It often starts as puppies, but they can grow out of it as they get older. However, if given half a chance, a lot of dogs will quite happily tuck into horse manure, cow dung, rabbit droppings or other similar offerings! There are different theories as to why dogs eat poop. It might be because they like the taste or because dogs are omnivorous scavengers and faeces contain some
nutritional value such as undigested fat and protein. Although the latter is the most likely explanation, no one really knows why dogs eat faeces. One old wives’ tale, that has been largely disproved, is that it’s a response to something lacking in their diet. There are some rare medical disorders are thought to contribute to coprophagia, so if you have any concerns over your dog’s health you should always consult your vet. Another theory is that coprophagia is a learned behaviour,
caused by a puppy watching and copying their mother or friends. Sometimes bitches eat the faeces of their puppies to keep the nest area clean and free from disease and, perhaps instinctively, to prevent attracting predators to the nest. If your dog is partial to eating their own faeces and you’d like to put a stop to it, there are several possible solutions you can try. Try these one at a time so you can
work out which, if any, are successful. However, if your dog is young, very old or has a history of gastro-intestinal problems these methods aren’t recommended without consulting a vet first. There is no scientific evidence to support this method, but anecdotally some people believe pineapple prevents coprophagia in dogs. Try putting small chunks of fresh pineapple into your dog’s food. The theory is that
any subsequent faeces then have an unpleasant, bitter or acidic taste, which deters your dog from eating it. Again, there is only anecdotal evidence to support this method. Simply put a few diced pieces of raw courgette in your dog’s food. For the same reasons as the pineapple method, this makes their faeces far less palatable! Dogs have a few quirky behaviors and habits that make them quite unique. Some of them are adorable while others can be a little weird and unusual. One common undesirable behavior that dogs show is when they eat their poop. This is a commonly reported behavior that most dog owners find abnormal and disgusting. Dog owners believe that this behavior is an indication of a health problem in dogs that needs to be identified and addressed. But does eating poop really mean your dog is sick or has a nutritional deficiency? Keep reading to find out! Are you concerned about your pet? Book a video consultation with an experienced veterinarian within minutes.
Reasons Why Dogs Eat Their Poop or That of Other DogsThere have been several theories explaining the baffling habit of dogs eating poop, and it turns out it’s not as weird as most people believe. Actually, the behavior of eating one’s feces, or that of others, is well-reported in the animal kingdom. Coprophagy is the term used to describe the habit of eating feces or stool. Autocoprophagy means eating one’s feces and allocoprophagy means ingesting the stool of another individual. In the wild, prey animals perform coprophagy to erase traces of their existence so predators can’t hunt them. For rabbits, eating their feces is normal behavior that helps maintain good gastrointestinal health. Autocoprogaphy in rabbits provides probiotics that are essential in the proper digestion of high fiber content in their diet. InstinctLike with other animals, coprophagy in dogs can be an instinctive behavior in eliminating their traces. Though technically not necessary anymore in domesticated dogs, it is believed that this behavior is a persistent survival instinct that remains in their genes, being descendants of wolves in the wild. DietWhile the type of diet and coprophagy in dogs are not considered to be directly related, some experts believe that stool-eating behavior is caused by the inability of the dog to digest their diet. If parts of the dog’s food remain undigested after it has passed through the GI tract, there is an increased chance that the dog will attempt to eat it again. BoredomAnother reason most experts cite as a cause for dogs’ poop-eating behavior is boredom and isolation. Dogs are highly social animals and need frequent interactions with their owners or with other dogs at home. If left alone, especially for an extended period, dogs have a higher tendency to eat their stool. There have been reports of less stool-eating behavior in dogs that are in constant company with their owners. Stress and AnxietyAnxiety is another psychological reason for coprophagy in dogs, and the development of this behavior often happens in dogs undergoing house training. When a puppy gets punished for making errors during house training, they are often punished. This causes anxiety during the training process. The anxiety, in turn, causes them to eat their stool to hide evidence of what they believe is a mistake and avoid punishment. In some cases, dogs just eat their poop to seek attention. Dogs are highly social animals and most crave frequent attention. Once they’ve realized that eating their stool is a highly effective way to get the attention of the people around them it can become a habit. Will eating poop make my dog sick?You’d think that eating one’s own stool can have serious health implications, but in reality, autocoprophagy in dogs seldom leads to health problems. Like in rabbits, autocoprophagy in dogs is often harmless and doesn’t typically cause adverse reactions. But that doesn’t mean eating their poop is healthy… The most apparent problem associated with coprophagy is foul breath smell. As they eat their poop, parts of it will get stuck on the surface of their teeth or in between them, leading to foul-smelling breath. Feces also have bacteria that can cause periodontal disease in dogs who frequently eat feces. While eating their stool rarely causes GI problems in dogs, it’s a totally different case if they start ingesting the poop of other dogs. Ingesting feces from other dogs puts them at high risk of contracting contagious GI infections - many bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections are transmitted via the fecal-oral route. How do you make your dog stop eating poop?Though poop-eating behavior is considered common in dogs, it’s still best to take steps to prevent this from starting or take measures to stop the behavior before it starts to become worse. The most effective way to make sure your dog doesn’t eat its poop is by cleaning up after them immediately. In multiple dog households, this is especially important because it also removes the dog’s ability to eat another dog’s feces and helps to control the transmission of infectious diseases between dogs. Another way to control coprophagy in dogs is by addressing possible triggers contributing to the behavior. Supplements like probiotics help improve the digestion of food and reduce the risk of them eating their feces. Making sure that your dog is given enough attention can help reduce the incidence of boredom-related coprophagy. Using positive reinforcement instead of punishment during house training can prevent anxiety-induced coprophagy in young puppies. Read more:Housebreaking: Everything You Need to Know About Potty Training Your Puppy Puppy Socialization How to Choose the Right Food for Your
Dog Need to speak with a veterinarian regarding your dog's behavior or another condition?Click here to schedule a video consult to speak to one of our vets. You can also download the FirstVet app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Stores. What do you give a dog to stop eating poop?Add meat tenderizer, canned pumpkin, or another deterrent to his food. These items taste fine going down, but they make poop taste terrible to dogs. Teach your dog the “Leave It” command – The AKC has a great tutorial here!
Is it normal for dogs to eat poop?You may find it upsetting, but it may just be canine nature. So many dogs eat feces that veterinarians consider stool eating normal. The tendency of some dogs to eat their own poop or that of other animals has a scientific name: canine conspecific coprophagy. There's no known connection between diet and this condition.
Why is my dog eating his own poop?If your dog is eating poop, it could be for a number of reasons, including anxiety, attention, isolation, confinement or inappropriate association with food, according to the American Kennel Club. Some dogs with harsh punishment trauma may eat their own poop to avoid further reprimand.
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Why would a dog eat its poop
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