EATING POOP

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? YUCK!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Mickey had a problem with this. Wasn't too choosey who's!! T00 Yuck!
His background -
3.5 months in a PM - in 1 cage with Mom and 3 brothers
1 month in a shelter
6 lbs underweight
I am sure that he had no choice prior in order to survive (eating poop).

Treatment for Mickey (he had to know that there would always be food available for him):
free feeding kibble 24/7
dinner adding chicken and other goodies

Result for Mickey
rarely eating poop

I can only state what happened to work for Mickey. For him it seemed there was no trust that there would be a next meal much less aactually getting any of it (being the runt and having to 'fight' 3 brothers and a mother to get some).

[Gwen A]

Gabby also did this. I watched her every time she pooped and gave her a firm NO when she started to eat it.. And then I would immediately pick it up. She doesn't free feed yet...she just gobbles whatever she can get as fast as she can. But getting enough to eat on a regular schedule and lots of delicious treats besides has helped to solve the problem. I still watch her when she poops because once in a while a good fresh one seems to be irresistible. She has gained weight and now weighs 50 pounds (up from 40 when she was rescued).

[Lynne B]

some dogs eat so fast that their poop contains alot of undigested nutrients which they will smell in the poop and eat. Another theory is that some dogs do this because they observed the mother dog eat the puppies poop (totally normal thing) The easiest way to deal with it is add a tablespoon of pineapple to your dogs food, it will make them not want to eat poop

[Jeannine]

Thalie was too a big poop eater, her own and sometime Gamine's. I check her like a hawk and as soon as she finish her business I'm there to pick up! She always look at me when she need to go as to let me know that i will soon have a pick up job to do.
Her background: 6 months of puppy mill,
1 month in a rescue,
12 lbs underweight.

She know now that she will never be hungry and that she will have her breakfast and supper every day + some treats too. She do not do it very often anymore. She will share all treats with Gamine and never jump at food when give it to her. They both drink in the same bowl most of the time in the same time.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

To make sure there was no poop eating contests, here is Roger (Joanne & Spud), Marissa (Mickey) and me (Samantha & Charli) doing the clean up part of the no-contest! All 3 doodles pooped within seconds of each other. So glad this park has trash cans and poop bags all over the place!!

[Cherri]

If the pineapple doesn't work, there are also tablets at your local petstore that the dog eats with each meal that makes their poop taste bad to them. We used them with great success.

[Cherri]

Tablets we used are called "Nasty Habit". Hope that helps!

[Jacquie Yorke (DRC)]

Definition of Pica or Coprophagia - is a medical disorder characterized by an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive (e.g., feces, clay, coal, soil, chalk, paper, soap, mucus, ash, etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods, such as food ingredients (e.g., flour, raw potato, raw rice, starch, ice cubes, salt). In order for these actions to be considered pica, they must persist for more than one month at an age where eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate. The condition's name comes from the Latin word for magpie, a bird which is reputed to eat almost anything One form of pica is coprophagia, which is the ingestion of feces.

http://www.pet-comfort-products.com/why-dogs-eat-poop.html

Coprophagia is the ingestion of poop that is neither accidental nor incidental. It is deliberate and habitual.

The focus here is on coprophagia and why dogs eat poop. But, you’ll see that dogs can have a variety of other eating problems. Interestingly, you’ll probably also notice that several of these eating problems are also found in humans, such as anorexia and gorging. We’re kind of like our canine friends sometimes, aren’t we.

Below there are 20 reasons listed why dogs eat poop. In addition, at the end of this article you’ll see a summarization of the reasons. Hopefully you will understand exactly why dogs eat poop so that you can solve the problem or take some action to improve the situation.

Why Dogs Eat Poop: 20 Reasons

1. Your dog might be hungry. If your dog doesn't have access to food, he might eat poop.

2. Some dogs will eat poop to clean up an area like a housekeeper. This is most likely if your dog is confined to a crate or kennel, or when he's chained up or otherwise restricted. He's taking care of his space.

3. If your dog likes to carry poop, and then eat it, it could be genetics. Some dogs have instincts to carry stuff in their mouths.

4. Your dog might be eating poop because of parasites or worms. They can suck nutrients out of your dog, driving him to eat poop. It might also leave him extra hungry because of the lack of proper fuel.

5. Your dog might be eating cat poop or other animal poop to get key nutrients and minerals not available in his own food.

6. Some dogs will simply eat poop to pass the time. Dogs will eat poop because they are bored or lonely. It can be a sign of neglect.

7. Your dog might eat poop because he's anxious, nervous or otherwise upset. Stress will drive animals to do odd things.

8. Some dogs will eat poop to hide the evidence. If you punish your dog for pooping, he might eat it to stop you from getting angry.

9. If your dog has puppies, she might eat puppy poop. This is an instinct to hide the poop from predators. Poop is evidence. Getting ride of it keeps her puppies safe.

10. Some young dogs and puppies will eat poop as a novelty. That is, they'll eat poop as an experiment. They don't know better.

11. If your dog watches you pick up poop, he might learn to do the same. This is called allelomimetic behavior. Your dog observes you and learns from you, by putting the poop in his mouth you put poop in a bag.

12. Your dog might see others dogs eating poop. From this, they learn to eat poop too.

13. Many dogs simply like the taste of poop. This obviously doesn't make sense to dog owners but that's irrelevant. Some dog like to eat it and that's that. It's warm, moist, and very much like what your dog was given as a very young puppy.

14. If your dog food lacks key nutrients, he might eat poop. Your dog is trying to get "food" with nutrients any way possible, even from his own poop.

15. Sometimes dog poop seems like dog food. This can happen when dog food is low quality and includes materials that are easily passed and not absorbed by your dog. When the dog poops, it seems to be very much like the food he just consumed!

16. In some cases, dogs will eat poop if they are given too much food. This is especially true if your dog's diet is high in fat.

17. Some dogs will eat poop to gain attention. Many dog owners get very upset when their dog eats poop, which means the dog gets attention. This is a wonderful opportunity for your dog to interact with you, although it is because of negative attention.

18. It is possible that some dogs will eat the poop of other, more dominant dogs. Your dog might be more submissive than other dogs, resulting in strange poop eating behavior. This seems to occur more in households with multiple dogs where dominance and submission is a factor. Obviously this doesn't explain much about dogs eating cat poop or other animal poop.

19. It is possible that your dog wants to eat more than one time per day. If you only feed your dog once per day, and your dog eats poop, it could be an indication they want to eat more frequently.

20. In some cases, your dog will eat poop by accident. Dogs are curious and will try to eat almost anything, including poop. Dogs explore the world through taste and smell, much more than humans.