Dog eats excrement: what to do and why does this happen?

Almost every dog during a walk from time to time finds a “yummy” and enjoys it with pleasure. A pleasant surprise for your pet can be paper, tin cans, bones or rotten pieces of food. However, the owner is especially horrified by the sight when the four-legged “treat” found becomes excrement.

Coprophagia (eating feces) occurs in 85% of dogs. The only exception was dwarf poodles. This is such a common phenomenon that it should not be surprising, but it cannot be regarded as a variant of the norm. On the contrary, you need to wean your pet from this habit as soon as possible, since his health is at risk.

Reasons for dogs to eat poop

Dogs are similar to people in some ways; they experience different experiences and emotions. Scientists have found that a pet deprived of the owner’s attention is many times more likely to eat its own feces than a dog that constantly feels affection.

But the main reason that a dog eats feces is an incorrect diet. So, for example, if we consider wild dogs, they eat manure to improve digestion. It contains a large number of microorganisms that promote rapid digestion of food. This has been the case since ancient times, this habit was passed down from the ancient ancestors of dogs and remained in modern animals at the level of instinct. In today's cities it is almost impossible to find manure, so they start eating their own or cat feces.

Nutrition and disease

The main reasons why dogs start eating their own excrement are as follows:

Unbalanced diet. Owners feed their pets only porridge or only meat.
Too many bones in the diet.
The dog constantly overeats.
Frequent feeding of various treats (from the table), which negatively affect the animal’s digestion.
Lack of vitamins.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

In fact, there are many reasons why a dog eats feces, but these are the most basic ones, and every owner should know about them. Experts in animal psychology believe that a dog that picks up feces with a balanced diet and, being absolutely healthy, does this on purpose in order to provoke its owner to some kind of reaction and he shows emotions. The animal simply does not have enough attention.

For this reason, it is important to find closer contact with your pet, perhaps simply increase the walking time, and spend it with physical activity.

Imitation

When the puppies are born, the mother removes traces of their activity by eating their feces. So that the brood is not discovered by predators. Young individuals notice this and begin to imitate her. The owner must not miss this moment and stop this behavior, otherwise the puppies will get used to it, and in adulthood it will be much more difficult to wean them.

Coprophagia

Coprophagia most often affects dogs, but it is very rare in cats. The reasons for its occurrence are unknown, there are only assumptions. Some experts believe that coprophagia occurs in dogs and cats that are kept in close quarters and left alone for long periods of time.

More often it occurs in those animals that are taught something by starving them and then giving them treats. It happens that one dog eats feces, the second sees it and repeats it, even if she doesn’t like it at first. If an animal has to spend a lot of time alone and is bored, it may also try its own feces or the feces of other animals. It may start gnawing on other objects that it is not supposed to eat.

Coprophagia often begins as a game - a young animal walks in the territory available to it and tries everything. Then you start to like some of the things you tried, and everything turns into a bad habit. The same behavior occurs in animals that were taken from their mother too early, but were not handled, raised or loved.

What is the danger?

Helminths. Worms that even threaten humans. A dog infected with helminthiasis may die without treatment.
Parvovirus. This disease is deadly, severe and most often affects young dogs.
Leptospirosis. An infectious disease that affects puppies and young animals. It is deadly, the animal expects death after infection in just 10–12 hours.
Toxoplasmosis. This infectious disease can be transmitted to humans. It is very dangerous, and dogs at least 7–8 years old are susceptible to it. Such animals have weakened immunity, and even with the help of medicine they cannot cope with the disease.

To wean a dog from a bad habit, first of all you need to make behavioral adjustments, but before starting classes, it is important to find out the reasons for your pet’s behavior. Why does a dog eat poop? What exactly influenced this?

What should an owner do to stop a dog from eating excrement?

How to wean a dog from this bad and dangerous habit? This cannot be done without mandatory adjustments. To rid a pet of “coprophagia”, the owner must act as follows:

Find the cause and completely eliminate it.
Pay attention to your diet and revise it if necessary.
Spend more time with your dog (walks, playing outdoors).
Start raising and training your dog.
Take your four-legged friend to the vet (there may be health problems).
Carry out all appointments and procedures prescribed by a veterinarian in a timely manner.

It is important for the owner to understand that punishment, in this case, will not achieve anything, and to abandon this method.

The reason why this method will not help is simple: it is impossible to fight instinct. To rid your pet of a bad habit, there is a better way. If the dog decides to eat excrement during a walk, then you need to act this way:

Call your pet to you.
The dog came up to give him some treat.
Distract the animal with another activity that arouses its interest (playing a ball, throwing a stick).

The owner, when going for a walk with his pet, should not forget to take with him treats, as well as toys that the dog loves most. You can’t leave your dog unattended or let him mind his own business. During walks, you need to devote all your time to the dog.

Daily training and studying the main commands “Fu”, “Sit”, “Come to me” will help teach the animal to obey. At first, when going out for a walk, you need to put a muzzle on the dog, only in this case can the dog be released and allowed to run around on its own.

The pet must feel that its owner loves and cares for it. It is necessary to evoke positive emotions in the dog and reinforce them by giving a treat after a successfully completed command. This is much more effective than any type of punishment. Giving love to your pet, the response from him, in the form of obedience, will not take long to arrive.

These tips should not be neglected; they have been tested by time and experienced dog breeders. Here's what you need to do to stop your dog from eating feces:

If a bitch gives birth to puppies, it is imperative to ensure the cleanliness of the place where they live. Timely cleaning will help correct the mother's behavior, and she will not set an example for the puppies to eat their own feces.
If the animal eats only dry food, you need to add meat, a complex of vitamins and minerals, and jelly complementary foods to the diet, but only after consulting with your veterinarian.
The veterinarian should prescribe pancreatic enzymes for the dog, as well as probiotics, they perfectly help restore the intestinal microflora.
A pet should not be bored; this has a detrimental effect on it. Boredom is one of the factors why animals eat excrement; they simply have nothing to do. The dog should have many different toys with which he will frolic and forget that he has not yet eaten feces.
After consulting with a veterinarian, you can add substances to your dog’s food that will not harm him, but will greatly change the smell and taste of feces.

The most important factor is that during the training period the owner must be patient and show great love to the tailed friend, he will feel it. Under no circumstances should you raise your voice at a dog during the training period, poke it with its muzzle into a pile, or punish it in any way possible. This way the dog breeder will not find a common language with the pet. Dogs are smart animals and they have a good memory, next time without the owner noticing, he will simply eat a pile of excrement as quickly as possible so that it will not be noticed. In some cases, the blame for a dog eating feces falls entirely on the dog owner. You need to love, be attentive and patient, and then you will be able to wean your dog from such a bad and harmful habit.

Many pet dog owners have observed their pets eating their own feces. They wonder: why does the puppy eat its own excrement and what to do in this case?

Correction of coprophagia in dogs

Not only humans, but also domestic animals, in particular dogs, have bad habits. Dogs often drive their owners crazy by not only not obeying them when walking, but also engaging in, in the owners’ opinion, such a disgusting activity as coprophagia. The word "coprophagia" comes from the Greek copro, meaning "feces", and phagy, meaning "to eat". That is, coprophagia is the eating of one’s own or other people’s feces. There are many theories explaining the reasons for this phenomenon. For example, dogs lack certain nutrients in their diet. Coprophagia can be caused by diseases of the pancreas or intestines, malnutrition due to parasite infection, or starvation. One researcher suggests that dogs that have been punished by their owners for "doing something wrong" begin to think that being corrected is bad, and therefore try to hide the "traces of the crime" in any way possible. Coprophagia can be caused by diseases of the pancreas or intestines, malnutrition due to parasite infection, or starvation.

Another theory says that modern dogs inherited coprophagia from their ancestors. Dogs' relatives, wolves and coyotes, often eat feces if they are short on food. The feces of herbivores contain a lot of vitamin B. Researchers believe that wolves (and some dogs) can thus compensate for the lack of this vitamin in the body. In some cases, coprophagy is acquired from other animals. At some stages of life, coprophagia is acceptable and understandable. Mother dogs always eat the feces of their offspring. This is done in order not to reveal your presence to predators. It can also become a habit among puppies, who, while playing, get used to tasting everything.

A dog’s habit of eating animal and human feces is primarily dangerous for the dog itself and, of course, requires correction and treatment.

Of course, a dog eating animal and human feces causes disgust and disgust among owners. However, this habit is dangerous primarily for the dog itself and, of course, requires correction and treatment.

Clinical case

A 1.5-year-old female Jack Russell terrier named Zhali came to the clinic for help. The owners were concerned about their pet's caprophagia, which was first noticed three months ago. Eating of both one's own and other people's feces has been observed - on the street. In an attempt to help, Zhali was fed raw tripe for a month, but this did not bring results. Zhali was not sterilized, did not give birth, had her first heat at 10 months, and did not suffer from false pregnancy. Feeding - HappyDog dry and wet. The last deworming was two months ago, vaccination was carried out on time. Upon examination, temperature, pulse, breathing are within physiological norms; upon palpation, intestinal flatulence, the abdominal wall is soft and painless. Biochemical and general clinical parameters of Zhali’s blood were within the reference values.

Stool analysis showed the presence of neutral fat, undigested muscle fibers, and Toxocara canis eggs were found. So, Zhali was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and toxocariasis, which most likely was the cause of coprophagia. As treatment, three times deworming with an interval of 7 days with the drug Milbemax was prescribed. To replenish missing pancreatic enzymes - Creon 10000, 1/3 capsule before feeding or together with food for two weeks. As a deterrent Exel 8 in 1 Deter, 2 tablets daily for two weeks. Sufficient physical activity and proper balanced nutrition, such as ProPlan® Small & MiniDigestive Comfort, also play an important role. After 1.5 months, a repeat stool analysis showed the absence of helminth eggs. Coprophagia is preserved, but she no longer eats feces on the street. In this case, it is recommended to extend the Exel 8 in 1 Deter course for another two weeks and contact an animal psychologist to explain the technique of negative reinforcement.

There is an opinion that dogs that have been punished by their owners for “doing something” in the wrong place begin to think that leaving is bad, and therefore they try in any way to hide the “traces of the crime.”

E. Shabalkina, Alisa veterinary clinic, Moscow PetSovet magazine No. 3-2013 posted with the permission of the Logos Press publishing house, copying is prohibited

The danger of coprophagia

Coprophagy is the eating of animal feces

. They can belong to the dog itself, or be feline or human. Statistics say that such deviations are constantly observed in 16% of dogs. 80% of animals do this quite rarely. It is worth noting that castrated males and females do this more often than others. Miniature poodles almost never eat feces.

If the owner did not stop his pet in time, and he ate too much excrement, then the poisoning can be so severe that long-term therapy with intestinal lavages and droppers will be required.

Dogs that have a habit of eating feces

, can become infected with the following diseases:

The main reasons for the behavior are described below.

Imitation

Puppies under 3 months of age

They tend to eat their own stool as it helps with digestion. The bacteria contained in them, once again entering the puppy’s intestines, create the necessary microflora in it. In the first month of a baby's life, their excrement is destroyed by their mother. After the puppies begin to be fed, she stops doing this. Some babies, watching their mother, begin to do the same, eating the feces of their brothers. If this is left to chance, then over time it will become a habit and, even as an adult, the animal will do it.

Also, a pet can engage in coprophagy by imitating its owner, watching how he cleans up his feces. If the owner previously punished the puppy for pooping in the wrong place, for example, by shouting loudly or poking his nose at it, then the baby tries to erase traces of his “crime” so that the owner does not punish him.

Wrong diet

To improve your digestion

, the wild relatives of our domestic dogs sometimes eat manure, which contains enzymes and bacteria necessary for digesting heavy food. If an animal (this applies to predators) eats only meat, then their intestinal motility decreases. In this case, manure helps them cleanse themselves. Domestic dogs, succumbing to instinct, begin to eat human, cat excrement or bird droppings, since they cannot find manure in the city.

The reason for this is improper feeding of the animal:

feeding exclusively meat;
the diet is dominated by porridge;
bone feeding;
unbalanced diet consisting of cheap food;
overfeeding;
mixed diet.

Disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract

Animals cannot complain where they hurt, and often the disease can only be detected after significant damage to the health of the pet

. The consequences of chronic disorders in the gastrointestinal tract are problems with defecation, flatulence, and uncomfortable sensations in the abdominal cavity. Hoping to improve the situation, the dog begins to eat the feces of other animals, including cats. This is the answer to the question of many dog owners - why do dogs eat cat droppings. If a pet that has not done this before suddenly begins to eat the feces of other animals, you should definitely take him to the veterinary clinic.

Boredom and feelings of loneliness

Sometimes dogs that are left home alone for long periods of time feel abandoned and lonely.

. This causes them to start eating their feces. First doing this in the apartment, the animal begins to continue doing it outside. This occurs less frequently with German Shepherds and Terriers than with other dog breeds.

In this way, the pet tries to attract the attention of its owner. In this case, she is not afraid of punishment, because first the owner will pay attention to her, and only then, perhaps, punish her. Dogs are very afraid of becoming unnecessary.

Fear and self-doubt

Another reason why a dog eats cat poop is to regain its territory. If a cat and a dog live in the same house, then its feces for the dog mean a mark that indicates that the cat wants to become the boss in this room. Eating cat piles

, thereby she tries to regain her territory. She is forced to do this by the fear of losing her home.

When a dog begins to pick up various garbage and its own poop in order to eat it, the owner is bewildered and at a loss as to what prompted a well-fed and well-groomed pet to commit such an outrage? Naturally, consuming waste products as food is not only unacceptable from an aesthetic point of view, but also definitely not safe.

Some specifics

If your puppy eats his own excrement

Most likely, he has some dysbiosis, in which case adding enzymes or a course of probiotic may help solve the problem. Although in the case of puppies, coprophagia can also be associated with punishment for uncleanliness in the apartment.

Most often, if we are talking about eating the feces of carnivores (the same dogs, cats)

– the body needs microelements. By the way, if we are talking about a situation where a cat and a dog live in the same house, and the dog hunts only for the feces of the “native” cat, in addition to checking the dog’s diet, I would recommend checking the cat’s health - it is likely that its excrement is very attractive odor due to the fact that the food eaten is not completely digested due to low acidity, for example, or other physiological reasons.

Reasons for dogs to eat poop

There are many factors that can provoke a dog to eat waste products. The main ones are the following.

Costs of education

A completely healthy dog that receives high-quality nutrition in sufficient quantities requires increased attention from a professional trainer. It is the specialist who will help correct the pet’s behavior.

Gastrointestinal problems

The reason for eating excrement by adults may be a disruption in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It is for this reason that the animal must be shown to a specialist and undergo appropriate examination.

Copying the behavior of other animals

Dogs often eat feces in an attempt to imitate the mother dog or cat who lives in the house, as they lick the butts of their babies for some time after birth. While watching their mother, they eat the poop of other representatives of the canine world. After a certain time, this habit in puppies becomes stable.

Diffidence

Dogs eat the feces of their relatives due to their own complexes. If you think about the situation more deeply, you can understand that a dog's trips to the toilet indicate a place that belongs to the animal that left them there.

Some dogs tend to destroy other people's piles and leave their own instead. This makes it possible to show your superiority and defend territory. This behavior is observed in dogs if they are not confident in themselves.

Fear

Another reason that encourages a dog to eat feces is its own fears. The animal begins to eat feces in order to remove its marks, which attract the attention of other animals and predators. This is the fear that someone may attack your pet and cause physical harm to it. It also encourages dogs to respond to strangers by barking in order to protect themselves and their own space.

Attention deficit

Many dog owners, sooner or later, are faced with the fact that the pet begins to bark and whine when the person leaves the house. And negative emotions on the part of the owner cause the pet to bark even louder and more desperately. The reason for this is the desire to attract more attention and care.

The same situation occurs if the dog consumes its own feces. The dog is trying to draw maximum attention to himself in such a sophisticated way. It doesn’t bother him that the owner might get angry and punish his tailed friend. The important thing is that the owner is an important person for him and focuses his emotions on him. His thoughts boil down to the fact that showing him some attention indicates his own importance.

Poor nutrition

The animal eats feces under the influence of natural instincts. Wolves are considered to be the ancestors of all modern dog breeds. Many people pay attention to the fact that, having caught prey, the first thing they do is eat the digestive organs along with everything that is there. In fact, the digestive tract contains many beneficial substances that are very important for dogs.

Pets do not have such opportunities. They eat what their owner offers them. If a dog's diet doesn't have everything they need, they start looking for it in other places, such as on the street.

Factors in nutrition leading to metabolic disorders:

Constant consumption of sweets and baked goods.
Regular overeating.
Incorrect, low-quality nutrition using cheap feed.
The presence in the diet of a large amount of animal or vegetable fat, pickles, smoked meats, which are completely contraindicated for dogs of all breeds.
Excess meat or bones in the diet.
A large amount of grains or vegetables, while lacking fat and protein.

It is necessary to carefully evaluate how your pet eats. It is worth considering that he does not have the right to choose those products that he really needs, but can only choose from the food that is available to him. It may well be that the amount of food is simply not enough for him to be satisfied and he is simply hungry, so he eats everything he sees.

By eating feces, the dog tries to replenish the necessary substances or the required amount of food in its body. It may well be that the animal suffers from dysbiosis and requires enzymes to digest food, which are present in the feces. In this case, the pet needs to introduce cattle stomachs into its diet.

Why do dogs eat feces?

The reasons for eating feces may be the following:

Cause	Explanation
Curiosity	This quality is more characteristic of puppies. Kids learn about the world around them by tasting absolutely everything. If the owner does not identify the problem in a timely manner, the animal will form a bad habit, and the dog will eat excrement throughout its life.
Copying mother's behavior	After giving birth, the bitch eats the feces of her puppies for a month. With the introduction of complementary foods into the pets' diet, the composition of their feces changes, and the bitch stops eating the babies' feces, occasionally eating separate piles. Puppies, seeing this, can imitate her. This behavior must be stopped, otherwise the habit will accompany the dogs even after they grow up.
Wrong diet	Wild pets instinctively eat manure in order to improve the digestive process. Domestic dogs eat the excrement of birds, cats and people instinctively if they lack vitamins. In urban conditions there is no humus, and feces become an alternative. Coprophagia is the result of poor nutrition and develops for the following reasons: feeding pets exclusively with meat products, unbalanced diet, cheap ready-made food, junk food, improperly mixed raw foods with ready-made foods.
Stomach problems	Pets, unfortunately, cannot tell their owner if something is bothering them. Visible symptoms of the disease in most cases appear when the disease has already caused significant damage to the body. Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract are accompanied by a feeling of heaviness, flatulence, and problems with bowel movements. In such cases, the animal eats feces to help itself. An owner who notices a tendency towards coprophagia in a dog is advised to consult a veterinarian
Hunger	If an animal feels hungry, it is able to eat anything that resembles food.
Trying to get the owner's attention	In some cases, the dog eats excrement, waiting for a human reaction. Animal psychologists believe that some pets perceive punishment as a sign of attention. Perhaps the dog eats feces in order to arouse interest in itself
Jealousy	Dogs perceive other people's feces as a mark of territory. If a cat lives in the house, the pet begins to eat its feces in order to free the area from foreign odors and foreign marks.

The owner should know that if the animal does not eat excrement, but sniffs it, this is normal.

The pet judges by the smell of the feces who left the mark - a male or a female - and concludes whether it is worth pursuing the dog for procreation: she has started to come into heat or she has already been impregnated.

What to do?

First, you need to understand the reasons, because then it will be much easier to fix the problem. It is advisable to show the animal to a veterinarian, this will make it possible to clearly determine what causes such a problem and solve it as effectively as possible.

To cope with your dog eating feces of other animals, the following tips and recommendations will help:

First of all, it is necessary to limit the pet’s ability to eat other people’s piles. You need to promptly remove this kind of waste from your home and yard. Make sure that the walking area is free of feces.
If a dog is left alone for a long time, it needs to be provided with toys and treats so that it has something to do in the absence of its owners.
There is no need to use physical force or shout loudly at the animal if it behaves inappropriately. Such parenting methods can only make the situation worse.
You should not raise your voice at your pet or poke its face into a pile or puddle. The dog does not understand what the person wants to achieve from it in this way. This action is in no way an educational measure, but it carries quite clear signs of physical and psychological violence.
When an animal eats excrement, if this happens in the presence of the owner, the following must be done. Clap your hands strongly and loudly and express your indignation and disapproval with the appropriate command, throw some object next to the dog, for example, keys. As a result, the animal will be distracted from its activity. He should be called to you and encouraged.
It is necessary to keep the animal occupied as much as possible with useful activities, walks in the fresh air, full physical activity and socialization. The pet needs to be occupied so that it does not have time for various unworthy activities such as eating excrement.
It is necessary to develop the dog's communication skills in relation to the owner by learning additional commands and consolidating existing knowledge. It is necessary to clearly differentiate for the animal those objects that can be touched and those that cannot be touched.
Encourage your pet in every possible way for following the rules established by its owner. For obedience, it is important to please your tailed friend with a treat or verbal praise.
When walking, the best option would be to use a muzzle. He certainly will not give the pet the opportunity to pick up various nasty things from the ground.

After the causes have been eliminated and the animal stops picking up various nasty things on the street that are not natural for food, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures aimed at getting rid of the consequences of eating other people's poop. First of all, the dog needs to be dewormed, and then special vitamin and mineral complexes must be introduced into the diet.

What should an owner do to prevent feces from being eaten?

Before you begin to correct the situation, it is recommended to consult a veterinarian. It is quite possible that coprophagia is provoked by internal health disorders, and not by a banal habit. It is necessary to take blood and urine biochemistry tests, conduct a stool test for the quality of food digestion and helminths, and do an ultrasound. Only in the absence of internal diseases or infections can you begin the process of weaning your dog from the habit of eating its own feces.

The procedure is as follows:

Review the diet and consult a veterinarian to determine whether feeding is carried out correctly. Start feeding beef tripe (unrefined, black) - it contains a lot of enzymes that are necessary for your dog's digestion and help digest fiber. Purchase vitamin-mineral complexes that must contain B vitamins and sulfur. Introduce meat and bone meal into the diet, and replace dry food with premium or super premium food.
While walking, give your pet maximum attention: games, training, repeating commands, running, hugging or talking. Try any of the suggested options every time you notice that your dog is about to eat the feces he finds. Lightly pull the leash and say “fu”, without a leash - loudly shout “fu”, approach him and distract him. But you shouldn’t hug an animal or allow it to come close to your face if you haven’t managed to stop the unpleasant moment of absorbing excrement!
If you notice that the puppies have begun to eat their own stool, you need to monitor their emptying for some time and immediately clean up after them in order to eliminate the temptation to try the stool out of curiosity or to repeat after their mother.
In parallel with behavior correction, it is imperative to visit a specialist and check the pet’s health status and undergo the proposed tests. If abnormalities are detected, treatment should be carried out as soon as possible.
It is not recommended to shout and punish your pet for eating feces - this will not help solve the problem, but can significantly ruin your relationship with him. Shouting and punishment can lead the situation to a dead end when the animal does it while hiding. It is important to develop the habit of not doing this, rather than trying to force it.
To develop the habit of not eating your own feces, after defecating outside, call your pet to you and give him any treat. Try to do this every time your dog goes to the toilet. After a week and a half, replace the treat with hugs and sudden play with your favorite toy. All this will distract the pet from the unpleasant action.
You can seek help from an experienced dog handler so that he can teach the dog not to pick up anything on the street at all.
During treatment or a change in diet, it may be necessary to put a muzzle on the dog while walking so that the inability to eat feces becomes automatic.
Give your pet, if possible, more time if you suspect that eating the feces you find is a gesture to attract attention.

What is coprophagia?

Coprophagia, the eating of excrement, is one of the main problems faced by dog owners. Eating the feces of other animals, especially herbivores, is a common phenomenon in the animal kingdom.

There are different types of coprophagia:

autocoprophagy – eating one’s own feces;
intraspecific coprophagy - eating the feces of relatives;
interspecific coprophagy - a dog eating the feces of other animals, for example, cats, deer, rabbits, etc.

This behavior is not considered abnormal, just undesirable.

Many dog owners, seeing their pet grabbing excrement, begin to scream and run to him so that he stops eating, which is not worth doing. The pet, instead of stopping, on the contrary, tries to eat what it found as quickly as possible. Dogs perceive eating feces as a reward.

When the owner tries to punish the dog, it may not understand the reason for the punishment and may become afraid. Therefore, before dealing with this phenomenon, you need to find out why it does this, and then apply appropriate measures.

The dangers of eating poop for your pet

Organisms such as Toxoplasma may be present in cat poop. In dogs, these organisms can cause a variety of problems, affecting the central nervous system and muscle tissue. If feces have been lying in the ground for a long time, fly larvae can be deposited in them, and infection with pathogenic bacteria and fungi is possible. It is better to avoid such sources of infection. If possible, feces should be removed from the yard as quickly as possible.

Diseases such as hepatitis and parvovirus infection can be transmitted through feces. Vaccinated animals have a much lower risk of disease.

Why is coprophagia dangerous?

Undoubtedly, feces are a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria, viruses and intestinal parasites. Therefore, such a dog has a high risk of getting sick, especially if the excrement belongs to someone else’s animal.

Severe infestation with intestinal helminths and their eggs can lead to blockage or even rupture of internal organs. Infection with roundworms or whipworms is especially dangerous for a dog.
Parvovirus (hemorrhagic) enteritis is a very dangerous viral infection that affects the intestines of dogs and people.
Leptospirosis is a severe bacterial infection of internal organs that is dangerous for dogs and cats of any age. Death can occur within the first day after infection.
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by protozoan microorganisms - toxoplasma. Affects the nervous, lymphatic and muscular systems of dogs and humans.

Timely deworming and vaccination will reduce the risk of infection in coprophagous dogs. After all, the owner will not be able to monitor every episode of feces eating and warn him.

Causes

Feces eating is a more common behavior in bitches and puppies. In females, these are more sanitary and hygienic measures than a manner of behavior. Thus, she keeps the habitat clean. In addition, a natural instinct is triggered: by eating feces, the female destroys the smell, which can attract predators.

A puppy, observing a female eating his feces or a human cleaning up his poop, may similarly eat his own feces to earn rewards. Also, in a puppy, the consumption of feces may be associated with the formation of the intestines. This behavior goes away as the puppy grows up, unless it becomes a habit.

Feces contain many unprocessed nutrients, minerals and vitamins. A lack of them in the diet can cause pets to eat poop. In this case, their diet should be reconsidered. Malnutrition and diet food can make you want to fill your stomach with something to feel full. A possible reason for eating feces may be very fatty foods: the four-legged friend’s body may not be able to process such food.

By consuming feces, pets sometimes want to attract the attention of their owners in this way, without receiving it in everyday life. The dog may eat the excrement of the dominant animals in the house.

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Ways to correct unwanted behavior in dogs

In addition, the veterinarian will be able to correctly adjust your pet’s diet, find out what is missing, and create a new diet so that it contains all the necessary nutrients and minerals. If the cause of coprophagia is a disease, then you must first cure the animal and then wean it off the bad habit that has appeared.

Various behavioral strategies can be used to stop your pet from eating feces, even if the reason is health-related.

The most effective ways can be identified:

Eliminate the opportunity for the dog to eat feces. If there are other animals, then clean the yard from feces before walking the pet, and take it out for a walk only on a leash. A muzzle can be used for these purposes.
If the owner sees that the pet is about to eat its feces, you need to switch its attention, for example, to a toy, give it a treat, or involve it in some kind of game. The same strategy should be followed if the reason for eating feces is to attract the attention of the owner. You need to try to pay more attention to your furry pet, not only on walks, but also at home.
From an early age, a puppy needs to be taught obedience, taught to understand prohibitive commands: “fu”, “no”, “leave it”. In this case, you need to walk with him on a short leash. If you see that the puppy is about to eat feces, you should sharply pull the leash and say a prohibiting command. As soon as he moves away from the group that interested him, the pet should be rewarded with a treat or praised. Such exercises should be done as often as possible so that the puppy learns the lesson. But in the future you need to pay attention and keep an eye on the dog during walks.
You can treat the feces with pepper, mustard, horseradish, or any drugs that will make the feces less attractive to your pet and discourage the desire to eat it.

When weaning your pet from a bad habit, you need to show patience and love; you cannot punish him, shout at him, or poke his muzzle in the feces. This will only complicate the relationship with him; the owner may lose mutual understanding with his furry friend. The next time, having found its own feces, the dog can, on the contrary, eat it as quickly as possible so that the owner does not notice and scold him.

To prevent coprophagia, you need to make sure that the dog eats properly, remove worms on time, pay as much attention to the pet as possible, and monitor its health.

Why does an adult dog eat feces?

If your adult dog begins to eat feces, you should consult your veterinarian to rule out health problems such as:

parasites,
diet deficient in nutrients and calories,
malabsorption syndrome,
diabetes, Cushing's disease, thyroid disease and other conditions that can increase appetite,
medications such as steroids.

In many cases, dogs begin to eat their own feces due to certain types of environmental stress or behavioral triggers, including:

Isolation : Studies have shown that dogs that are kept alone, in homes or basements, eat more feces than dogs that live near their people.
Limited solitude : spending too much time in a small space can cause problems,
Anxiety : often the result of using punishment or strict methods during training,
Attention Seeking : Dogs eat their own feces to get their owners' attention.
Incorrect association with real food : Dogs that feed near their litter may associate food odors with the smell of feces,
Living with a sick or elderly dog : Sometimes a healthy dog will eat feces with a weaker four-legged family member, especially in the case of fecal incontinence. Scientists have hypothesized that this may be due to the instinct to protect the herd from predators.

Video "Why do dogs eat feces"

This video explains why dogs eat their own poop and the poop of other animals.

Some dog breeders who like to walk with their pet in a park, alley or dog walking area sometimes notice how their pet begins to eat excrement. Many people are disgusted by this picture, and owners try to drive the dog away from bowel movements. But you just have to turn away - and the animal returns to its occupation. From this article you will learn what reasons push your pet to such actions, and how to wean him from a bad habit.

The phenomenon of coprophagia

The consumption of inedible objects and things is an indicator of a perverted appetite.

Such perversions include eating feces, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s your own or someone else’s. This deviation from the norm is called coprophagia in the scientific community.

By studying this behavior in animals, scientists came to the conclusion that this could be caused by a number of different reasons and diseases. One of these reasons is the lack of any micro- or macroelements in the animal’s body.

Eating their own excrement in the animal kingdom may be due to problems with digestion. When passing through the intestines, some high-molecular substances, such as hemicellulose, are also poorly absorbed. This behavior is often found in mice, chinchillas, hares, and even in some young herbivorous mammals during the transition from lactation to natural food.

In dogs, females most often resort to eating excrement.

And this is considered normal behavior, especially if the feces of the cubs are eaten. The reason for this behavior of animals may also be low-calorie food with a lack of vitamins B and K in combination with a low protein content.

Did you know?
In 2015, the Manure Museum was opened in Italy. It is primarily dedicated to the topic of rational waste recycling.

Reasons for appearance

Analyzing the behavior of dogs showing a tendency towards coprophagia, scientists and dog experts have identified a number of reasons that can lead to this deviation. All reasons can be divided into three main groups:

natural, problems in the animal’s behavior and the need for additional attention from the owner.

Imitation

This behavior is often found in puppies, as they try to imitate their mother. In the first month after the birth of the offspring, the female often eats the feces of her cubs.

This behavior is due to natural factors, because the smell of babies' feces can attract predators. At the end of the feeding period, the problem usually goes away on its own.

Puppies strive to imitate their mother in everything and believe that such behavior is the norm. However, if this is not stopped in a timely manner, then eating excrement will become a habit, from which it will be difficult to wean the animal.

Curiosity

This trait is more often inherent in young dogs and puppies, because due to their curiosity they want to explore the world.

And they do this, like all children, “by the tooth,” so to speak, so it is necessary to ensure that knowledge of the world around them does not develop into a bad habit.

Did you know?
In Thailand, eco-paper POOPOOPAPER from excrement, and the feces of elephants, cows, moose, donkeys and horses are used as raw materials. By the way, the products are not cheap - for a standard package of 50 sheets you will have to pay about 16 dollars.

Dietary disorders

Eating feces may be a sign of an animal's poor diet. In this way, the pet tries to get the necessary nutrients that it did not receive with food. The reasons for this behavior may be the following deviations from a balanced menu:

high content of cereals in the diet;
the diet consists only of meat;
mixed feeding with prepared and natural products;
presence of salty and fatty foods in the diet;
feeding with cheap feed;
excessive overfeeding;
incorrectly selected treats or their excess.

Problems in the gastrointestinal tract

Diseases of the digestive system can also cause coprophagia.

In this case, it is necessary to schedule an emergency visit to a doctor who can make an accurate diagnosis. You may need to do an ultrasound on your dog to diagnose the problem.

Important!
Gastrointestinal diseases can also be caused by worms, so it is necessary to regularly carry out deworming and vaccination.

Hunger

When a pet feels hungry, it can eat anything, even inedible objects and things, so you need to analyze the nutritional value and balance of its diet and the frequency of feedings. However, it is important to remember that after the first year of life, a dog only needs to eat twice a day.

Lack of attention from the owner

If a dog does not receive enough attention from its owner, it begins to bark frequently, play pranks, and in some cases, while walking, sniffs other people’s feces and eats them. In this way, the animal tries to attract the attention of its owner, because often the owner reacts, noticing this behavior, communicates with the dog, tries to wean the pet, that is, shows at least some attention, which is so necessary for the dog.

Jealousy and Insecurity

If there are other dogs in the house, then the tailed one may become jealous of its brother and thus try to attract the attention of the owner. However, this behavior may be the result of your pet's insecurity. After all, if we consider the behavior of animals in nature, it is worth noting that most often feces are a kind of territory markers.

As a result, the dog, eating waste, removes other people's marks and clears the territory of competitors. In this way, the animal tries to show its superiority and regain confidence.

Why does a puppy eat his own poop?

Showing interest in your own or other people's feces is the norm in the wild world. Such behavior does not indicate an anomaly in the puppy’s psychological state. By sniffing and tasting excrement, the animal receives information while studying each other from a distance. The animal can understand who owns the abandoned pile, whether it makes sense to keep an ear out, or whether the opponent does not pose a threat.

Coprophagia is characteristic of all females who have just given birth to puppies. By eating the feces of her babies, the female tries to eliminate all traces of the babies being in the den. This is due to the ancient instincts of protecting their nest. Puppies copy their parents, so the instinct inherent in them by nature is reinforced by visual actions. Babies repeat after their mother and try to copy her actions. The owner will have to wean the puppy from eating feces.

As soon as the lactation period comes to an end or adult food appears in the puppies' diet, the female stops eating the feces of her children. This is due to the fact that the shape of excrement and its composition undergo changes. In addition to copying the actions of the female, puppies may eat their own feces due to simple curiosity. They get to know the world around them and try everything to their teeth.

In the wild, canines have an instinct to eat dung to improve digestion processes in the stomach and intestinal tract. The manure of herbivores contains a huge amount of enzymatic substances and bacteria that are actively involved in the breakdown of heavy protein foods. Under the influence of instincts, pets, even in adulthood, eat the found feces of birds, cats, and humans. In megacities, it is difficult for animals to find manure, so they try to make up for losses with alternative feces.

The causes of coprophagia as a result of violations of the puppy’s diet are:

a large number of different cereals;
preferential feeding of meat;
the presence of a large number of bones, salty and fatty foods;
predominance of delicacies (including confectionery and sweets);
feeding with economy segment feeds;
large portions and resulting bloating;
lack of mineral and vitamin components in food;
mixing natural food and dry food.

The pet cannot say what caused the discomfort in the digestive tract or what caused the pain. In the vast majority of cases, characteristic signs of pathological changes occur due to serious disturbances in the functioning of the body.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract become chronic and are characterized by the appearance of bloating, defecation disorders, a feeling of heaviness and other symptoms of discomfort. Problems in the functioning of the pancreas and all kinds of infectious lesions also lead to problems in the functioning of the digestive system. Feeling pain or discomfort, the animal tries to help itself on its own, undergoing instincts to eat feces.

When experiencing severe hunger, not only a puppy, but also an older relative will try to get enough of everything that vaguely resembles food. Sometimes, if a puppy eats its own poop, it may mean that it wants attention from its owner. The owner will begin to scold him, thereby turning his attention to the pet. Animal psychologists say that this behavior occurs in dogs that spend little time with their owner and thus try to attract attention to themselves.

Another reason why a puppy eats feces is to mark territorial boundaries. The presence of excrement from other animals on the territory is regarded by the dog as a seizure of boundaries and a violation of personal protected space. If there is a cat living in the house in addition to a puppy, then the dog eating cat feces is a pattern. The puppy, on a subconscious level, tries to free its rightful territory from foreign odors.

You should not scold a pet if the owner catches him doing something indecent. It is recommended to find out the reason for this behavior and consult a specialist for advice.

There is no point in leaving things to chance. Coprophagia may indicate serious disturbances in the functioning of the body. In addition, eating feces - your own or others' - poses certain health risks. During the examination, the doctor will collect anamnesis and prescribe a number of necessary tests. Biochemical tests of urine and blood are carried out, and a coprogram is prescribed to assess the quality of digested food. Often, to complete the clinical picture, the veterinarian prescribes an ultrasound examination of the digestive organs.

Why does a dog eat cat poop?

It is important to understand what started this:

Perhaps the cat’s litter box was previously located in a different place where it was difficult for the dog to get into, or perhaps the cat previously intimidated the dog, did not allow it near its “property,” and now has become more docile.

Veterinarians recommend having an open tray to clearly monitor the need to replace its contents, and placing it in a place inaccessible to the dog. Alternatively, the toilet can be installed on a raised surface, or, if the dog is large, the door can be fixed in such a position that only the cat can pass through.

Sometimes the tray is covered with two boxes of different sizes, they are placed with open parts in opposite directions, creating a kind of mini-maze that will not be difficult for a cat to pass, although a small and nimble dog is also quite capable of overcoming such an obstacle.

How to stop your pet from eating feces: procedure

Having determined the possible causes of coprophagia, you can take the necessary actions to eliminate this problem.

First you need to eliminate any possibility of eating your own or other people's excrement. Keep the house or enclosure where the dog is kept clean, regularly remove all waste products.
In your absence, provide your pet with enough toys and food. In this case, the animal will have something to occupy itself with so as not to remember the addiction.

Do not punish an animal for defecating in the appropriate place, as this is ineffective. You should not poke the animal into its “heaps”. Such actions can cause loss of smell. In addition, the dog will try to get rid of possible punishment and may begin to eat its feces.
If the animal was caught, so to speak, “in the act,” a loud clap or a loud prohibiting command can be effective, and you can also throw some object towards the animal, but not at it itself. These actions will scare the pet and make it distracted from eating. Now that the dog’s attention has switched to you, you can call him to you and order him to carry out some command. After which, do not forget to praise the animal.

Try to pay more attention to the dog both at home and while walking. Keep it occupied without leaving time or opportunity to switch your attention to feces.
Teach your pet different commands, in particular the “fu” command. Repeat previously learned commands regularly; this will not only keep the animal occupied, but will also make it more obedient.

When you achieve certain successes, do not forget to praise your pet.
Use a muzzle when walking. When purchasing, it is better to give preference to those models that will not allow you to lift any object from the ground.

Don't forget about nutrition. If the animal has natural food in its diet, then it is worth introducing beef tripe, vitamins or nutritional supplements into the diet. You can also use meat and bone meal. When consuming a dry diet, you should choose premium or super-premium food.

Important!
More drastic methods may be used to combat coprophagia, such as the use of red pepper or a remote-controlled aerosol collar. However, such methods are not very humane and can adversely affect the health of the animal.

How to wean your dog off a bad habit

To solve the problem yourself, you first need to eliminate the very possibility of the dog eating feces. To do this, you need to keep the house clean and immediately remove waste after emptying.

On a note! There are different ways to stop a dog from eating excrement, but they should all be based on the reasons that led to coprophagia.

Abstraction

If the animal is left alone, you need to provide it with enough toys so that it has something to do in the absence of the owner and does not switch to its own excrement. On the street you need to keep him occupied with something all the time. The main task of the owner is not to leave the pet time to be distracted by excrement. If it is not possible to constantly play with your pet outside or distract it with games, then it is better to wear a muzzle.

Catering

Feces contain certain vitamins and minerals. A dog can eat them, replenishing the deficiency in its body. Therefore, you need to analyze your diet. It must contain the proportions of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats that a particular breed requires. Also, the menu should be varied and contain all the substances necessary for health. It should contain both meat products and cereals, dairy products, and vegetables (a source of fiber).

If you choose ready-made food, then it should be of the super premium class. Be sure to consider the dog's age, health status and physical activity before purchasing food.

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Teaching the "fu" command

You need to train your dog to be obedient. As soon as she starts sniffing the excrement, you need to say “ugh” in a strict intonation, pull the leash or gently press her by the withers. This exercise must be repeated many times. Show persistence and consistency. Subsequently, the pet must respond immediately to the command. Obedience can be rewarded with your favorite treat.

Special means and folk methods

You can make the excrement disgusting to your dog. Dog breeders recommend buying special formulations at the pet store. They are applied to feces, and when an animal tries to eat them, it feels disgusted. If they do not help, you can resort to the help of hot pepper or mustard. But you need to be careful not to provoke a burn or allergic reaction in your dog from these spices.

Prevention

To prevent coprophagia, dog experts recommend introducing feed additives into the diet, for example, 8in1 Excel Deter.

This drug has proven its effectiveness in practice: in 95-98 cases out of 100, the additive allows you to wean a dog from the habit of eating feces, which means that such a remedy will be able to prevent such unpleasant behavior. Veterinarians recommend using 1 tablet for every 4.5 kg of pet’s weight, the course of treatment is 2 weeks. However, before purchasing the drug, it would be useful to consult a specialist.

If you notice your dog has a habit of eating its own or other people's feces, pay attention, first of all, to its diet - a balanced menu often solves this problem. Also, pay enough attention to your pet and its health, and a happy and healthy dog that feels the love and care of its owner will not be affected by such troubles.

How to keep your dog from eating poop

Veterinarians and dog owners have noticed improvements in behavior using a variety of strategies, including:

Vitamin supplements : There has long been a theory that dogs eat feces because they are missing something in their diet. In particular, vitamin B deficiency has been a prime suspect, supported by research.
Enzyme supplements : The modern dog's diet includes more carbohydrates and low protein and fat in meat, which is different from the diet of the dog's ancestors.
Disgusting Products : Some flavors and fragrances are as disgusting to dogs as poop is to us. Therefore, spraying certain substances onto feces should make them less attractive. Many of these products contain MSG, chamomile, pepper derivatives, yucca, garlic and parsley.

Perhaps the best way to stop this phenomenon is through education or environmental management techniques, in particular:

Keeping your dog's living space (room or yard) clean
If you have a cat, keep the litter box clean,
Monitoring your dog during walks to discourage unwanted behavior.