Treatment emphasizes psychosocial, environmental, and family guidance approaches. Dogs exhibiting this form of pica should be tested for anemia with a CBC or at least hematocrit levels. Unlike in humans, in dogs or cats, pica may be a sign of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, especially when it involves eating substances such as tile grout, concrete dust, and sand. Symptoms may also include a pinkish hue to the skin, particularly around the mouth. Pica may also be a symptom of iron deficiency anemia secondary to hookworm infection. If a mineral deficiency is not identified as the cause of pica, it often leads to a diagnosis as a mental disorder. Often the substance eaten by those with the disorder does not contain the mineral of deficiency. The association between pica and iron deficiency anemia is so strong that most patients with iron deficiency will admit to some form of pica. The scant research that has been done on the root causes of pica suggests that the majority of those afflicted tend to suffer some biochemical deficiency and more often iron deficiency. Another risk of dirt eating is the possible ingestion of animal feces and the accompanying parasites. In addition to poisoning, there is also a much greater risk of gastro-intestinal obstruction or tearing in the stomach. There is a similar risk from eating dirt near roads that existed prior to the phaseout of tetra-ethyl lead in gasoline or prior to the cessation of the use of contaminated oil (either used, or containing toxic PCBs or dioxin) to settle dust. Children eating painted plaster containing lead may suffer brain damage from lead poisoning. Pica in children, while common, can be dangerous. Pica is seen in all ages, particularly in pregnant women and small children, especially among children who are developmentally disabled, where it is the most common eating disorder. The condition’s name comes from the Latin word for the magpie, a bird which is reputed to eat almost anything. In order for these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month, at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. Pica is a medical disorder characterized by an appetite for largely non-nutritive substances (e.g., coal, soil, feces, chalk, paper, etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods, such as food ingredients (e.g., flour, raw potato, starch, ice cubes).
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