This may sound gross, but my dog likes to eat "feces'... its so disgusting. Do many dog do this?

Question

Is this very common in dogs or is my dog just disgusting. She also runs with it in her mouth.. Any answers??

she is a Japannese Chin about 2 yrs old

Answer 1

Quote:

"Coprophagia

Coprohagia is the technical term for eating feces. This has been studied in dogs by several people with no definitive answer for "why" being found.

Nutritional deficiencies may be present in some dogs, but not very many. This may be boredom related in many dogs. It has some "natural" roots in the fact that dams often eat their pup's stools, apparently as a method of hiding their presence from predators. Dogs will eat the stools of other species, especially cats and rabbits, too. Dogs obviously do not find the taste of feces objectionable or the behavior would be self correcting. So I think of this as a natural behavior that upsets people. Since dogs have to live with people, it is becomes an issue. There is a product sold that is supposed to help with this habit -- Forbid. It doesn't work in all cases (it might not even work in most cases). Another alternative is putting meat tenderizer in the dog's food. This works for some dogs. Walking a dog on a leash and working hard to keep it from turning and eating its stool is helpful. It is sometimes possible to distract the dog by running a short distance after the dog has a bowel movement or by taking a couple of rapid steps then telling the dog to "sit" and giving it a treat. These behaviors may stay on as substitutes to eating the stool. If you can keep the dog from eating stool for a month or so it is sometimes long enough to break the habit. Picking up stool to prevent its ingestion works in dogs that don't quickly eat their own stool but do so when put in the yard alone. "Booby trapping" a sample of stool by cutting it in half lengthwise, and putting some Tabasco type sauce on the inside of the stool, then putting it back together so that the dog is not aware of the hotsauce until it eats the stool can help in some cases. This can be a hard habit to break.

Mike Richards, DVM "

Answer 2

Yes, this is common mostly in puppies, but sometimes in older dogs as well. It could be the food you are feeding them, as various foods can make their feces smell or taste more appealing than others. Pet stores sell pills and liquids to add to their food and water that are very effective. You probably want to look into this as the dog can get sick from eating their own waste. These products work almost immediately and are very inexpensive.

Answer 3

They are SOME rare medical conditions that would cause a dog to do this, but like most have said already, they usually grow out of it. Don't force your dog into eating dog food too much because it'll react in a way that most dogs do when they're protecting their meals. Always leave some dog food aside for your pet and it'll surely just come upon it some time.

I also heard that some people make the dogs' feces taste horrible to them. "Products such as For-bid (for cats or dogs) and Drs. Foster and Smith Dis-Taste (for dogs) are added to the food of the pet". Use one of these products on normal dog food and its crap will come out with a nasty taste without harming the dog food or the dog itself.

Answer 4

Sounds gross, but many dogs do this at one time or another. Mostly as puppies, but some will continue. You have to watch them & clean up right after they poop so they don't have a chance to eat it. Also, there's a pill you can buy @ Petco that you give to your dog once a day and this may help, but it dosen't always work.

Answer 5

Generally, in an otherwise healthy dog, it is a bad behavior. And like all bad behaviors it can be stopped with training. Or you can try Forbid or Dis-Taste. These products have worked with some dogs.

Simple solution. Take dog outside on leash. After she does the business, pick up poo and dispose immediately.

Answer 6

That's a common thing for dogs to do. She may grow out of it. My dog did this a few times when she was very young, but stopped when she got a little older.

Answer 7

It is very common but not a good practice, especially if its eating other dog's feces besides its own. Parvovirus is spread through fecal matter, which is a very serious, often lethal disease.

This behavior is called coprophagia and can be treated though. My kennel uses Deter but ask your vet what he/she thinks would be a good medication to stop this behavior.

Answer 8

A lot of dogs do this. There are alot of reasons for it. On your search engine go to Dr. P's Training Tips. There are a ton of links to every problem you could possible encounter in a dog and then some.

Answer 9

Though I love both dogs & cats, I prefer the latter mainly because of this gross practise. I had dogs growing up, and I DO remember them doing this disgusting thing...I have no idea why though!

Answer 10

Female dogs have a tendency to do this as they watch their mother clean up after them when they are puppies.

My dog did it. You have to watch when they go outside to go and then put them in the house and then go back out and clean it up right away.

Takes awhile, but stick with it. Or you can buy some powder or pills that you put in their food and when they go, they don' t like it cause it makes their poo taste horrible.