It is every dog owner’s nightmare, but their canine friends eating feces of other dogs is in fact very common. Actually, as per a newly published research from the UC Davis, 16 % of dogs “recurrently” devour other feces of other dogs. This condition is called coprophagia.
The vets at UC Davis ran multiple surveys and found that 16% of the owners noticed their dogs consuming other feces of other dogs on more than six occasions.
It did not matter what was the age of the dogs, what did they eat, whether they were house trained or not, and what neurotic behavior did they display, the vets discovered.
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop: What is Coprophagia?
It is the consumption of poop by a dog on purpose. It is intentional and regular.
Other anomalous eating problems in dogs include pica (eating random things), psychogenic water intake (drinking more than needed water), anorexia (severe malnourishment, and fatal loss in mass), and gorging (severe, unnatural overeating).
The focus here is on coprophagia, why do dogs eat poop and how to stop them.
Listed below are some of the reason that might drive the dogs to eat poop. Later in this article, you will also find ways to prevent your dog from indulging in such behavior.
Reasons Why Dogs Eat Poop:
- if your dog is hungry and there isn’t any food around he might Resort to eating poop.
- The dog is there are kept in kennels, crates, or restricted, they like to clean their space and as a result they would likely eat poop.
- If your dog is suffering from worms or parasites, the lack of nutrition can drive your dog to eat. Your dog might be eating poop to get the missing ingredients, minerals are vitamins not present in its own diet.
- Sometimes the dog would eat Poop just because it is bored or feel alone, this happens in the dogs there are neglected by the owners.
- If a dog is nervous, anxious or upset, the stress will drive the dog to do something like eating poop.
- Sometimes the dog would eat poop just to get rid of the evidence. This happens in the dogs who are punished for pooping in the house.
- Young puppies and dogs try to eat poop as an experiment for taste.
- Sometime you dog will eat poop because it has seen other dogs indulging in the similar behavior.
- Some dogs can develop a liking for the way poop tastes.
- If the dog food is high in fats, it will drive your dog to consume its poop. This happens because there are ingredients in the food excreted that have not been absorbed and seem like food to the dog.
- For some dogs eating poop is their way of seeking owner’s attention.
- Sometimes the weaker dogs try to eat poop of dominant dogs, this happens if your dog has a more submissive nature.
- If a dog wants to eat more than once a day and it is fed less than that, it will try to eat poop.
- As dogs explore the world through their sense of smell and taste, sometimes eating poop is just another day at exploration.
How to Stop Dog from Eating Poop:
There are few ways to make sure that your dog does not indulge in feces eating and here are a some of them.
- Feeding your dog balanced, high quality food will stop your dog from experimenting with feces eating to find the missing nutrition in his diet.
- Clean your dog’s poop as soon as he is done.
- Poop eating tendencies can reflect deficiency of hydrochloric acid in the diet period. Introduce Apple Cider Vinegar to the dog’s diet along with zucchini and tenderizers for meat.
- Sometimes it helps to add supplements like Prozyme to assist in digestion, to help in breaking down of enzymes. Dogs suffering from poor digestion problems are unable to assimilate their food properly and will try to find supplements from sources other than their diet, like poop.
- Supplement to help your dog in digestion will increase the nutrition gained from their own diet, hence stopping them from eating poop.
- As mentioned earlier, feces eating in dogs can be indicative of mineral deficiencies in the diet, so feeding your dog supplements for minerals can greatly help like kelp, bentonite, etc.
- An online blog also suggested to feed poop eating dogs pineapples, as this will increase the acidity in the feces and thus messing up the flavor that the dog is used to.
- while we are at the subject of feeding them vegetables, feeding the dog pumpkin, whether it is unspiced or canned, it will be a healthy addition to the regular diet. It will not only help with diarrhea but also constipation and even assist in the health of urinary tract.
Related: How to Potty Train a Puppy or Dog
One thing to remember here is that although all these vitamins, enzymes and minerals are great for the well-being of your pet, there excess use can be very dangerous. Make sure you consult with your vet before changing the diet of your dog.