Home › Forums › WSB Reader Recommendations › One of my dogs eats poop :(
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 10, 2008 at 12:08 am #587166
IrukandjiParticipantMake it stop! They are well fed with vet-recommended stuff, and they are fed an ample amount. What the HECK is going on?
Help!
June 10, 2008 at 12:16 am #627336
JenVMemberkitty roca or other doggie’s poop? I haven’t yet met a dog who didn’t treat the cat box as their own personal buffet. I don’t know what harm it does, other than being really really icky.
by the way, you win the award for the best topic title. ;)
June 10, 2008 at 12:18 am #627337
thriftwaygirlParticipantI think most dogs have been known to take down another dogs dukee on occasion. It’s pretty normal – unless he/she is eating an incredible amount, it is probably not a problem, aside from the gross factor.
June 10, 2008 at 12:18 am #627338
ErikParticipantI remember my last dog would go for the cow-patties on the in-laws farm in MT, I’d chase her away from them when I saw it.
Here’s an excerpt from a site I found that explains why they like to eat poop:
Why do dogs (and other animals) eat poop?
Many animals eat poop on a regular basis. These include rabbits, rodents, gorillas, many insects such as dung beetles and flies, and yes, dogs. (Keep that in mind the next time a dog wants to lick you!) Herbivores such as rabbits and rodents eat their own poop because their diet of plants is hard to digest efficiently, and they have to make two passes at it to get everything out of the meal. This is equivalent to a cow chewing its cud, only cows are able to re-eat their food without having to poop it out first. Another reason why animals eat poop is that poop contains vitamins produced by their intestinal bacteria. The animal is unable to absorb the vitamins through the intestinal wall, but can get at them by eating the poop. Another reason that animals such as dogs and flies eat poop is that poop contains a certain amount of protein. Dogs are particularly fond of cat poop because cat poop is high in protein. I had a friend with a dog and a cat, and he never had to clean the kitty litter. The dog took care of it.
June 10, 2008 at 12:33 am #627339
hopeyParticipantMy puppy was in the habit of doing this as well. There are a number of diet additives you can use to make the feces unpalatable. I have *heard* that Accent meat tenderizer works great, but I’ve not tried it myself. For my dogs, I use these:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=583
Because the active ingredient is essentially hot red pepper, I needed to *gradually* increase the dose. Now my adult 65 lb dog gets three of the “triple strength” tabs in every meal, and my puppy is much less interested in eating the adult dog’s poop!
btw, the clinical name for this is “corophagia”.
June 10, 2008 at 12:37 am #627340
ShibaguyzMemberThe food you are feeding is probably just really good food. Their poo will be mostly food if the quality of food you are feeding is really high and it smells like food to them.
If it is cat or other dog poo, same thing. The other animals aren’t processing everything that is in their food so they are not only poo-ing waste product but food.
I agree… it’s gross! Also, if the other animal has any parasites, your pup will get the same parasite. I’ve found yelling “EW GROSS!!” and running at them when they are trying to do that works best. LOL Sorry… got nothing else to help ya with stopping them.
June 10, 2008 at 12:52 am #627341
WSMomParticipantSo gross. We’re building a fence to try and keep our pup away from our kittys favorite pooping spot. Ewwww.
June 10, 2008 at 1:34 am #627342
elgregoMemberMy dog used to eat rabbit poop, and ended up getting a parasite from it.
June 10, 2008 at 3:14 am #627343
cruiserMemberOK here ya are,
Carry some pepper (black) with you. Cover the poop with it and let doggy go for it. He’ll stop, sneeze and think again next time:) Keep doing his until he stops,if your dog is really weird and likes pepper move on up to mustard:)
June 10, 2008 at 4:13 am #627344
ellenaterMemberIt’s very interesting that you posted this. My dog also munches poo on occasion. She is a puggle andi’ve heard pugs and puggles are notorious poo eaters. I also read somewhere once that puppies who were kept in a pen that was unclean will do it, too.
You have to be careful though. My dog just got really sick and I’m pretty sure it’s from eating poo at the dog park. Thankfully, she seems to be getting better but we’ve had a few sleepless nights around here (no doggy door). So just be careful at the dog park. That goes for muddy puggles, too.
June 10, 2008 at 4:52 am #627345
LyndaBMemberOh, I just watched something addressing this on Animal Planet channel. A trainer was explaining what you’ve all mentioned before. The situation was the dog was eating like it never ate before as a result of needed protein/vitamins/undigested food that still smells like food etc. Anyway, I forget what she added to the dog chow to make it smell horrible when the dog pooed so it wouldn’t eat it feces. I didn’t do much to help but just remember. If your dogs eats its own poo, think about the surfaces around your home that could be contaminated from said poo and maybe that last kiss s/he gave you. Yuck.
June 10, 2008 at 5:02 am #627346
flowerpetalMemberI agree with Cruiser’s technique and have used cayenne pepper. It only took our dog one or two times before that nasty habit was gone.
The vet at the time said it was pretty irrelevant as to what the cause might be and just go straight to the behaviorist approach and “make it stop!” Bleaaaah!
June 10, 2008 at 5:29 am #627347
ellenaterMemberya, but what if your dog eats other dogs poo?
June 10, 2008 at 5:48 am #627348
TheHouseMemberIf you Google this subject, there are actually sites dedicated to it and there is a technical term for dogs eating turds. Pretty gross….I’d probably use the old pennies in a can routine.
June 10, 2008 at 6:36 pm #627349
IrukandjiParticipantAll great (and funny) info. Thank you.
I’ve got my toddler set up with the pepper grinder and we’re going out to do ‘poo duty.’ This ought be good! On that note, anyone have a good therapist?
I’d never thought much about dogs snacking from the cat box because, well, THE CAT made the treats. THE CAT whom the dogs fear and worship – of course they’d eat her feces.
I was 26 before ever having a dog. It was at that time that Pandora, a none-too-bright lab/weimeraner mix,taught me what a sh*t eating grin really was. She’d come up the stairs with a nose covered in kitty litter and a foul but juicy grin on…
Thanks all!
June 10, 2008 at 7:20 pm #627350
AnonymousInactiveUh, no offense but this is why I don’t have a dog or cat. Their behavior tumps any benefit (companionship) I could ever receive. This sort of food preference and the fact that I have seen dogs drag their anus across the carpet for example.. Once a cat brought in some animal while I was babysitting at another home when I was 16. The cat proceeded to run circles around the dining room table leaving a circle of blood as well as organs randommly scattered. The worst think was that the first step I took into the dark room towards the light switch landed on the carcass. Aside from poop, dogs lap up vomit expelled by drunks or Lord knows who. I cannot understand how some owners “kiss” their dogs. I see that they are cute and are necessary for some, like the blind, they provide security etc. Everyone has the right, I just prefer not to.
June 10, 2008 at 8:39 pm #627351
AlkiKmacParticipantConfirming….sprinkling Accent meat tenderizer on their food worked for me. Used it years ago with my labs. It also kept the ticks away.
June 10, 2008 at 8:42 pm #627352
AnonymousInactivewsblover – Lol!
That is so cute that little cat brought you a gift!
It is pretty gross if you think too much about it. As a dog owner, I do not let my dog lick my face (it doesn’t mean I love her any less)!
June 10, 2008 at 9:09 pm #627353
AnonymousInactiveYeah that was quite a gift.. the cat had food in the house etc .. maybe the cat was trying to impress me? I was so naive at 16. I actually cleaned it up with tongs and a ziploc bag. Then was told to spinkle salt on the ring-around-the-carpet The parents of the boy I was watching were with my parents at my house so I called them to tell them what happened but when I got home they all just looked at me and laughed for about 30 minutes. What are the odds my first step into the room would be on the carcass? Glad I was wearing shoes!!
June 11, 2008 at 12:11 am #627354
ellenaterMemberI read somewhere that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s. Unsure if it’s true… My cat brings birds and mice, but never inside. I think it’s sorta cool.
It IS gross if you think too much about it. I’d never give up my buddies, though. Humans can be pretty disgusting, too.
June 11, 2008 at 1:09 am #627355
soclwrkrinmotnMemberIndeed we can be. And in reading this, I have to admit my first thought was “wanna bring your dog over? I have four cats.”
Yes, I am proof that humans can be disgusting.
(I clean the boxes, and I have converted giant totes to litter boxes to better serve the Cat Army.)
And now I have to go interrupt cat maneuvers. It seems to be battle time. The fun never ends with the Cat Army.
June 11, 2008 at 2:01 am #627356
IrukandjiParticipantCat Army?! Funny. Sounds like the only tactical maneuvering is IN the catbox. Hopefully all IN the box.
SocInMot: I’m sure you’ve seen the Crazy Cat Lady toy. Last I saw, there was one at NW Art and Frame.
Naughty pets.
June 11, 2008 at 3:41 am #627357
alkinetParticipantI wish our dogs ate their own poop. One less thing to do around the yard!
June 11, 2008 at 1:18 pm #627358
soclwrkrinmotnMemberIrukandji: I have seen it and threaten Aim with it all the time. :) As for the tactical maneuvers, the cat box is a prime target (especially at dinnertime–ugh) but right now, the Cat Army is fighting over access to the water tap in the bathroom, and engaging in sniper attacks on my work Blackberry (attacking the cord where it is recharging and pulling it down on the floor.) Sometimes…
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.