The Dog Poop Diet

Coprophagia (dogs eating poop) is a behavior problem. I recently found, what looked like, a half-munched poo while I was cleaning up our dog area. I decided to not inspect it too closely and figured I was imagining what “could have been” until I caught our six-month old puppy, Jax, shoving his nose up Chloe’s --- and trying to eat her poo as it was coming out. Absurd! Right? Nasty! But, apparently, this can be a common behavior, especially in puppies.

This is a new behavior in Jax that I have not seen before. It is a behavior I immediately addressed. If your puppy/dog tends to eat poop excessively, please take your poop-eating pup to the vet—it could be a symptom of an underlying medical issue or vitamin/mineral deficiency. And if your pup is not immunized, be sure to get him up to date on his immunizations because diseases can be spread through feces.

Why is My Dog Eating Poop?

There’s a few reasons, I’ve learned, why dogs may chew the poo. Here’s a few:

Hiding the Evidence

Both Jax and Chloe (4 year-old Chi) are trained to either go outside, or inside in their designated area on their “potty pads”. If for some reason they didn’t go where it is acceptable, maybe Jax is hiding any evidence of pooing outside the boundaries. Or maybe he is getting confused as to what is acceptable or not. So, now I have to reinforce his positive pooping behaviors while trying to discourage the poop eating behavior.

It’s important for Jax and all dogs to know that poop is okay—just not to eat. We don’t want them thinking that going poop is a bad thing, so they feel they should eat away any evidence!

What to do:1. Reinforce good pooping behavior.2. Discourage Coprophagia.3. Buy them healthy treats to munch on.

4. Make sure potty pads are changed regularly after use.

Yummy Flavor!

Another reason Jax, or any dog, may be eating poo is, well, he likes it. In a case such as this, it will be harder to break him of a poo-eating habit. It can be very hard to stop eating something you think is yummy, even if it’s bad for you. Us humans know this all too well!

What to do:1. Discourage Coprophagia.2. Buy them healthy treats to munch on.

3. Clean up any poo immediately so your pup doesn’t have the chance to munch on it.

Doggy Boredom

Maybe Jax, or your dog, is bored and wants more attention. Voila! I get attention when I am naughty, so let’s eat poop!! If

this is the problem, there could be an easy fix.

What to do:1. Spend more quality time with your dog.

2. Take them to the dog park more often (at least 1-2 times per week).

3. Buy (or make) them fun new toys to play with.

4. Socialize them with other (non-poop eating) dogs.

5. Discourage Coprophagia.

Stress

If your dog is stressed, he may find some comfort in Coprophagia. Of course, that is not what we want for our pups, but nor do we want them to be stressed. So, if stress is the factor, then punishing your pooch for eating his poo will just stress him out more. Find ways to address his poo-eating stress relief that are not going to add to his stress.

What to do:

1. Make sure your dog has a calm, relaxing home environment.

2. Spend quality time with your dog and be sure he is able to run and burn off extra energy.

3. Clean up any poo immediately so your pup doesn’t have the chance to munch on it. 4. Consult your holistic vet on ways to

help calm your pet while addressing his Coprophagia.

Copycat

Your dog just may be doing what he has seen other dogs do, or doing what a dominant dog is requiring of him. Especially in families with a lot of dogs, it may be hard to find the poop-eating culprit, and other dogs in the family pack just may follow the submissive-leader in the new poop-eating culture.

Dogs have an order of dominant and submissive roles. Submissive dogs will sometimes eat the poo of their dominant counterparts. If you have a poop-eater leading your family pack and teaching bad manners, here are some things you can try.

What to do:1. Discourage Coprophagia.

2. Make sure poo is cleaned up pronto! If you have a lot of dogs, you may want to invest in a little help until this poop-eating crisis is over.

3. Buy them healthy treats to munch on.

4. Buy (or make) them fun new toys to play with.

5. Set up a video camera to see if you can catch the culprit!

6. Once you have found the poo-eater, discourage Coprophagia.

7. Socialize them with other (non-poop eating) dogs.

The Reason That Should Not Exist: You Have a Hungry Dog

The simple answer to your dog eating his poo or the cat’s poo, may be simply that he is not getting enough healthy foods in his daily diet. He may be lacking a nutritional component. The lack of iron, vitamin B or other vitamins/minerals could possibly lead your dog to eating feces.

What to do:1. Discourage Coprophagia.2. Buy them healthy, grain free dog food.

3. Consult your vet for suggestions on nutritious dog food and a healthy meal plan.

4. Feed your dog regularly-morning and night, or on demand.

5. If you need help feeding your dog, talk to one of our local pet rescues or your vet.

A Good Pup Mum

If your mama recently had a litter of puppies, eating poop is instinctual and completely normal. A mother with pups instinctively eats her pup’s poop to keep her den clean so as not to attract predators with the scent of her babies.

What to do:

1. Let them be. She is doing what nature has trained her to do.

2. Enjoy the puppies!!!

Another, natural way to address coprophagia, according to Dr. Ken Tudor, a Holistic Vet in Southern California is by

adding MSG to your dog’s food: “The addition of MSG (monosodium glutamate) or MSG containing products (meat tenderizers) to the diet of the animal whose feces is being eaten often helps discourage coprophagia. In multi-pet households, it is probably easier to add MSG to everyone’s diet. Cats may not readily eat MSG-laced food, so if your dog eats cat poop, you may have to be more strategic with the litter box. Your veterinarian can help you with the proper dose of MSG.”

With my two dogs, Chloe is the mildmannered Chihuahua who would never eat her poo (or Jax’s). But Jax (a Jorky), being a puppy and having that Jack Russell in his blood, loves to get into everything, chew on EVERYTHING, and dig for treasures. Unfortunately, his treasures these days are not made of gold.

I am definitely keeping a closer eye on him and staying on top of the poo issue (not literally) to ensure both Jax and Chloe have a happy, peaceful, coprophagia-free home.

Sources: PetMD https://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/ktudo r/2013/dec/why-dodogs-eat-poop-31118

https://www.petmd.co m/dog/puppycenter/h ealth/evr_dg_why_do_p uppies_eat_poop

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in Paradise Pets Magazine, Key West, FL in their Jan- March 2018 issue.

Jax, the poop eater.

Photo by Angela J. Willard