Is it the first time you saw your dog eat their own poop? And are you disgusted to watch them do this? Well, you are not the only owner who witnessed their dog having their waste. The scientific term for poop-eating action is coprophagia. You might have felt gross and became concerned, but it is very normal in the canine community. According to the Kennel Club, roughly 25% of dogs eat their poop. Then, Vet Caroline Reay told Metro that looking at your dog while they enjoy their waste is pretty disturbing, and she can understand why dog owners get quite upset about it. You will be surprised to know that according to Biltonvets, dogs will only prefer eating properly formed stools and turn away from soft poo or diarrhoea.
We can guess questions like why dogs eat poop and whether it can be stopped or not must have crossed your mind. Therefore, you have clicked on the correct blog, as that will let you know the several reasons behind your furry fellow’s weird move and how you can stop your dog from repeating it too.
Why Dogs Eat Poop?
There are several reasons behind why dogs eat poop. And, yes it can be different from dog to dog, including yours as well. So, these are the following factors which force your dog to feast on their junk:
Lack Of Proper Nutrition
The most common reason is a lack of proper nutrition, which makes your dog or puppy eat their waste:
Puppies
Puppies, especially those, who quickly shifted from their mother’s milk to solids, are more prone to eat poop. They do this to gain some nutrition. Because the waste consists of undigested nutrients, the puppy eats in the hopes of absorbing the necessary ones. Therefore, your puppy also must be eating to consume the minerals.
Adult Dogs
Poop eating habits are less common in adult dogs. But, they can display the same, again, due to a lack of proper nutrition. Why? Because the furry fellow might not be getting the expected amount of important nutrients to grow. Or they face issues in properly absorbing the nutrients in the first attempt. Hence, re-consider how much food you are giving to your dog, that it is leaving them with no option, but to eat their poop.
Medical Conditions
Next in line are medical conditions. These can be in the following ways:
Parasites
Your dog’s intestines might be infected with hook, round, and whipworms. These are intestinal parasites that can upset the digestive tract and cause nutrient malabsorption. Resulting in asking for more food to eat more poop. Therefore, confirm whether parasites are not troubling your poor friend.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis can also compel your dog to eat its poop. How? When your dog’s pancreas experiences inflammation, they can disturb digestion and absorb nutrients. As a result, they find poop more attractive than their dog food. Hence, take your dog to the nearest vet and get its pancreas checked.
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency
Do you know what Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency? If not, then let us tell you that it is a condition that occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce the required count of enzymes responsible for digestion—resulting in coprophagia and poor nutrient absorption. So, there is a possibility that your dog might be suffering from this problem.
Underfed
Recall how much food you fill in your dog’s food bowl, considering its size. There is a chance that your dog feels underfed and starts eating its poop to get the required energy. Hence, look into the serving amount.
Other Diseases
If your dog is suffering from diabetes, thyroid issues, Cushing’s disease, and liver disease, then that can also lead to coprophagia. As far as Cushing’s disease is concerned, according to the Royal Veterinary College, it is one of the most common endocrine diseases. And affects 0.28% of UK dogs. Apart from these diseases, steroids can also make your dog feel super hungry. So if they don’t find anything nice to have or you don’t give them anything decent to eat, then poop will welcome them.
Behavioural Factors
A bunch of behavioural and psychological factors also make your dog eat its poop. These are as follows:
Stress
Just like humans, dogs can experience stress and anxiety. This can occur due to moves to new homes, separation anxiety, or your absence. To relieve that stress, dogs might resort to eating their stool, as it feels like a less threatening choice to them. Therefore, if you're relocating or traveling with your dog, this behavior might be the reason behind it.
Boredom
If your dog is full of energy, but you don’t get enough time to play with them, then they can get super bored. And, to end this boredom, they can entertain themselves by eating stool. This will happen if you, as an owner, do not give it the right activities and leave it at home for the entire day.
Attention-Grabbing
It might sound funny to you, but your dog can also eat poop to grab your attention, even if it is negative. Like children deliberately doing something naughty just to have your focus. In the same way, your pooch also wants you to interact with them.
Learned Behaviour
If you are giving your dog their favourite treats, especially after eating poop, they will consider this to be a good thing as their master is praising. As a result, they will continue doing this in the hopes that you will offer them treats or clap for them. Therefore, you are telling them to learn this behaviour to get incentives in exchange.
Puppy Phase
Your puppy and your dog are curious animals. Therefore, they can eat their stool out of curiosity to know what that brown thing is on the floor. But the good part is that they stop doing this when they reach adulthood. So, you need not worry.
Isolation
Out of so many reasons, another one can be isolation. Several studies have said that if dog owners have kept their furry fellow alone in kennels or basements, they will be more interested in eating their poop as compared to the dogs living around the people. Hence, see where you have placed your dog’s kennel. If it is somewhere distant from the whole house, then your dog is eating their poop due to isolation, so kindly bring it inside your home or keep them in the garden.
Limited To Small Spaces
Humans also get irritated when limited to living in small spaces and doing something or the other to pass their time. In the same way, dogs can develop a poop-eating problem. You will likely see this behaviour in dogs that are rescued from extremely crowded animal shelters, where these furry fellows are compelled to spend a huge chunk of their lives unless someone adopts them. Therefore, see where you have kept your dog if the space is limited, then that might be a strong reason why your dog is enjoying eating its stool.
Scavengers
Generally, dogs are natural scavengers, meaning they will automatically hunt for something that smells delicious. And that leads them to assume that even the taste will be perfect if something smells so good. Therefore, they look forward to eating their poop. So, you need to understand that it’s part of their nature, too.
Punishment
Your dog might have seen you punishing your child or some family member due to some accident in the house and is now scared that you would scold him for popping. Therefore, after pooping, they must remove the remains so they eat it quickly to remain a good dog in your eyes.
Wrong Association With Actual Food
If you feed your dog near his pooping spot, then your pup can create a wrong association with actual food. They can assume that there is a link between the aroma of food and stool as well. Due to this, they will fail to differentiate between actual food and the waste they have passed. Therefore, it is suggested to keep watering and feeding areas separate from their litter or the spot assigned for their poop. So your dog can no longer link that poop and food are the same.
Living With An Elderly Dog
Do you have multiple dogs, out of which one is young and healthy, while the other one is elderly and usually remains sick? Then, the younger one will eat the poop of the elder dog in the house, especially if that dog has a weak bladder. Scientists report that the younger one eats poop as a way to keep the pack safe from predators.
Maternal Habit
Poop eating emerges as a maternal habit too. How? The reason is as follows:
Mother Dogs
You cannot expect puppies to clean themselves. Therefore, mother dogs step ahead. They eat their child’s waste as a way to keep their den clean. Apart from that, the smell also attracts parasites and predators, so her cleaning protects the litter from getting infections. This action is inbuilt, and mother dogs usually stop this after the puppies switch to solid food.
How To Stop Your Dogs?
Don’t worry you can stop your dog from eating poop by making the most out of the following ways:
Consult Your Veterinarian
As soon as you see your dog eating their own poop. Then, immediately consult your vet, as they can help you in the following ways:
Different Kinds Of Tests
The vet can help you and your dog by doing different kinds of tests. They can suggest you do blood tests and go for stool analysis. That can assist in eliminating any already present medical conditions, leading to popp-eating behaviour.
Assess Your Dog’s Diet
Then, they can ask you questions regarding your dog’s diet. So you are required to tell them what kind of dog food you give them and how many times in a single day. Based on your answers, the vet can suggest you make some adjustments to their food intake. In this way, your dog will be able to absorb the necessary nutrients and will not rely on eating their poop.
Medications
Your vet might write some medications to put an end to your dog's poop-eating habit. These can be in the shape of vitamin supplements. It is quite possible that your dog has less vitamin B. Many studies have spoken in favour of Vitamin B, that if your dog does not have enough of this vitamin, then they eat poop. Apart from that, medicines can be given to treat their levels of anxiety and stress as well, so they give up eating their trash.
Managing Dog’s Diet
If you were not taking proper care of its food, forcing it to feed on poop. Then, you can start managing your dog’s diet in the following ways:
Premium-Quality Diet
What food were you purchasing and serving your dog? Because it showed that it was not enough for your dog. Therefore, go to the dog store and try your best to buy a can of premium-quality dog food made with essential nutrients. In this way, even the idea of eating their own poop will go out of their minds, and they will love eating the meal in front of them. So, do this and see how your dog avoids its stool.
Dietary Fibre
Get food rich in dietary fibre. The more the dietary fibre, the more it can assist in boosting your dog’s digestion. And poop will look less attractive to them. Hence, you can achieve your goal.
Enzyme Supplements
If your dog is dealing with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, then you must give them enzyme supplements. This will help them absorb nutrients, and they will say bye to their poop-eating habit. How? Modern dog food has a higher quantity of carbohydrates and a lower amount of fats and proteins. So, digestive enzyme supplements have been successful in a few cases. Get the ones that consist of papain, an enzyme helping digestion.
Change Their Environment
Change their environment, and that will positively affect your dog’s behaviour as well. This can be done in the following ways:
Go With Your Dog
Make it a habit and go with your dog when they hint you for a potty break. Kindly supervise them and see what they do after releasing the stool. If you will be with them, they will not eat their poop. Gradually, your dog will stop eating it.
Remove It Quickly
Once your dog is done pooping, then don’t wait. You should immediately pick up their stool so they never get the chance to smell and eat it again.
Reward Your Pup
Appreciate and reward your pup, especially when it poops in a specific area and does not even eat it. That will train your dog that not eating poop is a good thing, and they get rewarded for not following the practice.
Things That Stress Your Dog
Carefully see what triggers your dog’s stress and anxiety. For instance, they might feel upset because of extra exercise, loud noises, and interaction with other people. If you identify a few, then keep them away from those things. In this way, they won’t start eating their pop to feel secure.
Buy Lots Of Toys
Since boredom can also make your dog eat their poop, then it is highly suggested to buy lots of toys. With puzzles and interactive games, to keep them mentally active and busy throughout the day. So, they will not eat poop to satisfy themselves.
Training and Socialization
Another way to lessen their poop-eating habit is through training and socializing. You can plan some activities that can assist your dog in learning the right behaviours. In this way, they will not feel anxious looking at new faces or making their way toward eating their stool.
Make Taste Unpleasant
If you think your dog is giving you a tough time in giving up its poop-eating habit, then you can even do the following:
Taste Spoilers
You can bring some taste spoilers from the market. And add a little to their poop. So, even if they get tempted, the taste will discourage them from enjoying the whole thing.
Products With Enzymes
Products with enzymes can also serve a similar purpose. How? Some of them consist of enzymes, which break down the proteins in poop. Therefore, your dog will not like the taste and simply go away.
Don’t Punish
While training your dog, you should be prepared for accidents that might also happen. So, if you see your dog eating another dog’s poop as well, don’t punish them. Just divert their mind to another activity. Furthermore, closely look around and pot poops before your dog does. Then, offer your dog a treat. Keep them distracted so they don’t follow the smell of the poop and eat it again.
Conclusion
Now you know why dogs eat poop and in what ways you can stop your dog from having it again. Therefore, make the most of the above-suggested tactics. And your dog will stop eating poop.
