Posts tagged Stool

Why do dogs eat poop?

By Dave Goff

I have never worked in an office where everybody spent so much time talking about poop, and coming from a music industry background, that’s really saying something! One of the most common issues for canines is stool-eating, technically known as Coprophagia. There are several reasons why a dog may eat feces, and no one answer is necessarily correct. Basically it breaks down into two main categories; behavior and/or nutrition. Products like Stool Eating Deterrent can be very helpful in breaking this habit but should be considered just a part of an over-all strategy.

Starting with puppies, it isn’t uncommon for very young dogs to want to investigate and play with strong smelling objects in their environment and feces, both theirs and others, definitely fit the bill. This behavior should be curbed and opportunity should be reduced as much as possible. It is especially important to be vigilant in cleaning up after your pets when you have a puppy around. Often this behavior will fade away as the dog gets older but for some dogs it becomes a habit and then it can be extremely difficult to stop.

Some other behavioral possibilities include something as simple as maintaining their space. Dogs want to have clean space to play and live in as much as you do and their most obvious way to rid the environment of waste is by eating it. Some dogs can be pickier about this than others, so once again, constant vigilance is needed when you have a dog who eats stool. As always, the best defense is to remove the opportunity.

Stress can also be a factor. As above, when dogs are stressed about their environment or territory they may react in inappropriate ways. If your dog has just begun eating stool, take a moment to think if there have been any recent changes in your dog’s life. Has a new dog been added to the household? A new family member? Has their space been reduced or changed in a significant way? Perhaps it is time to incorporate some herbal calming or flower essences into your dog’s regimen.

If it isn’t behavioral, it can certainly be nutritionally based. Stool eating can be a sign of inadequate nutrition or nutrient absorption. If your dog is seeking out alternate sources of nutrition, then there might be some nutrient missing from your dog’s diet. Take a moment to read this article (What you should know about your pet’s food) and look at your dog’s food. Is it full of fillers and grains? Sometimes a food change is the best way to fix a stool-eating problem.

If your dog is getting a good food, perhaps it is time to add some digestive assistance. The old saying is “you are what you eat” but what it really should be is “you are what you manage to digest.” If it isn’t digested and absorbed, it is just leaving the body as nutrient-dense feces. To your dog this means it is still a viable food source even the second time around. Along those same lines, if your dog is eating the feces of other pets in the household, then their digestion should also be considered.

If the cat’s stool still smells like food to the dog, it only makes sense your dog will want to eat it. The better the digestion, the less the stool will smell like food because more of the real food will stay in the body.

Some dogs may eat stool because of a condition or a medication that increases appetite, like conditions of diabetes or thyroid disease, or medications like prednisone. If your dog is constantly hungry, available stool will definitely seem like a food source.

As a quick and simple summary, to complete a strategy that starts with Stool Eating Deterrent; remove the opportunity, lower the stress, feed good food and add digestive support. If you consider all of the issues in your strategy, your possibility of success increases dramatically!

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