dog eating own feces
- Thread starter macjizzle
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fecal freak!!!! 
no i think dogs eat their own poop b/c they don't digest everything completely the first time, this isn't completely uncommon i don't think, rats do this too if i'm not mistaken, and probably other animals.
no i think dogs eat their own poop b/c they don't digest everything completely the first time, this isn't completely uncommon i don't think, rats do this too if i'm not mistaken, and probably other animals.
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- Apr 19, 2008
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"Coprophagia"
allot of dogs do it but domestics dont need to.
Just get some "Forbid" from your vet ( I dont know if its over counter yet) but its real cheap,
you put it in his food and it makes the poop taste bad.
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What if you got some really really hot sauce and dribbled some on its poop after it was done? I think a couple times of doing this the dog would realize, hmmm... if i eat this, it will burn like all heck, then it will burn like all heck again when it comes out, and then if i eat it again.... oh man, im not gonna eat poop.... maybe not... just an idea . Hope you get to the bottom of this! I have heard it can be a sign of worms, but not sure how true that is. Anyways, good luck.
Cheers
. Hope you get to the bottom of this! I have heard it can be a sign of worms, but not sure how true that is. Anyways, good luck.Cheers
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- Oct 31, 2005
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I love it!
Some dogs eat it just because they like to, even perfectly healthy dogs. Nobody really knows why. I read on another message board where someone had a terrible time because the dog would race the owner to the poo dropped by the other dogs. It turns out the dog was playing some kind of game. When the owner ignored the poo and didn't try to get to it first the dog lost interest. It can be bad because some parasites live in the soil and can be ingested by the dog. If you are treating the dog for internal parasites it will keep infecting itself again. If it eats other dogs' poo it can catch all sorts of nasty things. You can get products to change the taste of the poo to something dogs don't like in any good pet shop. Look for names like Forbid and Deter. I doubt hot sauce will work. My dogs love the stuff.
The only animal I know of that uses its own poo as part of its regular diet is the rabbit-they do 2 kinds of poo depending on whether it is morning poo-soft, small and dark (which they eat) or the later, recycled poo-little cocoa puffs.
The only animal I know of that uses its own poo as part of its regular diet is the rabbit-they do 2 kinds of poo depending on whether it is morning poo-soft, small and dark (which they eat) or the later, recycled poo-little cocoa puffs.
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- Dec 29, 2007
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I had this problem with my older dog and I discovered he was missing vitamins in his normal food, so I began giving him a vitamin supplement and the problem stopped. Here is the information one vet says:
"There is an array of causes for coprophagy and the solution will vary depending on the cause:
* Nutritional deficiencies can trigger a dog to eat feces. Dogs who are attracted to the feces of herbivores are often deficient in vitamin B, for instance. This can result from intestinal mal-absorption disorders, malnutrition and parasite infestations. So in many cases, providing a multi-vitamin supplement and a healthy diet, with fresh food components can help lessen the urge to eat stools.
* Puppies often tend to develop this habit and many researchers believe that this is the result of experimentation due to natural puppy curiosity. Others believe that when the puppy’s rapid rate of growth requires more vitamins and minerals than are contained in the dog’s diet, he will seek out alternate sources of nutrition. In many cases, vitamin supplementation, combined with behavior modification efforts can resolve this issue.
* Female dogs, particularly pregnant bitches, mothers with puppies and un-spayed females in heat, are prone to coprophagy. This is due to an instinctual maternal urge to hide the puppies from predators and eating their feces is one way to conceal the puppies’ existence. Therefore, the mother may eat the feces of her puppies, or even housemates in the case of a dog without puppies. Behavioral modification training is most often effective with these cases.
* Stress and anxiety is known to trigger coprophagy. In situations of stress, many dogs tend to be more prone to exhibit this behavior, and if a dog has previously dealt with coprophagy, the behavior is more likely to resurface during a period of anxiety or stress. For cases such as these, behavioral modification techniques tend to be most effective in treating this problem.
* Improper discipline can lead to coprophagy as well. Behaviorists have found that dogs who have been subject to improper discipline techniques concerning bathroom habits can lead an animal to believe that defecating is inappropriate, and therefore, they will eat their feces in order to avoid discipline. Utilizing proper bathroom training techniques is vital to avoid complications such as this."
"There is an array of causes for coprophagy and the solution will vary depending on the cause:
* Nutritional deficiencies can trigger a dog to eat feces. Dogs who are attracted to the feces of herbivores are often deficient in vitamin B, for instance. This can result from intestinal mal-absorption disorders, malnutrition and parasite infestations. So in many cases, providing a multi-vitamin supplement and a healthy diet, with fresh food components can help lessen the urge to eat stools.
* Puppies often tend to develop this habit and many researchers believe that this is the result of experimentation due to natural puppy curiosity. Others believe that when the puppy’s rapid rate of growth requires more vitamins and minerals than are contained in the dog’s diet, he will seek out alternate sources of nutrition. In many cases, vitamin supplementation, combined with behavior modification efforts can resolve this issue.
* Female dogs, particularly pregnant bitches, mothers with puppies and un-spayed females in heat, are prone to coprophagy. This is due to an instinctual maternal urge to hide the puppies from predators and eating their feces is one way to conceal the puppies’ existence. Therefore, the mother may eat the feces of her puppies, or even housemates in the case of a dog without puppies. Behavioral modification training is most often effective with these cases.
* Stress and anxiety is known to trigger coprophagy. In situations of stress, many dogs tend to be more prone to exhibit this behavior, and if a dog has previously dealt with coprophagy, the behavior is more likely to resurface during a period of anxiety or stress. For cases such as these, behavioral modification techniques tend to be most effective in treating this problem.
* Improper discipline can lead to coprophagy as well. Behaviorists have found that dogs who have been subject to improper discipline techniques concerning bathroom habits can lead an animal to believe that defecating is inappropriate, and therefore, they will eat their feces in order to avoid discipline. Utilizing proper bathroom training techniques is vital to avoid complications such as this."