Tripett?

[Jaime + Oliver]

After a lot of belly issues trying to get his food right, things have settled down for Oliver.  He's on TOTW High Prairie and doing ok.  He still seems to have issues when we go "too rich" with the food (formulations with much fat/protein?).  Our issue is after pooping he likes to return to the scene of the crime and have a snack (gross!).  We always try to pick up before he can get to it, but sometimes he's just too fast.  Our trainer/walker suggested this might be because he needs extra vitamins or minerals.  She recommended adding 2T of Tripett to his meals.  I'm worried about opening the door to a topper addiction, making the food "too rich".  A search of the forum didn't come up with too much information on Tripett,  So I wanted to see if anyone had experience or knowledge of it?

[BG and Gavin]

We used it as a topper for a bit.  Dogs love it, but dealing with it from my perspective is a bit gross due to the odiferous nature of the food.

[Jaime + Oliver]

So it's extra smelly?  Ick!  Definitely something to factor in :)

[Gail and Bailey]

I had a dog who used to do the same "snacking" you are referring to and I was assured by my vet that it is simply a habit and does not indicate a lack of anything in the diet.  There is a powdered enzyme that can be put in their food that makes the poop not taste good to them....as if it really tastes good to begin with. LOL   Just ask at a pet store...I can't remember the name of it.  I guess you could say it deters them from eating the poop.  I handled the situation by always being with my dog when he was outside and picking up right away.   I feel your pain!  Good Luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As we have said here many times before, take training advice from your trainer, but NOT nutrition or diet advice. Some of the worst advice on feeding dogs I've ever seen came from trainers. 

A dog who is eating an AAFCO approved diet is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs, unless he has a malabsorption disease, in which case you need an IMS. 

Tripett contains nothing that his dog food doesn;t contain, except for carrageenan, which has been suspected of contributing to GI disease in some dogs. I would definitely not recommend it for any dog with digestive issues. 

It's a myth that coprophagia (stool eating) is caused by a lack of something in the dog's diet. It's just something that some dogs do. I've read that some of them learn it from their mothers as puppies, believe it or not. Mother dogs will often "clean up" after very young puppies by eating their stool. It does seem to be a behavior that runs in certain lines. The sure fire way to stop it is to never allow it to happen by always taking him out on a leash, or at least always go outside with him and clean it up immediately after he makes a deposit. I know that can be inconvenient, but it's really the only way to prevent the stool eating.

[Jaime + Oliver]

This is why I love this website!  I had a feeling this was the case, especially since TOTW should be giving him what he needs.  She is a trainer/behaviorist but not a food expert!  And I love how you referred to it as "making a deposit." :)

We're super diligent about cleaning up after him to remove the temptation completely, but when given the chance he always always goes for a snack.  When he's in someone else's care they're not always as good as we are at picking up.  I haven't read up much yet on adding powders etc to the food to make it taste bad on the other end.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are  a couple of DK members whose doodles have this habit, and I know that the various food additives and powders have not worked for them. Most of them are monosodium glutamate based products (meat tenderizer) and there is also one that's pineapple enzymes, I believe. It probably doesn't hurt to try. I think one of them is called "Forbid". 

Just checked, the reviews are very mixed: http://www.amazon.com/Alpar-Forbid-12pkts/product-reviews/B00061MRWC

[Jaime + Oliver]

A miracle cure would be too good to be true!  He's just over 4 months now and we're trying so hard to nip this in the bud early in his life.  I don't want this to be a permanent habit and have him pick up any intestinal issues by snacking on something he shouldn't!  Thanks for the great advice as always!