How Dogs Self-Medicate

• Chimpanzees have been observed swallowing leaves whole
• It is thought the rough leaves act as ‘sandpaper’ to remove parasites
• Dogs and cats are believed to eat grass to make themselves vomit
• Some birds rub themselves with ants to kill feather lice
• While pregnant elephants ingest certain plants to induce labour

It's not just humans that seek out drugs to relieve a stomach ache, get rid of a headache or treat skin conditions - animals do it too.

Happy Healthy Dogs

The theory of self-medicating animals, known as zoopharmacognosy, has been spotted in macaws in Brazil, elephants in Kenya and even dogs and cats in the UK and US.

There is even a four-step process to help researchers determine whether an animal is self-medicating, or simply hungry.

According to Joel Shurkin, writing in the journal PNAS: 'The science of animal self-medication is derived from the roots zoo ('animal'), pharma ('drug'), and gnosy ('knowing').

"It's not clear how much knowing or learning is involved, but many animals seem to have evolved an innate ability to detect the therapeutic constituents in plants. Although the evidence is entirely circumstantial, the examples are plentiful. The practice is spreading across the animal kingdom in sometimes surprising ways."