I couldn’t believe it when I saw him do it. But sure enough, there she was with her mouth full of his own poop, how disgusting he was! So I did what I always do, I googled it and this is what I found. The act of eating poop has a technical word; coprophagy and simply means that dogs eat poop and that is also a natural thing.
why do dogs eat poop
- They do not have the social considerations that people have, this means that they do not see poop as something bad. To them it’s just another taste sensation.
- Momma’s dogs eat it to keep the den clean from her puppies’ waste.
- The cubs can see their mother doing it and they do it too.
- Puppies eat it because it has the same texture as the food they eat.
- Your dog may not be getting the correct vitamins and minerals in his diet and may be eating to get them.
- Some dogs eat poop to hide something they feel they shouldn’t have done, this is especially true for the dog that has been poorly disciplined for any poop mistakes they have made in the past.
- Boredom is a good way for dogs to start playing and then eat their poop
- The dog may have worms and just feel hungry all the time.
- The dog may be seeking attention. As children any attention is better than no attention
- The dog may feel lonely and feel stressed or anxious. If your dog is cooped up alone for long periods of time, eating poop can become a habit and a way to de-stress.
- Dogs are notorious scavengers and will eat
- Some foods don’t break down in the poop, so they eat it again.
- Dogs will eat cat poop because it is more nutritious. Cat food contains many higher nutrients and more protein than the dog is missing.
Now that we’ve discovered that eating poop can be done for a variety of reasons, it can also indicate a health problem, such as starvation, pancreas problems, nutritional deficiencies, and a lack of certain enzymes in the digestive system. It’s true that a dog can starve even while consuming large amounts of food if it can’t digest the proper nutrients, so don’t attribute poop eating to boredom, consult a vet if in doubt.
So, as natural and even common as this little habit is, it is not a good thing to allow it to continue. No one wants poop breath kisses. Additionally, the act of eating poop can expose your dog to roundworm parasites, bacterial infections, tonsillitis, upset stomach, and an increased risk of parvo and distemper.
A little side note, while researching this beautiful topic, my neighbor told me that his pug had surgery because he had been eating cat poop. He went on to explain that it wasn’t the poop but the kitty litter that was to blame. Dogs cannot digest kitty litter and their bellies will swell and vomit and have masses of diarrhea. In my next article, we’ll discuss ways to get your dog to kick this disgusting habit.