If you are reading this blog it is probably because your dog eats his own poop, that of other dogs or even that of other animals. A rather unpleasant behavior for most, even those who have dogs at home.
This behavior is called Coprophagia and is classified into three categories:
1. Autocoprophagy, when the dog eats its own poop
2. Interspecific coprophagy, when they eat the poop of animals of another species
3. Intraspecific coprophagy, when they eat other dogs' poop
This behavior can be a symptom of health problems, especially in the digestive tract and in the nutrient assimilation process, and is generally accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting or lack of appetite.
We recommend that if you identify this behavior, you consider consulting your trusted veterinarian to rule out any problem that needs to be treated in a special way.
Why do dogs eat poop?
The behavior of eating poop, whether it is one's own, that of other dogs or other species, has the following possible causes:
For being a puppy
This case is the most common, puppies usually eat their own poop to explore. It may also be because they still perceive the smell of the feed in the poop, or it may be a more serious issue and is caused by a digestive problem or poor nutrition (which can be caused by giving little quantity or low quality of food). Here you can find a wide variety of high-quality puppy food .
By instinct
Dogs also learn from seeing other dogs and interacting with them, if your dog interacts with another animal that eats poop, the fact that it is imitating it may be a cause of it doing so too.
Another reason has to do with the instinct of females when taking care of their young. Being mammals that breed in burrows, they need to keep this space clean to avoid any type of odors that attract predators, as well as to keep the puppies free of parasites and they do this cleaning by eating the excrements of their puppies.
Due to digestive problems
In this case, the behavior is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as diarrhea or lack of appetite. In this case, dogs eat the poop because they cannot adequately digest all the nutrients and some of those nutrients are perceived through smell in the poop.
Nutrition problems
When dogs have some type of nutritional deficiency in their diet they tend to acquire this behavior in their attempt to complement the food from other sources.
In this case, it is very common for the coprophagy that occurs to be inter or intraspecific since in your own waste you will not find the nutrients that your system is missing.
Anxiety and/or boredom
Dogs that spend many hours alone or are exposed to stress factors for long periods of time tend to develop coprophagy to get our attention. Even if that means a reprimand on our part.
What happens if my dog eats other animals' poop?
As we have said before, inter- and intraspecific coprophagy occurs largely due to a nutritional deficiency or digestive problems. Since they cannot satisfy their nutritional needs through the food we provide, they look for nutrients in the poop of other dogs or other animals, such as a domestic cat or another wild animal.
The biggest risk of your dog eating other animals' poop is the spread of parasites and diseases that are transmitted through feces, such as canine hepatitis. You can also find fly larvae that cause health complications when ingested.
What to do when your dog eats its feces?
To talk about possible solutions we can divide the problem into four main factors: the dog's behavior, the environment where this behavior occurs, the health of the animal and the nutrition it has.
When we talk about dog behavior we are referring to the implication that our habits have in their behavior, the behaviors that we reinforce more than others, etc. It is very important to give them the necessary attention, spending the time they demand with them, as well as giving them their space.
Furthermore, education is a resource that helps a lot to control this behavior and it must always be educated through positive reinforcement. Scolding your dog when he eats feces, far from correcting the behavior, can reinforce it as well as generate a relationship of fear towards you.
Increasing how often you clean up after him is one way to modify his environment and one of the most effective ways to prevent him from eating poop. Some experts recommend using substances unpleasant for dogs on feces. This is a possible one-time and impractical solution since its success depends on being present to be able to use the substance on all the poop in the garden, patio or inside the house; It is also a difficult solution to apply when we are away from home.
With adult dogs and puppies, it is advisable to visit the veterinarian if coprophagy is identified. As we have mentioned before, this behavior can be a symptom of a much larger health problem such as pancreatitis, when this is the case, by administering medications and nutritional supplements the behavior stops.
Another important factor to take into account when looking for a solution to coprophagy is a change in the food you are giving your dog. It is recommended that you go to specialized sites to buy your pet's food, the options with better nutritional contributions and with better quality levels are not found in supermarkets or generic stores. That is why it is advisable to go to a store specialized in pet food so that they can advise you on the best option according to the needs and conditions of your furry friend.
We invite you to visit our catalog of dog food and wet food . Do not hesitate to contact us to clarify any questions about your pet's diet.
Finally, we recommend that you deworm your dog internally periodically to prevent the appearance of any parasites due to this behavior.
That's all for today, see you in the next post =D
