Tuesday, September 19, 2006

I think my dog is eating his own poo...uummm

I noticed my dog Pork sniffing at his potty bin and I thought that it was because he was sniffing at his brother's poo but then when I looked at him again shortly thereafter, the poo disappeared. We were cleaning the potty bin and noticed some "missing" poo. Now we have to be extra alert for any more poo eating to stop it. It's not unusual or uncommon for dogs to eat their own or another dog's feces but just so yuck! Does anyone have any tips to stop this behavior? Much appreciated!

7 comments:

.:*PugLove*:. said...

My pug does this. Not that it's pug related thing, I'm sure lots of breeds do it. I've asked the vet about it, and the most common reason dogs eat theirs or other's doo is b/c they are lacking certain nutrients in their diet. A few things to try could be; maybe change their diet by adding some vitamins. You could also just make sure they have other toys to make sure they aren't bored and also treat it as a bad behaviour and proceed as you would with bad behaviours. I personally have not been able to make her stop completely...so those were just suggestions :)

lalagirl said...

Thanks for the tip Nicole & Sadie. I plan on changing their food and see how it goes. They have lots of toys and each other to play with. Plus, they are with me everyday, every minute. I take them to work. Well, at least only one of them eats poo!

Winston said...

There is actually a pill you can give dogs that is supposed to stop them from eating poo!! So at least you are not alone! Of course the pug I know that got this pill kept right on eating his poo, but it could be worth a try if it's not too expensive.

Anonymous said...

Too funny! Yep, the dogs do gross things. Thanks for the idea to change the food/menu!

Alyson

Anonymous said...

Agreed - It's not a "PUG" thing, but they are documented a "poo eaters" That mean you got to eat a lot of poo to get a title like that!!!
Pineapple is a suggestion - it bitters the poo once exited, also there are many products on the web (food additives) that are designed to resolve this. But Poo Eaters may have more than nutritional issues. There are many psychological matters that could be involved.

I'm sure you have heard it all before, but a trip to the vet may offer you some nutritional info.

Good Luck

Weekly Wag said...

I have the same problem with my bulldog and he's super sneaky about it, like bringing it into his bed for a snack when I'm not home. I've asked my vet and he gave a number of reasons including diet and hiding the evidence so he doesn't get in trouble (smart dog, eh?). I've changed his food and it has happened dramatically less frequent. That seemed to work well for us. Good luck!

Petluxury said...

There are several reasons that dogs will consume their own feces. The most common cause is that the feces still contains minerals and other beneficial nutrients. This usually happens with younger dogs, however it can happen with any age dog. Dogs that do this because of nutritional deficiencies usually have a disorder known as Coprophagia.
f the behavior continues and you are at the end of your rope after changing the dog’s diet and becoming a human pooper scooper, its time for bowwow to go see the vet.