Dogs eating "poop" why?

dusty&lulusmom · 12-17-2007, 05:47 PM

Here is the situation. I adopted two dogs within the last six months. I never saw either of them eat their poop. Suddenly they are beginning to do this. There have been some changes prior to this behavior. I changed their diet to a solid gold kibble (holistique blendz) this is a low protien kibble. I thought this was best because I supplement with homecooked food. Could the poop eating be from reducing protien? Second, I introduced seameal into the morning and evening feedings. I wonder if this plays a part in it. Finally, it is now winter, maybe they were not interested in "poop" until now since it is frozen..."poopsicles". Sorry for being gross but maybe it is as simple as this. What is interesting is a co-worker switched her dog to the same kibble because her dog was overweight and she introduced seameal...guess what...she is also eating her poop. Anyone know why they could be doing this. I am considering switching to EVO higher protien kibble and maybe giving up the seameal...not sure what is the best action to take. Appreciate any info or advice.

lovemygreys · 12-17-2007, 05:58 PM

Poo eating does tend to increase in the winter time for some reason.

As to why...well, my guess is b/c they like to. Best to keep it picked up so it's not there to eat

MegaMuttMom · 12-18-2007, 08:48 AM

Cherokee has never eaten dog poop until the past few days. Yep, I think poopsicles are a new special treat

I don't mind reaching into his mouth to take out trash and stuff, but not the poopsicles

the-tenth · 12-18-2007, 08:51 AM

I've never actually heard of a dog starting to eat poop after going on a higher qualtiy food. I'ver heard of them doing it because they aren't getting the nutrients they need.

MegaMuttMom · 12-18-2007, 08:58 AM

Cherokee just switched from Solid Gold Millennia to Eagle Pack Salmon, anchovy, etc. I just started with the idea of rotating foods. I didn't think it had to do with a food switch, I assumed it was that frozen poop is somehow exciting. Something for me to think about.

poodlenuts · 12-18-2007, 09:05 AM

my female lab likes to eat cat poop, once I cot her in the woods eating one of the logger's poop.after she had puppies she hasn't been to bad,every now and then I find her waiting for the cat to finish his duty.My cats think she is nasty

dusty&lulusmom · 12-18-2007, 06:01 PM

Well I am glad to hear that I am not the only one witnessing this gross behavior. The funniest thing is to see how my older dog, a basset hound, looks at the other two as they are trying to get away with eating poop, she is appalled by them. She has always been the princess...these two boys disgust her.

Inga · 12-18-2007, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemygreys

Poo eating does tend to increase in the winter time for some reason.

As to why...well, my guess is b/c they like to. Best to keep it picked up so it's not there to eat

Recycling or adding more calories to keep their bodies warm? I did a little research on this topic in the past as I had friend who's dog did this often. I was told that puppies can learn this behavior from parents because mama dogs will clean up their puppies poo. Puppy grows up mimicking the behavior. There are things that you can put into the food that supposedly make the poo less palatable. I cannot believe poo is palatable in the first place.

Dogs that are lacking something in there diets will do this as well. I do believe there are just some dogs that either like the taste (yuck) or they do it out of boredom.

dusty&lulusmom · 12-18-2007, 08:53 PM

I was thinking along the lines to that maybe their diet was lacking something. I think they are on a fairly healthy diet but I did switch to a lower protein kibble. I am still learning about nutrition and after doing some research I am considering switching from solid gold to EVO. I also supplement their diet with homecooked foods. They are on 1/2 kibble, 1/2 homecooked. If the diet change does not seem to make much of a difference then I will probably look into purchasing a product to make the poo less tasty...yuck....I may have to face the fact that these two dogs just like poopsicles. I have a good amount of property and a disignated area for them to do their business...I guess I will have to put the boots on, get out in the snow and clean up after them...I tend to let this go in the snowy winter months.

Poochie Pastries · 12-18-2007, 11:14 PM

My dog used to eat his poop. I heard that this is because they smell the whole food in their poop, and therefore try to re-consume it. Not very scientific, but kinda makes sense

Laura

DrRoss · 12-20-2007, 08:53 PM

Complex Situation folks, The Malabsorption Syndrome in some dogs with exocrine pancreatic disease mean't a large proportion of the fats were undigested and this made the faeces " attractive" (V.high fat content) and coprophagia was common.
Maybe these home prepared meals contain ingredients or breakdown products that mimic the above situation: ie coming through unchanged in the faeces.
Trial and error with addition and withdrawal of ingredients will tell, be aware not all dogs will react in the same way to a given diet, and coprophagia does become a habit. Halogens and trace elements in seaweed may contribute to the cause. The prehistoric dog was a small forest dwelling omnivore, I suggest low fat meats of high quality combined 50/50 with pasta, rice or vegetables, some organ ,kidney liver (small Q's) heart, or tongue increases palatability , probably only practical for preparation in smaller breeds. Lions preferentially eat organs and vegetable matter from the kill. Rabbits store their pellets in the burrow for re-ingestion at a later time. Food for thought! Cheers.

dusty&lulusmom · 12-20-2007, 09:23 PM

Thanks for the info...I will monitor the behavior while keeping track of what homemade food was served when the behavior seems to occur and see if some changes need to be made in their diet.

MAXAMAS · 12-20-2007, 11:38 PM

I Have Been Told That If Ur Dogs Are Eatin Their Poo Its Because There Is Still Nutrients In It And The Dogs Can Tell So Imo The Last Post Is Prolly The Best Answer You Gonna Get

flipgirl · 12-28-2007, 11:50 PM

Maxamas, where did you learn to capitalize every word in a sentence? And what does 'Prolly' mean?

cja75 · 01-01-2008, 08:14 PM

Alot of times dogs eat their poop because they smell good stuff in it. We smell poop but they can smell what's in it. So if you feed higher quality food it will be higher quality poop. It sounds funny but its true. Digestion isnt perfect so even good stuff gets through ie.. Their will be some chicken in their poo some potato etc.. but some tobasco on thier poo and let them try to eat it and it will stop. Worked for me.

Mustang13 · 01-22-2008, 05:37 PM

I think CJA hit the nail on the head.

I have been doing a lot of research on this lately, and i'm at wits end. Its such a filthy habit, unhealthy, AND it gives my dog the worst gas ever.
We tried the Deter, we had the usual blood work, stool exam. All negative.
Tried two different foods, Canidae and Nutro Max. The vet told us to try a food from the grocery market, something "not as good" as what were giving.
Whats good going in, will be equally good the next time around as well, I guess. Kind of stinks, because I don't really want to give a lesser quality food. But it beats the alternative of standing out there with a leash during a Buffalo winter. burrrrr.