It\u2019s a reality for many dog owners \u2026 dogs eat poop. It\u2019s a habit that humans find disgusting and try to prevent. But to stop it, you have to know why your dog\u2019s doing it. <\/p>\n
There are many reasons, and even an official name, for the behavior of dogs eating poop: coprophagia<\/strong>. It\u2019s a normal behavior in the animal kingdom, though not one humans enjoy. Dogs typically eat poop for one of two broad reasons: either it\u2019s medical, or behavioral. <\/p>\n Researchers at UC Davis found that 16% of dogs qualified as coprophagic by eating other dogs\u2019 poop at least 6 times. 23% of dogs ate poop at least once (1). The researchers found no difference according to sex or neuter status, age, diet, ease of house training or compulsive behaviors. Coprophagic dogs were often greedy eaters, and were more common in multi\u2010dog households. The dogs ate dirt and cat stools as well. Terriers and hounds were the most most coprophagic breed groups. <\/p>\n There are many medical reasons why dogs may eat poop: underfeeding, medications, parasites, malabsorption diseases like exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), enzyme deficiency, diabetes or thyroid problems.<\/p>\n Missing Nutrients<\/strong> EPI or IBD<\/strong> IBD, or inflammatory bowel disease, is another condition that stops your dog from absorbing nutrients, and he\u2019ll likely experience chronic diarrhea and weight loss. Gut-healing supplements that contains herbs like slippery elm or marshmallow root can promote a healthier gut and help soothe his digestive tract. <\/p>\n Parasites<\/strong> Other Health Issues<\/strong> Sometimes eating poop is just fun for your dog. And, of course, poop is smelly \u2026 and to your dog that means it might be food! Smelling poop and eating it, can be entertainment for your dog. And that goes for cat poop too. To your dog, cat poop in the litter box seems like a tasty snack. <\/p>\n Outdoors, any kind of animal poop may be attractive to your dog \u2026 rabbit and goose poop seem especially delicious. <\/p>\n Apparently, dogs prefer to eat fresh poop. The UC Davis study referenced above found that 85% of dogs observed didn\u2019t eat stools that were more than 2 days old (1).<\/p>\n Clean-up<\/strong> The UC Davis study suggested that dogs eating poop may be an inherited behavior from wolves. Wolves might clean up poop near their dens to prevent parasite larvae from hatching and spreading onto the wolves\u2019 fur and getting licked off and swallowed (1). <\/p>\n Curiosity<\/strong> If your dog sees another dog eating poop, he might wonder if he\u2019s missing out, and mimic the behavior. After all, if someone else gets a poop treat, why can\u2019t he?<\/p>\n Attention<\/strong> Stress<\/strong> As gross as it may seem, there are minimal risks for dogs who eat their own poop or even other dogs\u2019 poop. It\u2019s a normal behavior, isn\u2019t indicative of any particular problem, and may provide him with extra nutrients.<\/p>\n Some dogs love eating wild animal poop they find when they\u2019re out. If your dog gets digestive upset from this, you may want to get a fecal sample tested for parasites. <\/p>\n If your dog is a poop eater, you may want to brush his teeth regularly (you should anyway!), and discourage him from licking people. Washing after he licks you should also can help lower the risk of your dog passing bacteria and parasites on to you and your family.<\/p>\n If you have multiple dogs, and any of them are on medication, your poop-eating dog could be at risk of drug toxicity from medicine in the stool. One study described a dog who developed thyrotoxicosis from eating poop from his housemate who was on thyroid meds (2). In this case, it\u2019s safest to pick up poop in your yard to keep it from being a tasty snack.<\/p>\n Have you ever tried to get a child to stop doing something by yelling or making a big deal out of the behavior? It just doesn\u2019t work. So don\u2019t make a big fuss when your dog eats poop. <\/p>\n It\u2019s not easy to change poop-eating behavior. The UC Davis researchers found that \u201cThe success in eliminating the coprophagia with the various behavioural procedures ranged from only 1 to 4%.\u201d (1)<\/p>\n The best way to get your dog to stop eating poop is to take away the opportunity. So pick up poop (dog and cat) as soon as it happens. Then, there won\u2019t be snacks for furry poop eaters in your yard or cat litterbox. <\/p>\n Keep your dog busy with plenty of exercise and mental activities. Maybe he\u2019ll be too tired to go scavenging for poop. And if he\u2019s eating poop for medical reasons, manage any health issues and make a few adjustments to his diet as suggested earlier.<\/p>\n And most importantly, feed your dog a varied whole food diet and avoid processed foods if you can. A raw, whole food diet is ideal, including organ meats, plus vegetables and fruits for extra nutrients. Pre- and probiotics as well as digestive enzymes can also help. <\/p>\n But, remember, even though it\u2019s gross to you, it\u2019s a normal behavior for your dog, it\u2019s one that\u2019s hard to stop \u2026 and it\u2019s unlikely to harm him. <\/p>\n 1. Hart BL, Hart LA, Thigpen AP, Tran A, Bain MJ. The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy. Vet Med Sci<\/em>. 2018;4(2):106-114.<\/p>\n 2. Shadwick SR, Ridgway MD, Kubier A. Thyrotoxicosis in a dog induced by the consumption of feces from a levothyroxine-supplemented housemate. Can Vet J<\/em>. 2013;54(10):987-989.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n ,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s a reality for many dog owners \u2026 dogs eat poop. It\u2019s a habit that humans find disgusting and try to prevent. But to stop it, you have to know<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-natural-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.duuvk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Medical Reasons Dogs Eat Poop<\/h2>\n
In the wild, dogs eat a more diverse diet than most domesticated dogs. So dogs may not get the range of nutrients they need \u2026 or they may lack the digestive enzymes they need to absorb nutrients. Feed your dog a varied raw diet, so he gets a wide range of nutrients. Adding digestive enzymes to your dog\u2019s diet may also help reduce his urge to supplement his diet with poop. <\/p>\n
A serious disease, exocrine pancreative insufficiency (EPI) means that a dog can\u2019t absorb and break down nutrients. Dogs suffering from EPI lose weight, are ravenously hungry, eat stool, and often suffer from diarrhea. Feeding a raw diet is the starting point to managing EPI. Raw food provides your dog with digestible nutrients that his body is built for. Feeding pancreatic enzymes or raw pancreas, as well as adding probiotics to your dog\u2019s diet, is another important factor in managing EPI. <\/p>\n
Parasites may also deplete nutrients in your dog. A fecal sample taken to the veterinarian can confirm worms or parasites. But if your dog tests positive, try some natural foods to help your dog expel parasites instead of using harsh deworming medicines.<\/p>\n
Dogs with diabetes or hypothyroidism can get extremely hungry. Dogs taking steroid drugs can also feel ravenous. So they may eat poop because of hunger or nutritional deficiencies. If your dog is losing weight, he might just need more real food. Again, feeding a fresh, whole food raw diet is the best start to resolve just about any health issue.<\/p>\nBehavioral Reasons Dogs Eat Poop<\/h2>\n
Eating poop to clean up is a natural instinct. Female dogs clean up after their puppies by eating their stool. Sometimes dogs may eat poop to clean up their crate or kennel \u2026 or to avoid punishment if they had an accident in the house. (Never scold or punish your dog for accidents in the house. It\u2019s a natural behavior, and he won\u2019t understand the reasons you\u2019re upset. It\u2019ll also create a relationship based on fear.)<\/p>\n
Puppies may just be exploring their surroundings and tasting poop out of curiosity. Puppies often outgrow poop-eating behavior. <\/p>\n
Some dogs eat poop to get your attention. So try not to over-react or make a big fuss if you see him eating poop. <\/p>\n
If your dog is stressed, he might eat poop. It\u2019s not unusual for stressed puppy mill dogs to eat poop because they don\u2019t have the nutrients they need \u2026 or because they are forced to poop in their kennel. <\/p>\nRisks Of Dogs Eating Poop<\/h2>\n
Can You Stop Your Dog From Eating Poop?<\/h2>\n
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