Dogs are noted for their hearty appetites. Dog owners have seen how the dog eats things that are repulsive to humans. The dog may be well fed but it would still manifest the tendency to raid trash cans and eat spoiled food. Another disconcerting habit of a dog is eating feces. Dogs drink water from toilet bowls. Humans most loved pets have the unaccountable predilection for vomit as well.
Dogs have always been man's best friends. In spite of the fact that this association has gone on for thousands and thousands of years, our four legged friends still manifest behaviors that are perplexing to man. Humans find feces, spoiled food and vomit repulsive but these items make a dog salivate.
Studies have been conducted on canine behavior but no definitive reason was given why dogs eat vomit. Vomit eating is a habit inherited by modern day dogs from their ancestors. The primary purpose of eating the vomit is to conceal the dog's presence from predators. Dogs in the wild have to hide from their predators thus feces and vomitus which are dead giveaway of the dog's presence are eaten. Eating feces and vomit is the dog's self preservation behavior.
Modern day dogs have descended from wolves. Wolves in a pack live together, hunt together and share in the rearing of the young. After feeding on the hunted animal, dogs would return to the den and regurgitate the eaten food to feed the young. For a dog vomit is regurgitated food. Even after domestication, this habit would still kick in from time to time.
As mentioned, dogs are noted for their voracious appetite. For us humans, the smell of vomit would be repulsive but dogs would find the smell of partially digested food very interesting. Dogs have the disconcerting habit of eating rotten foods so why would they pass up the chance to devour the still warm and lip-smacking goodness of the vomit.
Eating vomit is one of the less dangerous habits of the dog. As long is the vomit does not have toxic substances, it would not really harm the dog. Thus an owner need not worry about the vomit eating habit of the dog. However, consider that fact that dogs are very affectionate animals that also has the habit of giving their human friends sloppy kisses. Stopping the dog from vomiting can be a challenge given the indiscriminate eating habit of the pet but an owner can prevent the pet from eating the vomit by cleaning the mess as soon as it is created by the dog.
Dogs have always been man's best friends. In spite of the fact that this association has gone on for thousands and thousands of years, our four legged friends still manifest behaviors that are perplexing to man. Humans find feces, spoiled food and vomit repulsive but these items make a dog salivate.
Studies have been conducted on canine behavior but no definitive reason was given why dogs eat vomit. Vomit eating is a habit inherited by modern day dogs from their ancestors. The primary purpose of eating the vomit is to conceal the dog's presence from predators. Dogs in the wild have to hide from their predators thus feces and vomitus which are dead giveaway of the dog's presence are eaten. Eating feces and vomit is the dog's self preservation behavior.
Modern day dogs have descended from wolves. Wolves in a pack live together, hunt together and share in the rearing of the young. After feeding on the hunted animal, dogs would return to the den and regurgitate the eaten food to feed the young. For a dog vomit is regurgitated food. Even after domestication, this habit would still kick in from time to time.
As mentioned, dogs are noted for their voracious appetite. For us humans, the smell of vomit would be repulsive but dogs would find the smell of partially digested food very interesting. Dogs have the disconcerting habit of eating rotten foods so why would they pass up the chance to devour the still warm and lip-smacking goodness of the vomit.
Eating vomit is one of the less dangerous habits of the dog. As long is the vomit does not have toxic substances, it would not really harm the dog. Thus an owner need not worry about the vomit eating habit of the dog. However, consider that fact that dogs are very affectionate animals that also has the habit of giving their human friends sloppy kisses. Stopping the dog from vomiting can be a challenge given the indiscriminate eating habit of the pet but an owner can prevent the pet from eating the vomit by cleaning the mess as soon as it is created by the dog.
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