Please keep a close eye on these dogs eating poop. This is how they get Parvo. this can kill them. My puppy had this and it is very deadly. Please watch your doggy. Thanks Linda
Our dog does the same thing. After speaking with a lot of people including a vet and articles online. They can do it for a few different reasons. One they do it because of the old poop and scoop idea. They see you do it and want to help. Didn't buy that one.Me either.
#2. They are missing something in there diet and have to eat it. Also there mother teaches them to do it for a survival tactic. When mine does it I yell and he gets no treats. When he doesn't do it I tell him what a good dog and he gets a treat and he is very happy. Most dogs grow out of this. Be with him when he is outside and congratulate him for it. Good Luck and if you need to talk. My name is Linda and my email is hercybaby AT yahoo.com
My vet is amazing, and he says that the thinking on this was a lack of nutrition. But now, dog food has so much nutrition, they can't absorb it. Being scavengers, dogs see that as a meal. There is a remedy sold by vets that makes it taste bad. It worked for mine.
It's pretty natural for dogs to eat pooh - that's why we domesticated them in the first place (talk about gross!) - to clean up after us - however, I have been told that if you place a small piece of pineapple in their dinner every night it will stop! Don't be too hard on puppy, it's natural, and most dogs do it!
Usually they're lacking something in their diet. Giving them food with a teaspoon liquid Geritol (if they're anemic) every day will put a stop to that. Fish Oil is also good. Our animals were somewhat anemic and were eating their poop and Geritol put a stop to that. Good Luck!
Our vet said that our dog was eating his own poop because his body was lacking a certain vitamin (sorry, I can't remember which vitamin). She told us to buy a can of plain pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) & mix in a spoonful every time we fed him. It really worked!
This pages has been archived 2 times. You can view older posts and feedback below.
Request: Dog Eating Its Own Feces (09/29/2009)
I have a 5 year old Cocker Spaniel who was used for breeding, the owner no longer wants her.
Request: Dog Eating Its Own Feces (07/08/2009)
We have a Shih Tzu, it's about eleven weeks old and has started to eat its own poo every time it goes to the toilet.
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Request: Dog Eating Its Own Feces
Archived on 09/29/2009
I have a 5 year old Cocker Spaniel who was used for breeding, the owner no longer wants her. I have found, after 1 week with us, that she eats, at every opportunity, her own stools. Does anyone know how to stop her?
Here is the link I promised and I would add a benadryl caplet to help it calm down and start giving one or two fish oil pills each day; good for skin and also good for health. Put a little apple cider vinegar on its coat, maybe a teaspoonful every so often and he will lick it off. Here are Drs Foster and Smith and their product to add to the dogs food:
www.drsfostersmith.com
Also if one benadryl doesn't calm her down, look on the internet for dosage of benadryl for dogs. I give my Shepherd two benadryls at the vets advice. He has a skin problem and the fish oil and benadryl has helped so much.
Just a word of caution, dog's can be allergic to pineapple. A friend gave some to her dog and the dog's head swelled and she had an allergic reaction and she had to bring the to the vet. It doesn't seem very common, but its something to think about. (07/09/2009)
My dog ate his own feces because he was very sick. Have you seen a vet? Also I have heard of them eating poop from boredom, just like chewing rocks. Good luck. (07/09/2009)
My dog eats the cat feces out of the litter box. Anyways I was watching Animal Planet and they say it is something in their diet that they are lacking, but there is some over the counter stuff they sell at pet stores. I bought mine at Pet Smart it is a pill you give them once a day it is supposed to be habit breaking. It is Excel Deter Coprophagous treatment it says it's a behavioral aid. I give it to the dog for a while then stop she stops eating it for a couple months then starts up again. I might give her 1 pill every couple of months or so. (07/10/2009)
My chocolate lab started doing this mid-life. I talked to her vet about it. There is a powder that I sprinkled on her food for about a week and it was the end of it. I can't imagine poop tasting good in the first place, but the vet said with this stuff, it will taste really bad to her. If your pet likes to eat your cat's poop, then you feed it to the cat. Won't help with neighborhood animals droppings or wildlife. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of it, but any vet will know.
All I can say is it worked in just a few days. Also, cleaning up often helps too. (07/10/2009)
We have a Shih Tzu, it's about eleven weeks old and has started to eat its own poo every time it goes to the toilet. We have been told that this is natural, but there are products which can prevent them from doing this. We would be very grateful if anybody has some advice that would stop this.
Des from Ireland
Feedback:
RE: Dog Eating Its Own Feces
There is some stuff at PetSmart I just saw this past weekend, something along the lines of Yucky, Yucky Poo, you know a silly catchy name. Go to any pet store and they have a bitter agent that you add to the dog's food and it will make it stop. Then try out Cesar Milan for dog problems, he's a great resource for all dog problems.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/cesar.html (03/25/2007)
Yes, I have a 6 year old yellow Labrador Retriever that does this too. The vet said it's odd because usually only small pups do this (although, he is not all that bright, so...). There is an OTC food additive you can buy to add to their food to which makes the stool distasteful (like this is necessary?). It is expensive, but effective. The only problem is that once you stop the food additive, they resume the behavior. I guess you have to decide what you're willing to put up with. I'll bet we humans have behaviors that dogs think are odd or disgusting too (like brushing our teeth, bathing regularly, or (gasp) throwing away food). (03/27/2007)
By Debbie in SC
RE: Dog Eating Its Own Feces
My vet told us to put meat tenderizer on the poop. Must be it makes it nasty tasting. (03/27/2007)
By kseahag
RE: Dog Eating Its Own Feces
I heard that if you put flavor enhancer (one brand sold over here in the States is called "Accent" the ingredient is MSG or Monosodium Glutamate) on their food, that will stop them from eating the poo. Good luck. (03/27/2007)
I have read that pineapple fed to the dog will stop the disgusting habit. I have a puppymill rescue who has this nasty habit. I get her away from the poop and pick it up fast. Haven't tried the pineapple as yet, myself. (03/29/2007)
We had a dog awhile back that did the same thing, our vet told us the dog wasn't getting all the nutrients it needed and when he did his job, he would go back and eat it. Vet said get a good kind of food for him and he will stop eating his own stuff. We found Old Roy dog food, seemed to do the trick. Never had the problem again. Just make sure there are extra minerals or such in the food, like us with our vitamins. (08/14/2007)
