# Why are dogs such adventurous eaters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2018, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678 "2018-05-06T00:50:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/21 "2018-05-08T01:21:08Z")
Yeah, my dog (pit bull) is fairly picky. He generally will not eat dry food unless it is mixed with wet food or meat. He will not eat lamb. He only eats a couple of veggies (carrots, and sometimes cabbage.) He will not eat raw meat (well, he did when he was younger – once he ate two pounds of raw meat I had left unattended for a few minutes while getting some stuff ready to stuff it into sausage, but now he won’t touch it.) He’ll eat grass, but I’ve never seen him eat poop or anything else non-foodlike. He does _love_ any type of sweets, though. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/22 "2018-05-08T02:45:29Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > I had a dog who would eat bark (we had to protect the tree in our yard) and absolutely **loved** Vaseline (we were shocked, and it only happened the one time). Actually every dog I have ever encountered loves Vaseline. If I put it on my hands, they will come by for a lick. Vaseline is organic but it’s not natural, certainly nothing a wild wolf would encounter. Our cats did, too. We gave it to them for hairballs and they loved their “kitty butter.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/23 "2018-05-08T02:58:07Z")
I give my Siamese a bit of vaseline on their toes ( they will lick every bit of it off ) for hairball prevention. It really pisses them off. They won’t talk to me, til treat time when I do it. They are ‘oh so snooty’ kitty-cats.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/24 "2018-05-11T19:25:19Z")
Pugs have no sense of danger when it comes to food. Ours eats leaves, wood, rocks…anything that’s on the floor, or where he can otherwise reach it, is fair game. Leads to trouble sometimes. Our previous pug (and I want to stress up front that she came through fine with no ill effects) ran right up to some weeds and ate them after we’d sprayed them with herbicide, which we discovered to have arsenic in it. Dumb pug. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/25 "2018-05-11T21:23:01Z")
My Boston Terrier loves seafood (Naturally! She’s from Boston\*). The Shih Tzu doesn’t, but she loves fruit, which the Terrier won’t touch. Point being, not every dog eats every thing. _The other way you can tell is when she speaks, she says “Bahk, Bahk”_\* \*\* I’ve been milking this joke for 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/26 "2018-05-12T00:18:04Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > My two vizslas will eat a cat turd, a live chipmunk, or a piece of cardboard tube with equal relish. It is unbelievable. What brand of relish is that? I could use it on my cooking mistakes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/27 "2018-05-12T01:25:39Z")
We have a generic striped cat who started taking dumps on the floor. Turns out she’s feeding her dog. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/28 "2018-05-12T04:17:03Z")
Also, a dog’s least developed sense is taste. I imagine this is at least partially evolutionary, as a scavenger has to eat what it finds. Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678/29 "2018-05-12T04:34:03Z")
As I understand it, a major reason is that dogs are good at vomiting. If they eat something they can’t handle they just throw it up and walk away. As opposed to for example horses who basically _can’t_ vomit, and are screwed if they swallow something dangerous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dogs-such-adventurous-eaters/813678.md?page=1)