One of the most common abnormal habits in dogs is Coprophagia or eating stool. It’s most often seen in puppies but if it’s not modified, they may grow up doing it. You have to take action when you observe this habit in your dog. It has many reasons which we will discuss in this article in addition to the danger of this habit on your dog’s health and how to stop your dog from doing it.
Reasons why dogs eat poop
1.Nutritional Deficiencies:
When your dog feeds on an unbalanced diet (homemade or raw food) or poor quality wet or dry food, they lack important nutritive values like minerals and vitamins, especially vitamin B so they tend to eat their poop searching for these vitamins
2. Some Medical Conditions:
There are some diseases that cause an increase in your dog's appetite such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or any gastrointestinal disease that leads to malabsorption of the main minerals and vitamins.
3. Hunger:
If you don’t give your dog enough food according to their age and breed, they will seek more food so they will start eating their poop.
4. Intestinal Parasite:
Worms feed on the nutrients in your dog food that cause malnutrition and malabsorption to your dog food.
5. Anxiety
If your dog is stressed or avoids punishment, they can eat their poop.
6. Attention seeking or boredom:
If you don’t give your dog enough attention or play with them, they will tend to get your attention through this abnormal behavior.
7. They like the taste of poop
Since poop is unwanted digested food, your dog may like to eat them as normal food.
8. If they poop in the wrong place and become afraid of punishment.
9. If you put the feeding bowl beside their potty area
Dangers of your dog eating poop
When eating poop, your dog has an increased risk for certain diseases, such as E.coli, Salmonella, giardia, or parvovirus in addition to intestinal parasites.
If your dog licks your face or puts their mouth in different parts of the house, these may put you at risk of infection with Salmonella and giardia.
Methods of stopping this bad habit
Since you know the reasons for this bad habit, you can prevent all the causes. Here are some tips to manage it
Pick up your dog's poop directly after defecation.
Keep your dog away from any litter boxes of other animals.
Use a head collar on walks.
Feed your dog a balanced diet or good quality dry or wet food.
Feed your dog enough food according to their age and breed.
Give your dog their dewormer drug periodically.
Make sure to take your dog to the vet clinic every month for a check-up.
Consult your pet’s doctor about their case.
Get your dog a trainer to modify this bad habit after knowing the reason.