Why is my dog eating poop (Coprophagia)? Can eating poop kill your dog?
What to put in dog food to stop eating poop habit?
These are such popular questions and worries amongst dog owners.
I can’t remember the number of times I have been asked the question “how to get a dog to stop eating poop?”
Out of all of the stressful and worrying habits that your dog may suddenly start carrying out, eating poop is probably the grossest and most disgusting thing you have to watch.
When you watch your dog eating poop there will be a number of emotions that you will go through.
Such as disgust, worry, stress, and concern.
Useful: Critical Signs Of Stress In A Dog – Helpful guide.
Dealing with Coprophagia (dog eating poop) naturally is obviously the best way to fix this problem.
However, there is no magic cure for this disturbing behavior.
It will require the correct training, attention to the dog diet, some extra measures (dog eating poop home remedies) and a lot of patience and determination from you.
One way that you do not want to react is by acting alarmed.
Doing so can lead to other behavioral issues as well.
For example, let’s say that you just adopted a new puppy.
It is common for many puppies to eat poop when they are still part of a litter.
This is because during that time, mother dogs eat puppy stools to clean the “den” and safeguard their puppies. So, they learn this behavior.
Useful: How to Train a New Puppy.
This evolutionary activity is not unusual as it is also done by other animals.
Start By Understanding Your Dog
To be able to curb the dog eating poop habit, you must be able to understand your dog and his behaviors.
This means that you will have to spend time with him to track his habits.
Useful: Abnormal Dog Behavior – A Helpful Guide.
Domestication has enabled us to live with dogs and train them to act accordingly.
However, dogs take after their ancestors in terms of animal instincts which may contribute to eating poop.
When it comes to puppies, if you spend enough time with them, there is a chance you will catch and treat the habit before it becomes chronic.
However, at the end, your dog might still develop the poop-eating behavior.
As a matter of fact, dogs eating poop is among the top reasons why people surrender their dogs to shelters.
Opinion: Should I Get Rid of a Dog That Eats Poop a Lot?
Let’s learn about Coprophagia in dogs and how to handle it naturally…
What’s Coprophagia (Dog Eating Poop)?
Coprophagia is the term used to describe the act of eating feces, being own feces or those from another.
It can be divided into Autocoprophagia (dogs eat their own poop), and Allocoprophagia (they eat other dog’s poop, as well as from other animals, like deer poop, rabbit poop, etc.).
It’s actually pretty common in dogs.
It can be very harmful. Reason for the so common question “can eating poop kill your dog?”.
But, if your dog eats poop, no worries.
There are multiple things you can do about it, as we are going to dive deeper below.
Make poop taste bitter: No Chew Spray for Dogs – Check on Amazon
So Why Do Dogs Eat Poop?
As mentioned above, different dogs will eat poop for various reasons, some of which could be as a result of poor diet, an enzyme deficiency or another behavioral vice.
Not only will he eat his own poop but also of other animals including cows, birds, cats, rabbits, deer and horses.
You will, however, have to examine your dog to know exactly why he is eating poop.
When your dog’s diet is poor or missing stomach enzymes, he will not be able to get all the nutrients he needs.
This will make him go looking for these nutrients in his poop, as well as other animals’.
Useful: Dog Eating Poop Side Effects – A Helpful Guide.
The Causes of Dogs Eating Poop
Over the years, there have been controversies in determining what causes our dogs to eat poop, with very limited scientific proof.
The Benjamin and Lynette Hart Study
However, according to a recent study led by animal researchers Benjamin and Lynette Hart, of the University of California at Davis, we are about to find out the scientific causes of this problem.
Published in the journal of Veterinary Medicine and Science, the study comprised of two online findings.
The first research involved 1475 dog owners and was aimed at determining how common coprophagia is in dogs.
The second research involved 1552 dogs that had been confirmed as poop-eaters and it was aimed at determining the reason why do dogs eat poop (coprophagia).
Useful: Coprophagia In Dogs – The Ultimate Guide.
According to this study, 16% of the dogs were regular poop eaters, with their owners confessing to having seen them indulge in the behavior.
Twenty three percent (23%) of the dogs were found to have been seen eating poop at least once, while dismissing any claims that age and the diet of the dog did not play any part in promoting the poop-eating behavior.
This study also confirmed that dogs living in a home with other dogs or animals are likely to engage in coprophagia since the poop will be readily available.
Useful: How to Potty Train a Dog at Home – Guide.
However, this fact failed to mention the sex of the dog as a contributing fact given that female dogs eventually engage in poop eating once they give birth.
Dogs Take After Their Mothers
As mentioned above, mother dogs eat puppy poop every now and then from the time of birth until they have weaned their pups.
And when the puppies see their mother eating the poop, they follow suit.
The mother stops eating her puppies’ poop when they start eating solid food. However, by this time, the puppy may continue eating the stools.
This is because they take up the responsibility of a mother, which includes cleaning after her children.
To keep her sleeping place clean, your dog will eat her and the puppies’ poop, like he would in the wild.
When a dog engages in the activity, it has learned it from its mother. They also have an innate curiosity that leads them to engage in the activity.
This type of curiosity triggers the tasting, smelling, and consumption of stools.
Dogs might actually like it. It might be disgusting from a human point of view, but not so much for dogs.
Dogs Eating Poop – They Are Scavengers
As a dog owner, you should always keep in mind that despite domestication, our dogs are still scavengers with animal instincts.
Dogs evolved as and are scavengers.
They usually eat whatever they can find out there.
All dog owners were face at some point with needing to stop their dogs from eating any rubbish on the street.
What I mean is that they are not so picky as we humans and, in the end, they might even eat poop because there is nothing else available.
Why Do Dogs Eat Poop – Physiological and Behavioral Reasons
No one knows or can say for sure what’s the exact reason that drives dogs to eat poop.
But as a general approach, there are two main groups of reasons: physiological and behavioral.
Dog Eating Poop: Environmental Stress or Behavioral Triggers
Dog might like the smell and taste
Yup, it might look disgusting to us humans, but this is a fact. For some dogs, it might be as good as a delicious desert for us 😊.
It’s natural for dogs to eat poop
Dog moms do commonly eat their puppies’ poop (first three weeks of lactation), in order to keep the area clean and protect the puppies.
So as result, puppies get “programmed” with this behavior and may end up eating their own poop.
Confusing poop with real food
If the dog’s food is placed near their poop, he might associate and then confuse the smells, not being able later to tell the difference.
Shame
Some dogs eat poop, because they are ashamed that they pooped in the wrong spot. In this case, they may be just trying to conceal the evidence.
Never try to rub your dog’s nose in the defecation as it usually will not understand the meaning.
Plus, this is cruel, especially to a developing pup.
This bad housebreaking method may turn on you as well.
If the dog thinks that it will be punished if you discover the poop, it may try to eat it.
Attention-seeking
Dogs eat their own poop to get your attention. Therefore, don’t overreact, or you will be reinforcing this behavior.
Isolation and/or confinement
Studies have Dogs who are kept alone or spend too much time confined in small spaces are more prone to eat poop.
Anxiety
If a dog owner often punishes a dog as a training method, dogs might be eating their own poop to try to hide it, in order to avoid the punishment.
Instincts
Just because dogs are domesticated does not mean that their natural instincts do not guide some of their behaviors.
For example, a dog may roll in its feces to mask its scent. It may also turn several times, which is referred to as denning before it lies down.
Eating poop is another one of a dog’s ingrained instincts and a protective behavior learned when a dog is young.
Sharing home with an older dog
Dogs might eat poop from an older dog in the house, as an instinct to protect the pack from predators (researchers say).
Dominance
Dogs understand hierarchy. That is why wild dogs live in packs. Therefore, one dog serves as the leader while the other dogs act submissively.
Researchers find that coprophagia is practiced by submissive dogs that live in packs.
However, they only eat the stools of the leader or the more dominant members of the pack.
While a domestic dog does not live in a pack, it may reside in a home with other dogs. If it is one of the more submissive dogs, it may eat poop.
Abuse and Neglect
Dogs who are starving from neglect or abuse will eat their stools to stay alive.
Coprophagia is often noted in abandoned dogs or dogs that have been left behind after their owners moved away.
These dogs often eat their poop after they have been rescued and adopted into a new home even if they are fed a healthy and nutritious diet.
In this instance, stopping your dog from eating poop will become a challenging, if not difficult, process.
Why is My Dog Eating Poop: Physiological Triggers
May be a result of disease
If this is a new behavior in your dog, better call your local vet to check for health issues such as:
- Parasites
If your dog suffers from intestinal parasites or worms, it may lead to the leaching of nutrients from its system.
In turn, it may try to support its diet by eating what seems edible.
- Digestive Disturbances
Your puppy or dog may have problems with digestion.
If a portion of food lacks digestible ingredients or the food is defecated basically in the same form as it was ingested, your puppy or dog’s diet needs to be changed.
In this instance, the stool may taste close to the food it ate. Once you switch to a premium dog food, you should be able to stop stool eating.
If you have tried to switch out the food but the dog still eats its poop, you need to have your pet checked by the vet.
- Malabsorption
- Diabetes, thyroid issues, Cushing’s disease
- Drugs
- any other health condition causing appetite increase
Nutritional deficiencies
Some experts say that dogs might eat poop trying to fulfill nutritional deficiencies (enzymes, vitamins, minerals…)
In some instances, puppies or dogs that are healthy may simply not get enough food to eat.
For example, puppies are growing and need to eat up to three times per day.
If it is being fed small amounts one or two times per day, it may seek to eat its stools to curb its hunger.
New pet owners who are not sure about feeding should speak to their veterinarians.
Can Eating Poop Kill Your Dog?
Can a dog get sick from eating poop? The problem is not so much the eating poop act.
The real danger is what might be in that poop.
The risk of Parvovirus, Salmonella, Giardia and E.coli are actually high. It can increase the risk of intestinal parasite infection.
This is why it is so important that dogs that eat poop are on consistent preventatives. Furthermore, regular fecal exams are in order, to be safe.
Also, we love our dogs, they lick our face, hands, they roll with us, sleep with us.
Well, if he eats poop and is infected with something, the risk of disease transmission such as Salmonella and giardia is very high.
What about on our children?
It is crucial to be alert for this.
Sicknesses Transmitted Through Poop Eating
Stool eating needs to be addressed as quickly as possible as the behavior can lead to a number of illnesses.
These illnesses include the following:
Worms
When a dog eats the poop of a dog with worms, it becomes contaminated itself.
Worms such as hookworms, tapeworms, or roundworms can take up residence in a dog’s body.
The following information gives you a better idea of their effect.
- Hookworms
Hookworms live in a dog’s small intestine. They not only negatively affect a dog but they can be spread to humans.
If a dog suffers from anemia, hookworms can make the condition worse. That is because they feed off a dog’s blood.
At the same time, they damage the mucosa in the intestine.
If this happens, you need to buy a dewormer or deworming product to treat your dog.
- Tapeworms
These can proliferate and make a dog gravely ill. That is because their presence can lead to malnutrition.
Over a thousand species of tapeworms that lay eggs in feces exist. If your dog gets infected with tapeworms, you should take it to your vet for treatment.
- Roundworms
These lay a large number of eggs that survive outside the host body and in the soil for as long as a decade.
A dog can become infected with tapeworms from feces as well as contaminated soil.
You need to treat roundworms with a vet-prescribed dewormer.
- Heartworms
They infect a dog’s heart and therefore damage the tissue.
When dogs are infected with heartworms, they usually do not survive.
You can prevent heartworms by administering heartworm prophylactics.
Once the worms establish themselves in a canine, treatment consists of poisoning the worms by using arsenic-based medicines.
However, treatment usually weakens a dog further and it eventually dies.
Parvovirus
Parvovirus is especially dangerous as it can lead to death, especially in puppies.
This contagious sickness can negatively impact the intestinal tract or the circulatory system of an infected dog.
Parvovirus destroys vital cells in a dog’s body, such as white blood cells and bone marrow.
Treatment includes the administration of antibiotics and fluids.
Most dogs do not survive this illness.
If a dog does survive, it experiences permanent damage, mainly scar tissue, in the affected organs.
Infectious Hepatitis
Infectious hepatitis, when found in dogs, spreads through the saliva, urine, blood, feces, and nasal mucus.
The illness leads to a liver infection and a bleeding condition.
Dogs experiencing the condition display various symptoms, especially fever and hemorrhaging.
The treatment for this illness depends on the symptoms for each dog affected by the condition.
Campylobacteriosis
Campylobacteriosis results from an accumulation of campylobacteria in the dog’s gut.
Usually, puppies suffer from this illness more often than other dogs.
Pups with the condition present a severe case of diarrhea, which leads to dehydration and death if left untreated.
This illness lasts about a week.
However, younger dogs can die within this time if the problem is not immediately addressed.
Vets treat dogs with fluids and antibiotics.
As you can see, a dog eating poop is not something that you should take lightly as it concerns your dog behaviorally and physically.
That is why you need to make sure that you provide your dog with the proper nutrition and keep an eye on it whenever you are walking it.
Without proper oversight, the eating of stools can lead to a problem that is far worse.
Important stats and facts about Dogs Eating Poop
Multiple surveys found that female dogs eat poop more often than male dogs.
The breed of the dog was also found to be a contributing factor of your dog eating poop behavior.
The breeds that were found to be notorious poop eaters were Hound, Shetland Sheepdog, and Terriers while the least poop eater was a Poodle.
Your dog eating poop does not necessarily mean that your dog is sick, but also should not be encouraged since your pup might catch some illnesses from it.
Most dogs will prefer fresh poop and avoid the old one.
In a nutshell:
- 92% of dogs prefer fresh poop (1-2 days old).
- Female dogs are the winners when it comes to poop eating, while non neutered males the least likely to eat poop.
- Coprophagia is more present when dogs live with other dogs.
- Dogs prefer hard poop. They very rarely eat soft poop or diarrhea.
- 85% of dogs only eat other dogs’ poop and not their own.
How to Stop a Dog from Eating Poop
Most dog owners will come across their dog doing this distasteful habit and get worried about the harm it could cause the dog.
If you just caught your dog eating poop, the best approach is to monitor how frequently and what’s pushing him to do so.
Struggling to get your dog to stop eating poop requires supervision and thorough training.
Unfortunately, some dogs simply like eating their stool and even the stools or feces of other animals.
That poses a new dilemma for anyone who asks “How do I stop my dog from eating poop naturally?”
In this scenario, you either have to distract your dog or pick up the poop as quickly as possible.
Some dogs like to eat cat poop or, if they live on a farm, may eat horse manure, rabbit poop or even deer poop.
When dogs eat cat’s poop, it is because a cat often is fed a more nutritious diet. The dog receives the nutrition that it may be lacking in its own meals.
The truth is that you may need to take stronger measures.
These measures may include formatting a new dietary plan and giving your pet a medication that will relieve its stress.
You may also want to ask about giving your dog a multivitamin to satisfy its nutritional requirements.
After all, different breeds possess different temperaments and types of nutrition. Also, older dogs have different nutritional needs than younger dogs.
If you want to prevent stool-eating, you need to look at the nutrition first.
Even if your dog’s reason for coprophagy is stress-induced, certain foods may help calm it down.
8 ways to stop your dog from eating poop:
- Use a leash when walking your dog – It will make it easier to keep them away from poop.
- Train your dog with the “Leave it” command – Check this amazing Dog training solution.This training works well to correct behavioral issues in dogs, and it is also the one thing that has made domestication of dogs possible.
- Never leave poop unpicked after your dog is done. This will help having less poop around to eat.
- Do not use punishment – it might work in the short term, but it will damage your relationship with your dog
- Vitamin supplementation – Many say that often dogs eat poop because they are deficient in nutrients.Mainly Vit B. So, a dog multivitamin might be in order.
Multivitamin For Dogs – On Amazon
- Enzyme supplementation – Nowadays dogs eat too much carbs. This can create digestive challenges. Adding the enzyme papain, might help with this. Better digestion makes poop less attractive.
Probiotics For Dogs – On Amazon
- Maybe try a different dog food. Talk to your vet for advice.
- Start using poop eating Deterrents. It will make poop taste awful to dogs:
About Poop Eating Deterrents For Dogs
- Try small amounts of well-cooked oats, quinoa or rice
- Pineapple: some say that feeding your dog small pieces of fresh pineapple (not canned) will make their poop taste unappealing.
- Add vegetables high in fiber, such as arugula, spinach, and kale. Try also a bit of canned pumpkin to stop dog eating poop. added to the dog’s food
Canned Pumpkin For Dogs – On Amazon
- Note: Avoid meat tenderizer in the dog’s diet: Many have high sodium, garlic and onion that can be toxic to dogs
- Try bitter-tasting spray Makes poop taste worse.
Anti Chew Bitter Spray Deterrent for Dogs and Puppies – On Amazon
How To Stop Dog From Eating Poop – Final Thoughts
Let’s get it all together…
If your dog is eating poop right after he has released himself, you may consider using food additives that will make the poop smell and taste unpleasant to him.
Always remember that your often dog indulges in that behavior because he likes it.
Useful: Can Dogs Taste Their Food? How to deal with picky eaters.
Use poop eating Deterrents: Making poop unpleasant will help you keep your dog away from eating this gross delicacy. See above about poop eating Deterrents.
The key to controlling your dog’s behavior is persistence and willingness to do so.
Training: When you invest in training him and making sure that he obeys you, you are definitely going to fall even more in love with your dog.
If you keep an indoor dog, you should make sure that your dog has been well trained to use the potty. If not yet, you may also train him to use the potty in order to make picking his poop easy.
Potty training can be a little challenging since it takes quite some time.
Useful: How to Potty Train a Puppy.
He is going to mess up a few times but don’t we all?
Avoid punishment: Instead of subjecting him to shame and punishment, you should praise him knowing that he will do better next time.
Curiosity: Why are Chihuahuas So Hard to Potty Train? Helpful guide.
Commands like “go potty” or “leave it” are also helpful in controlling your dog’s behavior.
Once he has learned what you mean, your dog will not eat poop even on walks as you have control over them.
Keep poop away: Always keep poop away from your dog in any way possible, especially from other animals. Keep the dog’s living area clean.
Monitor your dog on walks, and pick up their poop immediately.
If your dog happens to be a chronic poop eater, you will have to make a few trips to the vet’s office to have him tested for intestinal parasites as well as get him dewormed.
Your vet will be able to advise you accordingly.
As disgusting as it is, your dog eating poop is not unusual behavior in dogs. In fact, most dogs have or will eat their own poop or other animals’ at some point in their lives.
Even though it might be associated with health problems, eating poop is more of a behavior-oriented vice.
Some dogs will eat poop from separation anxiety as a coping mechanism while others will do so because they love how it smells.
Useful: Separation Anxiety In Dogs – How to deal with it.
If your dog vomits after eating poop or shows other symptoms like loss of appetite, stomach upset, and diarrhea, you should consider taking him to a vet for a checkup.
Keep your pup happy!
P.S… This might be useful…
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