why does my 8 month old blue heeler eat cat feces out of the litterbox?

Question

she has recently joined our family of 5 cats a male siberian husky 15 deer and numerous squirrels birds and other critters.

Answer 1

I know, nasty, right? For some reason, dogs like poop. :) Our beagle kept getting my sons diapers out of the trash. I know that dogs are smart creatures and all, but I really don't think that a used diaper or cat litter is going to taste better than dog food

Answer 2

Cats are true carnivores and require a diet that is very high in protein. As a result, their feces are high in protein, and are considered a tasty treat by most dogs.

You can teach your dog 'leave it', but he'll always try to sneak into the box when you aren't looking. The best way to keep him out of the boxes is to make them inaccessible to him. There are several ways you can accomplish that:
1) Use a good rubber doorstop to close the door to the room the boxes are in enough so that the cats can get in, but he can't.
2) Buy or make a top-entry litterbox (Clevercat makes them, you can find them at most pet stores)
3) Buy or make a litterbox bench to enclose the litterbox: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14885&N=2002+113307
4) Use a baby gate to block off the door to the room where you keep the boxes, placed just high enough so the cats can get under it but the dog can't
5) Put the litterboxes in a closet or cupboard, and cut an entry hole big enough for the cats but not for the dog
6) Use a covered litterbox, and turn the entry toward a corner so it's hard for the dog to get to (but a strong, determined dog may be able to push the box around or push off the cover)

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

God bless you for your compassion!! It just makes me want to cry when I read stuff like this because it's hard to believe people can be so heartless. Of course, my own stupid brother was talking about getting a dog and said he wanted a German Shepherd. I was at our local Farmer's Market 2 weeks ago and the Humane Society had a gorgeous and sweet-natured German Shepherd up for adoption so I grabbed my cell phone and called my brother to tell him the good news. The jerk told me in a VERY condescending voice that he's not going to "adopt" a dog but, instead, will get one from a breeder or a friend. It's like he's too good to adopt a dog, huh? Made me wonder if the hospital goofed and sent the wrong @sshole home with my Mom when my brother was born. I once worked with a lawyer that also had that "just shoot the dog and avoid the vet bill" mentality. You would think that a professional would know better, right? Oh, did I mention that when my brother got tired of taking care of his old Siberian Husky, I took it in? And that he never took that poor dog to the vet? I always took it for him. He doesn't like dog hair in his nice, new vehicles so my car is always the family pet-mobile. I guess I should be GLAD he didn't adopt that lovely German Shepherd. That dog deserved a better home... though I would have been helping care for him had my brother adopted him. Well, good thing that you were there for Jack! Again, God bless you!

Answer 4

Ew, I don't know but my dog loves cat turds too! Soooo gross! Some people say it may be a dificiency but most dogs do it if it's available. It must taste good - gag! When I catch him in the closet where the litterbox I say "that is NOT a box of chocolates!" and he looks so ashamed. The best thing to do is get one with a lid and turn the opening around facing the wall so only the cats can slide in.

Answer 5

Cat food contains a higher amount of protein than dog food does. Therefore, the cat poop is a nice little snack for them. Just because the dog is eating it doesn't meant it won't hurt him. Cat food contains taurine, which is an amino acid (building block for protein) that dogs can synthesize. This is why it is not included in the dog food. Too much protein can cause devistation to dogs who have kidney problems or are prone to kidney problems. Your best bet is to keep your dog away from the litter box, because as long as there is poop in there, he will eat it.

Answer 6

Cat poop has higher protein. Aparently, for some unknown reasn, they think it's a nice little treat. I bought a kitty box with a top on it and a little door for the cat to go through. It was a little more expensive, but I don't have kitty litter all around the entrance either.

Answer 7

Many dogs like "Kitty Krunches".
IT is a result of the diet that is feed to our companion animals having become so heavy in grain products.
Your cats digestive system will not have completely digested all the grain and the partially digested grains are an attraction to the dog.
If is not good for the dog as they are also getting the wast products that your cat's body has gotten rid of.

Answer 8

I'm not quite sure about that (my toy rat terrier eats poop sometimes too).

i recently rescued a blue heeler a little over a week ago and she ran our cat off next door (luckily my grandmothers house so shes been feeding him).

hopefully yours is getting along with your kitties!

Answer 9

Dogs like cat feces and its not a rare thing...what I have heard is, it tastes like chocolate. Now weather that is true or not, I could not tell you. But, dogs would prefer cat food too, so maybe it has something to do with that.
Call your vet or check this site: very interesting.
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1474&S=1&SourceID=47

Answer 10

Doggie Almond Rocca !

You need to curb this activity or you could end up with a intestinal blockage.

Let me rephrase that: you need to curb this activity or your dog could end up with an intestinal blockage!