Our Golden Retriever likes cats poo?

Question

First of all,thank you for answering our question about our Golden Retrievers Freckles,phew relieve, on a lighter topic,he also ,behind our back,eats our kittens droppings,is this a problem,or can it be harmful fr him.Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi there again...corpophagia (poop eating) isn't normal at all. However there are many dogs who eat their own poop as well as cats feces and there are various possibilties which the medical community speculates as a cause such as dietary deficiencies, boredom, etc. Eating poop can cause bowel distresses over the long term therefore it's important to learn how to prevent this. Some ideas are to use a covered cat litter box and face the opening of the box against a wall so that the dog cannot wedge betwen the entrance of the box and continue to eat the poop (aka kitty almond roca).

More on corpophagia:
http://www.mts.net/~mckay55/coprophagia.htm
http://www.perfectpaws.com/copro.html

Answer 2

A lot of dogs do this and it's not really good for them. You should try and keep the litterbox away from where the dog can get at it. Try one of those boxes with the lid on it and turn it so that it is facing a wall and only the cat can get in or install a cat door in the room where the littler box is.

Answer 3

That's normal for retriever breeds in my experience. I had a labrador that would eat from the litter tray too. He also loved ice cubes, raw potatoes, rats (alive or dead), grass, lard and a lot of other more disgusting things. None of these make him ill. He once ate a whole xmas cake filled with brandy. You gotta love Labbys!

Answer 4

ALL dogs will eat cat poo if they get the chance.
The best "cure" for this is to get a covered or enclosed litter box that only kitty can get into and the dog cannot. Good luck to you and the "Tootsie-Roll Gobbler" there.

Answer 5

It has been suggested that this could indicate a mineral deficiency, but I'm not sure. It could be a problem, yes, as feces contains bacteria that could rapidly multiply (heard of parasites?).

When you catch him doing it, immediately talk to him face to face and say, "No. Do not eat poop." Make sure he looks you in the eye while you're saying it. Always look him in the eye. If he feels respected as a being he'll always listen.

Answer 6

I think that all dogs eat that my dog ate it all the time and he was fine. The only thing I can tell you is try and keep up with your litter box I know it is hard and i know sometimes the dog is up the cats *** I think it annoys us more than it is harmful to the animal

Answer 7

ALLLLL dogs like cat poo it is gross and a bad habit you will just need to keep your dog away from it and worm him regularly. It wont hurt him,Don't let hin lick you lol
corpophagia i believe only refers to a dog eating its own poo. There is nothing wrong with a dog that eats cat poo. It is sooo common trust me.

Answer 8

my whippet did the same when he was little. Then we discovered he liked cat food. He DID out grow this but you should discipline him on not doing it anymore. Eating any kind of fesses can be bad if eaten frequently. The animal places itself at risk of getting parasites mainly worms.

hope I helped!

Answer 9

cats and dogs will eat anything, thats nothing, my dad saw a dead cat on the road once and a KITTEN was eating it, sorry for the gross out but it's true that they will eat just about anything.

ps, he kindly removed the cat out of peoples sight and had the rspca deal with it.

Answer 10

Our old Whippet eat the stuff all the time (on top of a regular diet!) and it did him no harm.

Or maybe he's trying to tell you that the food you give him tastes like sh*t!