Is your dog eating poop? – 9 causes and how to stop this disgusting behavior
Eating your own poop or that of another dog is not only a disgusting bad habit that many dogs have, but it can also be an indication of health problems.
Abnormal indigestive behavior, such as eating poop, rocks, iron, glass, ice, screws, gravel, dirt, or simply eating abnormal amounts of food, may be related to PICA (Pie-Kuh), constant ingestion of non-food material, or coprophagy ( cop). -ra-FAY-jee-a)–ingestion of feces.
According to The Merck Veterinary Manual, PICA and coprophagia can be signs of behavior problems, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, some animal studies by holistic veterinarians suggest that lack of nutrition may also be to blame.
Although your dog may be eating a well-balanced diet of wet and dry food, your dog’s digestive system’s ability to properly absorb the nutrients in the fool may be less than adequate. Dogs are instinctively driven to scavenge or find food to supplement their needs and will often turn to things like feces, vomit and decaying meat to find these valuable nutrients.
Some foods that are difficult for a dog to fully digest, such as carrots and grain-based foods, can become a trigger for the dog to ingest feces. A low carbohydrate, high protein diet can help improve your dog’s ability to digest food and produce less palatable stools.
Many holistic vets suggest supplementing your dog’s diet with enzymes like those found in Prozyme. Others suggest using herbs such as ginger or cinnamon in small amounts (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) sprinkled on food to make stool less palatable. Adding pineapple, spinach, garlic, and pumpkin, in small amounts, to your dog’s food can also help make the stool less desirable to eat.
If you have a dog that is eating your own feces or that of other animals, you should first have them examined by a qualified veterinarian. Coprophagy may simply be due to a lack of nutrients; however, there are many other possible causes, including exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (the inability of the pancreas to produce a sufficient amount of digestive enzymes), pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas), and intestinal infections.
While feces can provide the nutrients the dog seeks, it can also contain parasites such as roundworms or whipworms and can lead to other, more serious medical conditions.
There are three types of coprophagy:
Autocoprophagy: When a dog participates in eating its own feces.
Intraspecific coprophagy: when a dog eats the feces of another animal of its own species.
Interspecific coprophagy: when a dog participates in the ingestion of feces from another species of animal, such as feces from cats or droppings from deer and rabbits.
Other reasons a dog eats feces include a need for attention (even if it’s because of being disciplined by its owner), mimicking other animals that eat feces, following the maternal instinct to clean up, or simply not being fed enough to satisfy its desire. appetite.
Whatever the reason, it may be more than just a nasty habit and should be investigated to ensure your dog’s health.
