Why Does She Still Eat Poo ?

[mag_lim]

2 of my schnauzers are from the same litter of pups when i bought them back. One has a particular annoying habit of eating up for poo partially even though food portions (kibbles) were of adequate quantity for their consumption. Some has advised putting raw garlic bits in the food tray & it stopped her for a while. However, references albeit none evidence based medically, mentioned that Garlic Is Harmful for dogs ! How true is this ? What are the possible reasons for this poo-eating habit ? Tried giving her supplements from pet shops but there seemed to be no effect at all. Any advice will be most appreciated.

[pjhep80]

The reasons for coprophagia in adult dogs are poorly understood.  Some of my behaviorists colleagues are of the opinion that in at least some dogs it can relate back to inappropriate housetraining procedures where puppies have been confined for too long and forced to spend time in a small space, such as a crate, with feces and urine


omg.. my dog is 12 years old and still does this whenever he can it is like a compulsive behavior with him, we have taught him leave it but he will sneak to do it and do it quicker if we say leave it... we got him at 6 months and this crate situation is exactly what happened with him the first 6 months of his life no wonder he is so messed up with aggression and compulsive behavior...

[Suzanne Hetts, PhD]

The reasons for coprophagia in adult dogs are poorly understood.  Some of my behaviorists colleagues are of the opinion that in at least some dogs it can relate back to inappropriate housetraining procedures where puppies have been confined for too long and forced to spend time in a small space, such as a crate, with feces and urine.  

Several of my dogs have demonstrated the behavior and all of have been "chow-hounds" - really interested in food, and prone to over-eating if allowed.   All of them led high quality lives with plenty of exercise, play and attention from me. I don't know the early background on 2 of the 3 as they were rescues, but the 3rd, a Dalmatian, was not subjected to any inappropriate confinement when young. So - bottom line - we don't always know the 'why' of this behavior.

Some diet additions seem to work well for some dogs, not at all for others.  A few behaviorist colleagues have mine have experimented with various ways to make feces eating result in nausea and vomiting, but the logistic challenges with the chemicals used for that have so far rendered this approach impractical.  

Certainly intense management, whereby you follow the dog around and pick up after her everytime she defecates will stop the problem, but depending on your lifestyle may not be possible.   If your dog is eating her own stool you can try training her to come inside immediately after defecating - if you don't know how to do this find a good trainer to help you.   If she is eating the other dog's stool this is more problematic.  I've had a few clients work with qualified behaviorists or trainers to use either a remote controlled citronella collar and in a few extreme cases (where the dog would consistently eat the feces then come in and vomit on the carpet) even a shock collar.  However, this option should NOT be taken lightly as you can create many behavior problems with the inappropriate use of shock.  You need to work with someone who is highly skilled in the use of these collars should you choose this option.

Or - just choose to live with it, as part of sharing live with a dog, which is what I've chosen to do!  The behavior doesn't affect my dog's health so I live with it!

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

There's nothing more disgusting to a dog owner than seeing their dog eat its own or another dog's stool.

Coprophagia is not an abnormal behavior for canines in certain situations. Mother dogs naturally consume their own pup's feces to keep the nest clean. Also, many puppies go through an oral stage in which they explore everything with their mouths, sometimes ingesting many things, including feces.

Over time the majority of pups eventually learn that food tastes better than feces and they stop the habit. Dogs that never learn to stop may best be described as "compulsive."

Some causes are:
# The opportunity to observe mom eating stool
# High protein, low residue, puppy food
# Irregular feeding schedule
# Feeding inadequate amounts of food
# Under-stimulating environment (lack of daily exercise and fun)
# Constant opportunity to ingest feces (unclean yard area)
# Inadequate attention/supervision (dogs need stimulating environment!!)
# Medical reasons (mal-absorption, pancreatic)

There are some dietary remedies that have been used, but most don't work very well. Here are a few:

# Adding Adolph's Meat Tenderizer or a commercial treatment called...Forbid® to the dog's food.  I've not found them to work very well.  

# Adding crushed breath mints to the diet.  (most dogs won't eat that in their food)

# Running out to treat each stool with Tabasco in the hopes of discouraging the dog from the habit. (some dogs LIKE Tabasco!!)

Better ways to treat:

# Picking up all available stools  whether theirs or not.  I.E. NO access to stool for ingestion - ever again.  That will solve it right there.  But may not be possible in every case.  

# Use a leash to take the dog out, eliminate, then back in.  Hence he never has access to the stool.  

# Change the dog's diet and schedule so that high fiber rations are fed frequently.  Dry food seems more effective than wet food in fixing this problem.

# Make the dogs daily routine fun, interesting and stimulating. Make sure your dog has plenty of exercise and spends plenty of quality time with you each day. This is probably the biggest "fix" one can do.  But certainly should be a part of all corrections.  

# Teach your dog the LEAVE IT command!  (i.e. obedience training)

I would begin a schedule and a routine that stops this all at once.  If, while training, the dog gets access to stool and ingests it, you will lose ground in the process.  Try to be strict about the process.  

This can usually be treated at home with management changes (exercise, diet, and supervised outdoor excursions) and environmental measures.  That said, there are some medical causes for coprophagia and you may want your veterinarian to rule some of the most common medical issues.  (digestive, pancreatic, and even compulsive disorder)