My dog eats poo..help..?

Question

My dog eats her own, and my other dogs poo, as well as my cats poo, it is disgusting..her breath reaks like it, and Im not sure how to get her to stop...she always has food in her dish, lots of water..so im not sure..any suggestions?

Jenny> I understand, but I let her out in the backyard, to do her business, and I cant keep a muzzle on her 24/7 and everytime I let her out..as far as I know she doesnt eat it from the litter box, my cats do there business in my flower bed, haha..and she digs thru it and eats it.

Answer 1

Some dogs can't resist a tasty morsel of feces. These dogs will eat their own excrement or
that of another dog. Some prefer horse feces, others cat feces. Frozen feces are popular in
the winter time. Why do dogs do this?

In the past it was believed that feces eating, also known as coprophagia, was caused by
either poor diet or poor health. However, this theory is not supported by current research.
"Behavioral research has discounted the idea that it is a dietary deficiency or a pancreatic
enzyme deficiency," says Dr. Jo Ann Eurell, a veterinarian and animal behavior specialist retired from
the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. "Dogs are historically scavengers,
and this is believed to be a scavenger behavior.

"It is important for dog owners to know that this behavior is normal for a mother dog with
pups," adds Dr. Eurell. Newborn pups must learn to urinate and defecate. The mother
teaches the pups by licking their bottoms. The pups respond to this "tickle" by urinating and
defecating. The mother then consumes the pups' excrement, which serves two protective
purposes: it keeps the den area clean and it removes smells that could attract a predator.
Some pups learn this behavior from their mothers and will stimulate themselves and
consume their own feces. Most pups stop by the time they are weaned.

It is more difficult to understand why adult dogs eat feces. Some dogs will learn this
behavior from other dogs. In some cases, eating feces may be an attention-seeking
behavior. For some dogs it is possibly due to anxiety or boredom. Most often the
motivation for eating feces is just not known.

Owners find this habit in their pet disgusting -- particularly when the consumed feces are
thrown up all over the new carpet. In addition to being socially unacceptable, eating feces
exposes the dog to parasites and diseases. So, what is a dog owner to do?

"Eating feces is a problem that is easier to prevent than to cure," says Dr. Eurell. "Don't
allow the opportunity to arise. Keep the dog's yard clean by disposing of feces promptly.
Move the cat box out of the dog's reach. If cleaning the outdoor area is not feasible, then
keep the dog on a leash or use a muzzle when outside."

There are some "cures" that have been used with limited success. Punishment generally only
works in the early stages, before the behavior becomes habitual. Feeding the dog MSG,
garlic, or pumpkin is believed to give feces a bad taste, making it less attractive to the dog.
Other products can be applied to the feces directly; however, dogs are very perceptive and
can probably distinguish between tainted and untainted feces.

The best solution is to supervise the dog and not let it develop the habit. If you would like
further information about this behavior, contact your local veterinarian.

Answer 2

Some vets theorize that this could be due to some kind of a mineral deficiency. Noone really knows for sure. I once had a Pomeranian who had an anxiety disorder and would do this all the time. Some dogs do it as a result of a psychological problem or due to anxiety. Female dogs seem to be more prone to it than males. How to stop it? Some suggest putting meat tenderizer on their food. There are also other things you can get from the vet , powders or pills, to put in their food that supposedly makes them less likely to continue eating their excrement. Ask the vet for help to get him to stop it. Or do some research online and see what has helped other people.

Answer 3

I read up on something like that cuz my dog seemed to have done the same thing except she ate my cats feces and not her own lol...From what I read, it is said that if you put Hot Sauce or Vinegar on the poop for about a week or two will give the dog a result of bad flavor therefore psychologically making her think that all feces taste bad. But I doubt you'd want to follow her around and put that stuff on her poop. I suggest you find foods that they'll enjoy most so it can turn their minds off eating their own poopy!

Answer 4

It's actually VERY normal. The poo of all animals is FULL of protein, hence why your dog eats it. Short of picking it up as soon as you notice she's done one, same with the cat, there's nothing really you can do about it.

Answer 5

It's called coprophagia, and some dogs do it if they lack certain bacteria in their GI tract. You can try giving her yogurt or probios and see if that helps. You can also feed supplements that make the poo taste very bad to them. I'd give it to all of your dogs, not sure if you can give it to cats. They sell it at petsmart. Also, keep the poo in your backyard cleaned up as much as you can.

Answer 6

Dogs naturally eat their own poo. As far as cat poo goes, there are nutrients in it that dogs can benefit from.

Answer 7

My boston terrier does that. I tried a lot of different things but nothing worked so I took her to the vet. He suggested sprinkling meat tenderizer over her food. I'm not really sure what it does, but it helps. She stopped doing it for a while but then she had puppies and after cleaning up after them she got a taste for it again. He also suggested putting hot sauce on her poop but thankfully I didn't have to resort to that. Anyway, Good luck!!!

Answer 8

Your going to have to really just scold it for doing it. That or clean up the poo right after the dogs and cats do it. You might want to find some kind of food or something to make its breath smell better. Worse come to worse make a vet appointment.

Answer 9

if you add pineapple to the diet this poo eating will stop. you can either add crushed pineapple to the food or freeze pineapple juice and put a cube or two in the water dish. also, you may want to switch to a high quality food with protein levels lower than what you currently feed

Answer 10

most of the time when dogs eat that it's because their stomach is upset and they can't get to any grass so the poo helps settle their stomach......gross i know but it works for them..i know because my dog used to do it