in the dog’s metabolism or a deficiency of nutrients (vitamins or minerals).
- Overfeeding, underfeeding, violation of regime or daily routine.
- Puppies lick or taste the carpet out of curiosity. This way they get to know the world around them. At the same time licking the carpet may not be caused by harmless reasons.
Dog licking carpet: health issues
Bouts of licking can also be caused by:
- Acute, chronic pathologies, diseases of the digestive tract (gastritis, pancreatitis, inflammatory processes of the mucosa of the stomach, intestines, erosive, ulcerative lesions of the GIT).
- Metabolic disorders; neurological pathologies, disorders caused by severe head trauma, damage to the spine.
- Dental problems (gingivitis, tartar, stomatitis, gum disease) allergic manifestations; severe worm infestation.
- Kidney failure.
- Intestinal disorder or an upset stomach.
- Foreign bodies in the pharynx, esophagus, or stomach.
Conclusion
As you can see, this kind of compulsive disorder may be due to serious systemic and functional failures in the dog’s body. Therefore, carefully observe the pet, analyze at what periods and how often your dog licks the carpet or the floor.
