My Dog Ate What?

Have you ever looked in the yard just to check on your dog and much to your surprise you see him eating his own stool? Well it can be an upsetting thing to see!

The medical term is Coprophagia.  This is when a dog eats its own feces or stool. The reason behind it is unknown. This is most common in puppies and usually the puppy out grows this. In some cases dogs will continue to eat their own feces or even other animal’s feces. This can be a challenging behavior to curb.

Here are a few steps to take to address the issue:

If your dog has not been examined by a Veterinarian recently a health exam is a good place to start. Your Veterinarian can review your dog’s health status, discuss diets and calorie requirements to maintain a healthy body weight.  Once any medical causes have been ruled out then steps can be taken to stop the behavior. For example:

  • Clean all feces from yard immediately
  • Provide toys for enrichment and spend time playing with your dog to keep him busy
  • Make sure you are exercising your pet enough to meet her need. “A tired dog is a happy dog.”
  • Taste deterrents are available from your Veterinarian to give the stool a bad taste. The deterrent is added to your dog’s food for a period of at least a week.  The taste it leaves in the stool is to discourage your dog from eating it. This may need to be repeated occasionally to curb the behavior if it comes back.

Hopefully these tips will help you this unpleasant behavior.  Especially with spring just around the corner. There are always many surprises found in the melting snow.

Written by: Debra Briton RAHT