How Can I Get My Dog To Stop Eating Poop?
Question:
I have two dogs. A 1 1/2 yr. old chocolate lab, Kona, and a 10 month old rottweiler/great dane mix (we think, got him from the pound when he was 7 weeks old), Titan. Kona is a very small lab, she is only like 50 lbs. We are pretty sure she has ciliac, so we have begun feeding her a perscription diet. Our problem is this though, we did not know that the food we were feeding her was bad for her, well then she was allergic to it. She starting eating Titan’s poop as a result of never feeling like she was getting enough food. And then her own. And we cannot get her to stop. I don’t think it is so much because she is hungry any more, but because it is so much of a habit. She is stubborn is all get out, and extremely quick.
We have tried Detour, Forbid, Corphorogia, Bitter Yuck, and a shock collar. The vet has run all sorts of blood tests to see if there is something is wrong, but we found nothing. We have given her a heavy duty dewormer, and given her Fortiflora (I think) The shock collar works when she is wearing it, and we are home to always keep an eye on her in the backyard to shock her when she goes to eat it. But she is very smart and knows that when she is not wearing it, she can eat the poop. She does not listen to a firm NO. If you walk towards her and the poop, she runs off with the poop in her mouth, to stop and eat it somewhere else, and as I said she is quick. I don’t want to chase her, because I don’t want her to think that it is a game. It is hard to go clean up the poop in the backyard, because in the poop upsets her stomach so she the trots, so it smears on the grass. She is a dog, so she doesn’t realize that the poop is making her sick.
Do you have any other ideas for a way to get her to stop eating poop. It is a disgusting habit, and I am tired of her vomiting in the house from it as well. Please help us.
Shantel
ANSWER:
Hi Shantel,
What a nightmare! I understand how frustrating it is, especially when you have done so much to try to stop the problem! You have done a lot and I commend you on your thoroughness.
I do have a few suggestions that will hopefully help.
First, I would put Titan on the same food as Kona so that she is at least ingesting food that she is not allergic to and hopefully this will tighten up her stools and stop the vomiting.
Next, add a high fiber kibble to her hypoallergenic diet. The one I used for years with my allergic dog was Medical Fibre Formula but I am not sure if it is available in the US. Ask your vet for a similar diet that can be found in the US. This food is mostly used for diabetic animals as it helps to regulate their blood sugar levels. However, it works great to bulk up other types of kibble to keep dogs satisfied between meals. The other great side effect, at least in this situation, is that the peanut shells used to bulk the kibble seems to make the stool less desirable for snacking. It is a complete and balanced diet so mixing the two foods 50/50 is fine but you will find you need to feed them a little more as the fiber food is very low in calories.
Sometimes dogs eat their waste in an attempt to absorb or add digestive enzymes to their diet. Ick, I know. Digestive enzymes are found in many foods and can also be given as a supplement. Ask your vet to recommend a canine digestive enzyme supplement or, if they do not have any background in natural medicine, ask for a recommendation to a holistic veterinarian. You can also find canine digestive enzyme supplements on the internet but always double check the quality of the product with your vet. This should stop or at least slow down the poop eating.
Now, my last suggestion is adding soil-based probiotics (SBOs) to her diet. For more information on soil-based probiotics, visit Vitality Science and read some of their articles on natural digestive health. These guys are a little over the top when it comes to slamming western veterinary medicine so take their info with a grain of salt and always double check everything with your vet but I stand behind the quality their products as well as the science behind them.
Hopefully this will all help. The digestive enzymes and the SBOs should clear up any physical need to recycle stool and continue to retrain the habit out of her. More work, I know, but there is light at the end of the tunnel now!
Let us know how it goes!
Ann
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Eating stool is called Picca. This is usually due to the dog not getting the proper vitimins I would start as suggested in the original answer to add suplements to the diet. The most common food alergies are to glutton such as wheat, corn and rice. Other common alergies for dogs are beef.
I would feed turkey, chicken and game meat. If using a commercial dog food please check in pet stores for a human grade dog food that uses game meat.
Nancy
Ann,one more thing to add: sometimes it is a matter of a dog being a dog. My five go through stages when sometimes the do it and sometimes not. It can be the same dog who pooped eating it,or another dog eating it. It’s gross to us,but sometime in each dog’s life,they do this. Canine science!
Oops;almost forgot. There is a medical name for eating stools;starts with a C. It is not quite the same as Picca,which is what people have when they eat erasers off pencils,bite nails,etc. It is turning a non-nutrition bearing item into an eating item. There actually is some nutrition in stool.