Why does my dog eat his own poop?
At some point in just about every dog's life, he or she will try eating their own poop, or from the cat's litter box. It even has an official name, "Canine Coprophagia."
Reasons:
Actually, it is a very natural habit for a dog in the wild. Mother dogs will eat their puppy's feces in order to keep the den clean. Puppies that see their mother do so will often immitate her. A dog confined in a cage for long periods of time may be trying to clean his personal space. If stools are left to pile up in the yard, it may prompt the dog to clean up his stools. They may be suffering from boredom, loneliness, anxiety or stress. If a dog is punished for going in the house, he may eat his feces to hide the evidence. Or there could be a health reason, like internal parasites that make the dog feel unusually hungry because the parasites are taking the dog's nutrients.
Prevention:
First, clean up your yard and pick up stools as they happen. If your dog tends to eat feces immediately after going, be sure you're there with him and divert his attention with a treat or a toy while you pick it up. If eating from the cat's litter box is a problem, confine it to an area where the dog cannot enter. Try adding a few chunks of zucchini to his food, as it is acidic and makes the feces less tasty. If confining a dog to a cage while you're away, give him a variety of toys to make the time less monotonous. Never punish your dog for going in the house. A dog only goes in the house if he can't hold it any longer; it's a myth that they do it out of spite. Finally, if you suspect parasites, get him to the vet for treatment.
Only Natural Pet Store has an all-natural product called Solid Gold S.E.P. to help with this problem. It contains glutamic acid that you add to your pet's food. When mixed with stomach acids, glutamic acid makes the stool taste very bitter to the dog. Link for Only Natural Pet Store is at the left.
It may take some perseverence to break your dog of eating feces, as it has become a habit that they enjoy, as disgusting as it may seem to us.
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17 comments:
yikes.....what a post....hee hee!!
come over and fuel my blog...pretty please...with poop on top...lol
Hi Darlene,
Yes I know, a rather indelicate area. But from what I read, a very asked about topic, so I thought I'd cover it. Thanks for visiting again, and I'll be right over to fuel your blog.
Chris
I, for one, am incredibly glad that we humans have not developed this sort of syndrome, at least, not on a regular basis. :) Can you imagine Rachel Ray? *shiver*
Nathan,
thanks for visiting and posting a comment. Yes, it gives new meaning to the phrase "a dog will eat anything."
You have a great site; I'm so glad I found it.
Chris
I had no idea Chris. Thanks for the tips. We'll be sure to look out for this, especially with our new pup.
Hi Rolando,
I had no idea either until I caught our newly adopted 3 year old dog doing it. When I looked into how to break the habit, that's when I found that almost all dogs do it at some point-gross but true!
Thanks for visiting again.
Chris
Hi Chris,
This was a timely post since one of my friends had mentioned he was having this issue with his dog. I will pass this post to him.
Cheers!
I'm glad I could help. The reason I researched it is because our recent adoptee Rosie has been doing some sampling. I felt better when I learned that it's not rare, and there are things you can do. I figured there had to be others out there dealing with it but were afraid to say anything because of the "disgusting factor."
We have a Cocker Spaniel who had this horrible habit (apparently this breed is reknown for it!)
We kept on top of it and eventually she has found other things to keep her occupied...like sleeping, drooling and perfecting the art of looking dopey.
Love your blogs...is it ok to add you to my blogroll?
Hi,
Thanks for visiting. I'm glad you enjoyed my sites. Sure, go ahead and add them, and I'll add yours right now. Thanks again
Chris
Ma Goat Lady,
When I clicked on your name to take me to your site, Blogger isn't showing you as having one. Could you give me your url, so I can add your link on my site? Sorry....thanks
Chris
My dog LOVES cat poop - or yard crunchies as we call them - we recently asked our vet how we could get him to stop eating them - and her response was "it's like chocolate to them." heh heh
crisisworker,
Yes, from what I've read once they start, it's hard to break them as they enjoy it so much. Abby tried the cat's litter box to, and I tried the litter box covers but she would just find her way in anyway, very determined. We finally made an enclosed area for the cats in the basement, with an entry only the cats could get through. Yard crunchies is a great way to describe it.
Thanks for the visit.
I found out last winter that Indy enjoys "poopsicles", so when its cold, I have daily poop patrol. As soon as the temp goes over 32F he tip toes around poop to avoid it. I tried adding pineapple to his diet, I couldn't really tell if it helped or not. I have also seen spinach recomended. Some people sprinkle cayenne pepper on each poop pile to teach the dog not to eat poop. The idea is that after a while you condition the dog to believe that poop tastes bad, which is not true, we all know it is a delicacy ;)
Hi Lindsey,
So you're another member of the pups that eat poop club. I never expected so many people to come forward when I posted this, but I'm glad I did. My Rosie has a lot of company I see. I'm not looking forward to poop patrol in the dead of winter, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks for visiting and commenting. Good luck.
Chris
Mine seem to have an affinity for cat, rabbit and goose excrement. Is that normal too?
Hi kab625,
Yes I think it all falls under the same category for them-yummy. I've read that dogs like cat poop because it's less digested. And my Abby used to eat rabbit poo. I haven't seen her doing it since I switched her to the raw food diet. Supposedly raw feeding makes them more content with their own food, although I still catch Rosie doing it once in awhile, but even she is doing it less. So your dog is quite normal.
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Chris
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