Are You Gonna Eat That?!?

by Gigi McWhirter

Dogs have a lot of strange habits we humans don’t understand, and, to us, are quite nasty. Things like licking their tail section, sniffing each other’s rear-ends, slurping up a cold one from the toilet bowl, rolling in nasty swampy stuff or farm animal pens are all worthy of a: “What the heck?!”

The one that tops the list must be eating poop. Dogs don’t do it to freak us out, but it sure does — so much so that eating feces is why some owners have their dogs re-homed and sometimes even want to have them euthanized.

The scientific name for the habit of poop eating is coprophagia (kopruh-fey-jee-uh). Dogs are by nature scavengers. It is in their DNA. Most dogs will eat whatever they find on the ground or in the trash can. This instinct goes back to when canines had to do whatever it took to survive, which, even as we humans have a hard time understanding, includes eating feces.

Not all dogs indulge in this poop du jour habit. For those that do, it has been observed, these gourmet eaters prefer normal stools and rarely eat poorly formed or loose stools.

Most poop eaters prefer fresh droppings no more than two days old. They also prefer the “logs” left by other dogs and rarely eat their own creations. Girl dogs are more likely to indulge in this habit, while intact males prefer not to.

Owners with one dog don’t witness this event as often as owners with more dogs. It is not harder to housetrain a poop eater, although, it should be noted that some dogs try to hide the evidence by eating it if they have an accident in the house.

Table surfing canines are more likely to be poop eaters.

Dogs do not have to eat stool as a nutritional source.

If you have ever watched a mother dog with a new litter of puppies, you have probably seen her licking them on their “private parts.” She does this to help them potty and poo. Once the puppy has had a bowel movement, she will eat it to help keep their space clean. Puppies may eat their own feces as they are growing up.

While eating their own stool is usually harmless, eating the stools of other animals like cats, horses and birds may cause health problems, especially if they are contaminated with toxins, viruses or parasites. The puppy poop habit usually goes away after the pup turns 9 months old.

Consult with your pet’s veterinarian, not Dr. Google, if your adult dog starts to eat poop. The vet may want to rule out health issues such as parasites, possible diet deficiencies, drugs such as steroids, malabsorption syndromes, and conditions like diabetes, thyroid or Cushing’s disease or other ailments that could cause an increase in appetite.

Happy Tails to You!