My dog eats his own fecies?

Question

I just recently took ownership of a 2 year old dachshund from a family of 4 who had no time to care for him. He is very active and playful and shows no signs of sickness. I already have a 7 year old dachshund who is the best trained dog I have ever seen. My 7 year old alerts me when he needs to go outside, does everything immediately and comes in. Now. The two year old (My new one) ghas a problem of eating his own feces. He would probably eat it as it was coming out if he could. It is not a hard stool but a very soft stool (This is gross but it is just like a soft serve ice cream machine, sorry if I ruined soft serve for everyone). I have to go outside every day to pick up his excrements. He does not touch my other dogs feces, just his own. Also, he is VERY underweight 7lbs). I have a high calorie food for him and he has gained a couple of lbs but thats it. He is 9 lbs but you can still see his ribs. I have taken him to the vet twice (My girlfriend is a vet tech) and he is 100% healthy

His stomach makes noises of digestion very often as well. I am hoping someone may be able to help me with these issues (put weight on him and eliminate the fecies eating). He will crouch down, whine and pee if someone he does not know even bends down to touch him, like he hasn't seen that person in YEARS.I hope someone can help...

Thank you very much.

If and only if (I do not anymore) let him out back with out a leash, he will search for everyspot he went and will eat every droppong of his Own. He does NOT touch my other dogs droppings. I have started puting him on a leash and if he goes near a dropping area, I do a slight tug on the leash and firmly say NO. I am about to try hot sauce. any ideas will help.

Thanks Everyone.

I have taken him to a vet Twice. he is 100% healthy. I have tried the stuff you put in his diet to make his droppings taste bad and he absolutely LOVES IT like a garnish!

Thanks for all of the tips everyone!!!!!!!! This is healping a lot! He is On The High Calorie Eukanuba small breed. Maybe I will try a different food.

Answer 1

Every dog I have had eats its own waste at one point or another, it is because they can smell the food in their waste, and then eat it, the same reason why when dogs throw up they usually eat it, its gross yes, but normal

Answer 2

Your dog's habit of consuming his own feces is certianly undesirable, but is actually not all that rare.

This phenomen, called coprophagia, happens far more frequently in dogs that have been starved, which sounds like your dog's situation. There are feed additives made specifically for this condition that render the taste of the feces objectionable to some dogs. You might also try adding meat tenderizer to your dog's food--some people have had success with this. Your idea of putting hotsauce on the feces is a good one.

Usually if you can handwalk the dog for several weeks or a month, the habit may be broken. Of course, you might have to try several or all of these measures to change the behavior of the worst offenders.

As for the soft stool and failure to gain weight, I'd encourage you to keep working with your vet or another one, if necessary, to find out the cause. A fecal exam will identify any parasites or blood that might be in the feces. Chronic diarrhea can indicate a food allergy or inflammatory bowel disease. In both of these cases, feeding a dogfood that is specifically formulated with a novel protein like rabbit, duck, or venison is indicated.

Best of luck with your dog!

Answer 3

The poor little guy was obviously very neglected and mistreated (maybe not abused but certainly not taken care of properly.) I'd ask the vet if there is a better food for the dog to get his digestive system working better. It sounds like he may need a little more attention than other dogs. I'm guessing in time he will calm down. I had a cat form the Humane Society that was very nervous and uncomfortable around people. When she learned that she was cared for and no one was going to hurt her she calmed down. Dachshund can't be too different.

Answer 4

There are pills you can give your dog that make his poop taste bitter to him. The ones I found on the Petsmart website are called Deter. It doesn't work for some dogs though. Didn't work for our lab puppy, he loved the taste, You can try plain canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling). Maybe 1/8 cup a day. It does the same thing. Tastes great going in, makes their poop taste bad to them. It is also good for their digestive system and coat. That is what eventually worked for the lab puppy, we gave him one cup a day (but he weight something like 28 pounds when we gave him this).

It might be that high calorie food that is making his feces so soft. Try something with more protein, or one specifically made for small dogs. Nutro Natural Choice is a pretty high-quality widely available dog food. Most Pet stores have it.

Answer 5

Some dogs just like it ...as sick as it is. It becomes a BAD habit if not taken care of. Start feeding him Black...NOT red licorice...it will take while for that taste to get into his taste palate and you will see that he will stop eating the poop. It has to be black and you have to be patient. It does take a little time...but well worth it. P.S. It does change the color of his poop...so don't be alarmed. He should be dewormed regularly as well. Because he is underweight I would take a stool sample to the Vet and have it examined. He may have internal parasites from the nasty habit which a Vet. can prescribe some pills that will take care of it.....otherwise the parasites can be deadly...so do that before the licorice.

Answer 6

I had a poop eater years ago, didn't eat her own but ate the other dogs poop. She was on a special diet and I guess she wanted their food, even if it was 'used'. My vet had me put MSG on the other dogs food and it worked like a charm. If he's only eating his poop, you could try MSG on only his food. Use very little and only til you retrain him.
I liked the suggestion someone else made about giving him a treat right away til he starts looking to that and forgets about the poo - that sounds like something to definately try. It will take several weeks to change the habit.
As you know, it will take time for your new baby to adjust to your household. As he gets more comfortable and confident and settled on new food and routines much of this stuff will probably settle down. Just be ultra patient and kind with him. Congrats on your new baby!

Answer 7

Dashunds are very well known for liking to eat their own poop and anything else they can....

you can buy a product to feed the dog which makes their poops taste yucky or retrain him by going out with him everytime and having lots of soft treats in your pocket - everytime he poops offer him an INSTANT reward soft treat - eventually he will look to you for the treat and forget about the poop - if you have him on a leash that will help

ok about the weight - you didnt say what kind of food he is on? please NOT Science Diet or any from grocery store or Wal Mart - all are crap...

** ADDITIONAL INFO - Eukanuba isnt as good as you might think it is.. owned by Proctor & Gamble they dumbed it and Iams down years ago... look for a better food that contains NO by-products

Answer 8

A dog will eat it's own feces when there is something missing in it's diet, It's trying to get it from the feces. The reason that most dogs are timid and pee when some one bends down to pet them is due to abuse, are you sure the other family didn't abuse it?

Answer 9

I've been told that animals eat fecies because the animal is OVERfed....this means that there is undigested food in the feces, and the animal just thinks of it as regular food. I would maybe try changing its eating habits, like the same amount of food but divided and spread out throughout the day.

Answer 10

With all the people telling that other person to rub their puppie's nose in its own doo to potty train it, its a wonder all dogs dont eat their own poop.

Take him to the vet. And make sure he eats some good dog food like purina One or hes not hungry.